After taking beating Sunday, Mike White says he's feeling good

Mike White woke up Monday morning, picked up his 1-year-old twins out of their cribs, played with them and let them tackle him.

White welcomed those hits, especially after what he withstood in Sunday’s loss to the Bills. But the Jets quarterback emerged from the Buffalo beating saying he feels fine and expects to play Sunday against the Lions.

“I do,” White said on a Zoom call. “I feel good. I’m going to prepare as such. I feel like I can play and I feel like I’m ready to roll.”

White still has to undergo some tests on his ribs before he’s officially cleared. He was taken to a Buffalo-area hospital immediately after the 20-12 loss for a CT scan to make sure he could fly home with the team. White said there “were no issues” and he returned with the team.

“I feel good,” White said. “I don’t feel like 100 bucks because I just played a football game, but I feel good.”

Robert Saleh said the Jets are still gathering information and would know more about White’s status when they practice on Wednesday. But Saleh said the Jets are “preparing as if” White will practice in full and play Sunday.

“I’m not going to get into details,” Saleh said. “I know what they saw was good enough to get back on the plane. He feels good. We’re just trying to let this play out.”

Saleh also said the Jets haven’t made a decision on whether Joe Flacco or Zach Wilson, who has been inactive the past three games, will be the backup. Saleh plans to announce that on Wednesday as well.

White left Sunday’s game two different times after getting crushed while throwing the ball.

The first one knocked the wind out of him and White only missed two plays. The second one, a bone-crushing hit to White’s ribs late in the third quarter by Buffalo linebacker Matt Milano, required him to leave the field and get X-rays. Milano had a free run to White.

He missed the rest of that series and the next one. White said he initially couldn’t catch his breath. He said once “the X-rays were cool” nothing was going to keep him from returning to the game.

“I knew if everything was fine, I was going in,” White said. “You would have had to peel me off that field. It was never in my mind that I’m not finishing this game.”

Jets coaches and players lauded White for the toughness and heart he showed.

White completed 27 of 46 passes for 268 yards. White led one touchdown drive and drove the Jets into the red zone in the fourth quarter. They kicked a field goal after failing to convert a third-and-1.

“He’s tough as nails, man,” Saleh said. “He got beat up a little bit. I feel like we could have played a lot better on the offensive line. Felt like we could have been better in the run game.

“He stood in there, took his shots, delivered strikes. He was playing really, really, really, really well and moving the ball on a pretty good defense in their home stadium. He was awesome.”

White said he’s never had a rib injury before, but he has worn a flak jacket for protection in the past. White said he wouldn’t have a problem wearing one on Sunday.

“I have watched the hits,” White said. “The first one looked a little worse than what it actually was. I kind of lost my wind. Once I got it back, I was back out there. The second one definitely looks how it felt. It was a clean hit. He got me good. Running start, He made a good play.”  

White said it was important for him to go out and finish the game and show his teammates how much he cares.

“As far as the hits, that’s football,” White said. “It’s part that you don’t miss during [the game] because it hurts. It’s part that you do miss because you want to prove to your guys, 'Listen, I’m willing to hang in there and take the hits necessary to move the ball down the field,’ and show them that you’re willing to lay it all out there for them.”

By Al Iannazzone

al.iannazzone@newsday.comAl_Iannazzone

Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.