Mike White has come to save the New York Jets day
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ—What’s the most discernable difference between No. 2 and No. 5, other than the former’s incredible physical advantage over the latter?
Well, simply put, No. 5 brings an element of fearless moxie to the table that No. 2 simply cannot match.
The position of football quarterback is one many talent evaluators continuously get wrong. The mystery behind why that is the obvious case rages on, yet it should not be such a mystery after the quarterback case of the 2022 New York Jets is examined.
Zach Wilson, 23, entered the season as the undoubted face of the franchise. Selected No. 2 overall in the 2021 NFL draft, nobody would argue that the kid brings an incredible physical advantage to the table.
His feet are lightning fast, his arm is electric, and his release is absurdly quick—perfectly suited for today’s 3-step-ladened National Football League. Nobody would dare dispute those attributes against the current hero of the day, Mike White.
Yet, interestingly, the guy with the lesser talent is more suited to lead the charge.
Mike "Effin" White goes for over 300 yards and three touchdowns to lead the New York #Jets to a 31-10 victory over the Chicago Bears. pic.twitter.com/2i4D7IsAEH
— Jets X-Factor (@jetsxfactor) November 27, 2022
White, 27, went for 315 yards and three touchdowns (to no interceptions) in a 31-10 Jets’ trouncing of the Chicago Bears on Sunday. Lifting the squad to 7-4, White found himself gloriously stuck in a familiar atmosphere with admiration plastered all over the backdrop.
“Mike White, Mike White, Mike White,” the MetLife Stadium crowd continuously chanted on and off all rainy afternoon.
Mike White is very *human* in the way he speaks with the media. A tough thing to explain, no question, but he makes things relatable and smooth when hitting on topics or certain plays.
He’ll also never complain about those “Mike White” chants. #Jets pic.twitter.com/LWlUj7izXo
— Robby Sabo (@RobbySabo) November 27, 2022
Although nobody would ever confuse No. 5 with an arrogant individual, the kid’s human element was on display in the postgame presser.
“It’s always cool,” White told the media after being asked about the chants. “I’m not going to sit here and give you some quarterback cliche. There are times I’m not (hearing the fan chants), but towards the end of the game (I am).”
Just make sure your football IQ lines up with the Jets’ new starting quarterback’s football mind.
“I think it would be a lot cooler if they didn’t do it while we’re trying to snap the ball,” White joked. “But no, I’m not going to complain too much about that.”
White’s communication is very human and relatable, which contrasts greatly with that of Wilson, whose machine-like persona could not help but be spotted even from Mars. And then there’s the issue of quarterback mind and mentality, both of which were on excellent display against the Bears.
Not only did White lead the Jets on a nine-play, 75-yard opening scoring drive that resulted in an 8-yard Garrett Wilson touchdown reception, but he also—in tandem with offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur—did something that this unit failed to do often this season.
Garrett Wilson's route-running in 1v1 situations is absurd. Corner here, with an inside stem, undresses the Bears DB, and Mike White finds him for 6. #Jets pic.twitter.com/moIL2ZbsXy
— Robby Sabo (@RobbySabo) November 27, 2022
He stretched the field in a way that forced the defense to actually adjust.
Down 10-7 in the second quarter, in a game that featured a less-than-dominant Jets defense, White fired one over the middle with no fear. Wilson turned it into a 54-yard chunk touchdown.
The reason it's so tough to evaluate QBs is due to the MENTAL attributes it takes to play the position. It's about a certain MINDSET, no fear, feel, leadership, etc.
Mike White is not afraid, as he finds Garrett Wilson for another 6. #Jets lead 14-10. pic.twitter.com/qyIO3SkOie
— Robby Sabo (@RobbySabo) November 27, 2022
At that point in the game, Chicago had settled down defensively. Although Matt Eberflus’s defense is quite similar to that of Robert Saleh’s—a relaxed shell feel that keeps everything in front—the Bears’ unit came out with an aggressive attitude.
The Bears crowded the box, played a bunch of 1-high concepts, and defensive backs also broke on balls earlier than the usual timing, which was more so the case after White led the charge on the opening drive.
What the Jets needed was a quarterback to sling it downfield—when it was essential to do so. (This idea is similar to the way the Jets needed White to destroy the Cincinnati Bengals underneath two Halloweens ago—take what the defensive gives you.) What the Jets offense needed was a quarterback to right the ship.
What Jets fandom needed was a leader who showcased a no-fear attitude.
Every professional athlete understands the following: If you play to not get injured, you’re more likely to find yourself injured. At quarterback, if you play to not turn the ball over, you’re more likely to turn the ball over.
You simply have to know that free-throw is going in, that putt is dropping in the hole, or that pass is going to fit into the tight window over the middle.
Zach Wilson never truly knew, as his confidence was left behind in Utah. For whatever reason, he simply played with fear firmly entrenched in his mind.
Just look at his play against the Patriots in New England prior to and after the Devin McCourty dropped interception. Initially confident in the game, the light-switch flung downward—to the off and defeated side—after he sailed one over Tyler Conklin’s head and nearly turned the ball over.
That simply cannot be the case. A quarterback mustn’t be that fragile—no matter the level of pressure coming from a defensive-first coaching staff.
Mike White played as if he had nothing to lose, whereas Zach Wilson played with the weight of the world on his shoulders.
“It’s awesome,” White said of the results after the game. “To go out there and play football with your friends, guys you’ve been with for a couple of years now (it’s awesome).”
Perhaps Elijah Moore noticed that most, the disgruntled Jets weapon who tallied his first touchdown of the season on this Mike White day.
Just a confident pocket presence from Mike White, understanding the deep concept coming to meet the sideline vertical.
Elijah Moore this paydirt. #Jets pic.twitter.com/UDRS7dY6rl
— Robby Sabo (@RobbySabo) November 27, 2022
Yet another third down, and yet another clutch Mike White play, this time understanding his surroundings and what was materializing downfield in real-time. He remembered the tighter splits, the longer-developing concept, and drifted just enough while anticipating the out-breaking corner route from Moore while sneaking underneath the vertically-traveling Corey Davis.
So, yeah, those who claim Zach Wilson is the more talented quarterback will be right 99% of the time. That is until you begin to drill down into the nuance of actually playing the position.
What about mindset?
What about mentality?
What about toughness?
What about awareness?
What about personality?
What about featuring a fearless set of skills that a team follows into a back alley featuring dangerous people looking to do world-record harm?
This is why evaluating quarterbacks is one of the toughest things in the world. It’s nearly impossible to predict how individuals will respond in a given situation, surrounded by specific people, while up against the weight of the world that stacks the odds in the result of failure.
— New York Jets (@nyjets) November 27, 2022
Tom Brady, a skinny shrimp out of Michigan, a sixth-round pick in 2000, is just one such example of getting it wrong. There have been countless others.
Mike White aims to add his name to that list.
The kid who grew up near Fort Lauderdale, FL, and transferred from South Florida to Western Kentucky, couldn’t get a sniff from an NFL franchise as he toiled on the edge of the Jets’ active roster and practice squad. And now, he suddenly has Halloween 2021 against the Cincinnati Bengals and the trouncing of the Chicago Bears in 2022 in his back-pocket.
Better yet, he now has the faith of his teammates and the organization as a whole on his side. And it’s thanks to being equipped with the correct quarterback mindset—one that plays fearlessly, energetically, unapologetically, and without anything to lose—a mentality that greatly contrasts with the previous quarterback.
Worse yet, for Zach Wilson that is, the New York Jets, his teammates, love Mike “Effing” White, just as No. 5 loves his teammates.
“When it wasn’t my time to play, I was super supportive of them and having fun with them, too, but just to be out there, be a part of it, and help the team, and help the team win is always fun,” White said after the game.
Although this Chicago Bears defense stinks and the kid has much to still prove, Mike “Effing” White has fearlessly arrived for the New York Jets, yet again, and just in the nick of time for a talented team looking to do damage this season.
