Robert Saleh's waffling aside, calling on Joe Flacco's experience makes sense against Miami
Zach Wilson of the Jets, right, sits with Joe Flacco during the third quarter against the Buffalo Bills at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Nov. 14, 2021. Credit: Jim McIsaac
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — There’s no coaching manual for this stuff, and Robert Saleh is finding out the hard way that handling your quarterback situation is probably the hardest thing for a first-year NFL coach. Heck, it’s tough for even a seasoned coach.
With Zach Wilson still recovering from a knee injury he suffered early in a blowout loss to the Patriots on Oct. 24, Saleh has navigated the treacherous waters of a potential quarterback controversy with mixed results. Previously unheard-of backup Mike White was a revelation in pulling off a 34-31 upset of the Bengals the following week, to the point where Saleh left some wiggle room when asked if it was possible he’d continue as the starter even after Wilson was ready to return.
After White melted down with four interceptions in another hideous loss to the Bills at MetLife Stadium last Sunday, Saleh defended White, suggesting on Monday that "everyone wants to throw him away" and that he didn’t deserve so much criticism. And now, he decides to go with Joe Flacco, who was acquired in a trade with the Eagles after Wilson’s injury, on Sunday against the Dolphins.
This all-over-the-map kind of decision-making isn’t a good look for a coach trying to make his way, and Saleh is taking heat for waffling on his latest move. That’s on top of the well-deserved criticism being aimed at the Jets’ defense, which has been horrendous the last month in allowing 175 points over the last four games.
If Saleh didn’t understand the euphoria-or-disaster dynamic that the New York market represents, he sure does now. Rex Ryan’s rip job of the first-year head coach on Monday, when he eviscerated the team’s defensive performance this season, only reinforced the notion that Saleh works in the most intense media crucible that there is in pro football.
Welcome!
The derision about Saleh’s latest flip-flop with his quarterbacks is understandable, but the move to Flacco is at least plausible. I mean, if you’re going to give up a sixth-round pick for a veteran quarterback, especially after the second-guessing about needing a player like Flacco or someone else to add insurance for a rookie quarterback in Wilson, you might as well play him in this situation, no? I get that White showed plenty against the Bengals in his first NFL start, but once there was enough game tape on him in that game and his appearance against the Colts, it was enough for the Bills to come up with a game plan to guard against the checkdowns that were so effective against Cincinnati.
That’s exactly what happened, and a confused White looked miserable against an admittedly superior defense. And now, with Miami coming off a spectacular defensive effort against Lamar Jackson’s Ravens, why not go with the quarterback who gives you the best chance to win? Playing Flacco certainly doesn’t guarantee a win, especially if he can’t solve the Miami blitzes that flummoxed Jackson. But he has a better chance at winning than White, who doesn’t have the ability to at least keep the Dolphins honest the way Flacco does, especially if the veteran can back the defense off with a few downfield throws that he has been delivering his entire career.
Make no mistake: Flacco isn’t close to being the quarterback who dominated the 2012 playoffs on the way to a Super Bowl championship. He has produced only one playoff victory since, gave way to Jackson after the 2018 season and has been mostly a backup ever since.
Saleh is clearly committed to Wilson as his long-term starter, and chances are Wilson will be back under center with another week’s rest. In the meantime, the coach needs to do all he can to get another win and pull this team out of a malaise that threatens to poison the rest of the year.
Right here, right now, it’s Flacco who gives him the best chance to get that win. No guarantees, of course, and if Flacco is truly awful against the Dolphins, White might get some more playing time this week. But if you’re trying to win a game — and that’s the point here — the percentages rest with Flacco.
"At the quarterback position, he’s got the ball in his hands every play," Saleh said. "You’ve got a very young offense that’s trying to develop. You got a coordinator [Mike LaFleur] who’s trying to develop. If the guy holding the ball can’t get it to people trying to develop in a timely manner, you can struggle. It was a decision we felt with his calm and his experience, he can get the ball to our playmakers and they can go make plays."
The Jets need to win a game. Saleh needs to win a game. Flacco gets the call.
By next week, none of it will really matter, because the only quarterback who truly matters for this team will almost surely be back in the lineup.
Wilson is the only quarterback you need to care about.
Bob Glauber retired in 2022 after covering the NFL for nearly 40 years. He was selected in 2021 for the Bill Nunn Career Achievement Award by the Pro Football Writers of America, and is a three-time winner of the New York State Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. President of the PFWA for the 2018-20 seasons, he is the author of “The Forgotten First” and “Guts and Genius.”
