Joe Flacco gives the Jets with a better chance to win than Mike White

The Jets will be starting Joe Flacco instead of Mike White against Miami this Sunday.

The Jets have a new starting quarterback while Zach Wilson continues to rest and nurse his PCL sprain.

Instead of Mike White, New York will go with Joe Flacco this Sunday against the Miami Dolphins. Joe Douglas and the Jets front office traded for Flacco late last month by sending a conditional sixth-round draft pick to the Eagles, who employed the veteran signal-caller at the time.

Keeping the team’s current goals and the desire of this Jets coaching staff (which is to win) in mind, making the switch to Flacco is the correct move.

The Crucial Experience

Yes, Mike White put together a miraculous performance when he threw for 405 yards and three touchdowns in the Week 8 win over Cincinnati.

But he finally portrayed what he really is against Buffalo this past Sunday, and that’s a true backup quarterback (he threw four interceptions in the loss).

The “Mike f–king White” saga was totally fun while it lasted. I rooted for him and you should’ve as well.

But the reality is that he’s come back down to earth and a big reason for that great game against the Bengals was the lack of film Cincinnati possessed on him (the fourth-year quarterback didn’t make his inaugural regular-season appearance until Week 7 of 2021).

There’s a reason why White took 3.5 years to notch a start in this league, and there’s a reason why Flacco has won a Super Bowl and is still cashing checks in season No. 14.

Flacco’s experience provides the Jets with the best opportunity for a victory in their upcoming Week 11 divisional matchup. The veteran has been in this exact position before with this exact team against this exact opponent. Robert Saleh believing in him more than the guy who has only three NFL starts under his belt makes total sense.

After 13.5 years, Flacco has seen it all, if not most of what the NFL has to offer. White hasn’t — that’s a crucial factor for the Jets’ (temporary) quarterback situation while Wilson rests on the sideline.

No White Flag

I understand the desire of some (or maybe even many) Jets fans to tank. The season is basically a wash given the various injury-related issues and the defensive struggles that can be deemed disastrous.

But Saleh and his staff are not waving the white flag. The 2021 season may not be the year, but considering this new staff and young roster, the goal needs to be developing as a team and winning games in order to find momentum and hope for the 2022 campaign.

The staff is still in win-now mode; Saleh and his assistants likely believe building as a ballclub now is much superior to the team’s position in the 2022 draft.

And when it comes to winning, Flacco is just a better option than White, at least while Wilson, the hopeful future face of the franchise, nurses his injury.

Follow Ryan Honey on Twitter: @RyanHoneyESNY

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