There’s no awkwardness between Jets’ Mike White and Zach Wilson, who are both supportive of each other’s NFL careers
DJ Bien-Aime II, New York Daily News
NEW YORK — When Mike White walks into the Jets locker room he still hears his teammates chanting his name.
Sounds similar to what White heard from the fan base in Metlife Stadium after he threw for 405 yards with three touchdowns against the Bengals in an upset win.
“I told my guys it’s gonna stop at some point, right,” White said with a chuckle on Thursday.
It might stop whenever Zach Wilson becomes the starter again.
Sometimes when you have two potential starting quarterbacks it can ruffle the dynamic within the locker room. Or even between the two quarterbacks.
But not with this pair. White and Wilson’s friendship has stayed intact despite the hype White has received.
“Doesn’t even need to be talked about,” Wilson said. “That’s the coolest part is we both understand that this is part of business football, and we both understand that. I want to play, he wants to play. This is just how it is. So it’s like what’s the point of butting heads when we can help each other out? I think we all benefit from the situation. … I was pumped for him when he played. He’s pumped for me when I’m playing.”
Wilson added that White is the person he’s closest with on the team. And the energy has been reciprocated from White’s view.
“I don’t think it’s been awkward for a second,” White said. “I think he’s been so supportive, and he’s been awesome. And it hasn’t changed our relationship one bit, and it won’t.”
The former BYU star suffered a sprained PCL against the Patriots in Week 7 and has been rehabbing the injury for the third straight week.
This week was the first time he’s practiced since the initial injury and is still knocking off the rust — the Jets estimated his rehab to return timeline would be between two and four weeks.
“I’m definitely not 100 percent still,” Wilson said. “That’s why I’m going through this practice to just try and get back to feeling normal, going through everything, because when you take a couple of weeks off and you don’t run, even this week is a big feel week for me as far as just having the knee feel like normal. A little bit of scrambling and moving around, it doesn’t feel 100 percent there and that’s why we’re doing a lot of this.”
And while White has been the starter, Wilson has valued the opportunity to watch another quarterback run the offense.
“It’s almost just as beneficial as playing. … I would say the biggest thing that I took away is just getting used to the NFL game,” Wilson said. “You start to see our same plays getting run over and over again against different teams and kind of how certain things play out against certain coverages or when someone plays something this way.”
White has performed well in his eight quarters and Robert Saleh has left the door open for White to keep the job.
But White is focused on the moment, not if he’s the Jets long-term starter.
“I operate on a week to week basis, and this week, I’m the quarterback for the team,” White said. “So my job is to be prepared and go out there and help execute the offense. Next week we’ll cross that bridge when we get there. Whatever job the team gives me, that’s what I’ll do to the best of my ability.”
Wilson isn’t worried about when he’ll become the starter again. He believes his time will come. But in the meantime he’s supporting his best friend.
Last time we saw White, he threw a touchdown in the first quarter against the Colts. But suffered a forearm injury that ended his Thursday Night Football appearance.
But White is back and ready to go. He’s set to start against the Bills who have an elite defense. They’re first in yards allowed per game (262.6), points (14.8), and passing yards allowed (177).
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Michael Ainsworth
The days of Aaron Rodgers spending three years on the bench as Brett Favre's apprentice or Carson Palmer sitting out his entire rookie season behind Jon Kitna in Cincinnati are mostly in the past.
While some point to the success Patrick Mahomes has had in Kansas City since spending almost his entire rookie season on the bench behind Alex Smith, rookies are being thrown into the fire quicker than ever. The differences between the pro and college offenses have narrowed and teams try to take advantage of having a starting quarterback on a cheaper rookie contract.
Since the rookie wage scale was put in place before the 2011 season, 30 of the 32 quarterbacks drafted in the first round — all but Jake Locker and Jordan Love — started at least one game as a rookie. Twelve of those started the opener and nearly two-thirds (21 out of 32) got their chance in the first four games of the season.
There is no clear pattern of success when it comes to when to start a rookie quarterback. Andrew Luck stepped in right away to turn Indianapolis into a playoff team. Josh Allen and Justin Herbert off to good career trajectories after making their first start in Week 2. But other early starters such as EJ Manuel and Sam Darnold didn't have the same sort of success.
While Mahomes and Lamar Jackson won MVPs in their second year after waiting until the second half of their rookie seasons to start, others like Johnny Manziel and Locker didn't appear to benefit from the time on the sideline.
“Each situation has its own situation,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said. "I look at ours, I learn from everything through my own experience and just reading about football and watching it over the years. That’s why we all develop our opinions. But just like the perfect play call or the perfect throw, you don’t know until the end of it. Stuff is adjusting at all times and you’ve got to always be ready to adjust and do the best with opportunities you have.”
Michael Ainsworth
The days of Aaron Rodgers spending three years on the bench as Brett Favre's apprentice or Carson Palmer sitting out his entire rookie season behind Jon Kitna in Cincinnati are mostly in the past.
While some point to the success Patrick Mahomes has had in Kansas City since spending almost his entire rookie season on the bench behind Alex Smith, rookies are being thrown into the fire quicker than ever. The differences between the pro and college offenses have narrowed and teams try to take advantage of having a starting quarterback on a cheaper rookie contract.
Since the rookie wage scale was put in place before the 2011 season, 30 of the 32 quarterbacks drafted in the first round — all but Jake Locker and Jordan Love — started at least one game as a rookie. Twelve of those started the opener and nearly two-thirds (21 out of 32) got their chance in the first four games of the season.
There is no clear pattern of success when it comes to when to start a rookie quarterback. Andrew Luck stepped in right away to turn Indianapolis into a playoff team. Josh Allen and Justin Herbert off to good career trajectories after making their first start in Week 2. But other early starters such as EJ Manuel and Sam Darnold didn't have the same sort of success.
While Mahomes and Lamar Jackson won MVPs in their second year after waiting until the second half of their rookie seasons to start, others like Johnny Manziel and Locker didn't appear to benefit from the time on the sideline.
“Each situation has its own situation,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said. "I look at ours, I learn from everything through my own experience and just reading about football and watching it over the years. That’s why we all develop our opinions. But just like the perfect play call or the perfect throw, you don’t know until the end of it. Stuff is adjusting at all times and you’ve got to always be ready to adjust and do the best with opportunities you have.”
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Jed Jacobsohn
Shanahan went into training camp with Jimmy Garoppolo as his starter and Lance getting up to speed after San Francisco traded three first-round picks to take him at No. 3 overall in the April draft. Lance has shown some spectacular plays in the preseason like an 80-yard touchdown to Trent Sherfield, but also some growing pains as he struggles with accuracy after starting just one season at FCS-level North Dakota State — and only one game in 2020 because of the pandemic.
Garoppolo helped San Francisco reach the Super Bowl in the 2019 season before his fourth-quarter struggles contributed to that loss to Mahomes and the Chiefs. Garoppolo lacks the mobility and big-play skills of some of the top young quarterbacks in the league and has struggled to stay healthy, leading to the Niners' decision to make a big play for Lance.
That's why Shanahan isn't in a rush to make a change and will likely opt to use Lance in a part-time role early in the season to get him experience.
“Jimmy’s a very good player,” Shanahan said. “And when Jimmy’s at the top of his game, I told him this back when we made the trade: ‘There’s no rookie that’s going to just come in here right away and take your job if you’re at the top of your game.’”
Garoppolo hasn't been at the top of his game in the preseason but is still slated to start Week 1 against Detroit.
Jed Jacobsohn
Shanahan went into training camp with Jimmy Garoppolo as his starter and Lance getting up to speed after San Francisco traded three first-round picks to take him at No. 3 overall in the April draft. Lance has shown some spectacular plays in the preseason like an 80-yard touchdown to Trent Sherfield, but also some growing pains as he struggles with accuracy after starting just one season at FCS-level North Dakota State — and only one game in 2020 because of the pandemic.
Garoppolo helped San Francisco reach the Super Bowl in the 2019 season before his fourth-quarter struggles contributed to that loss to Mahomes and the Chiefs. Garoppolo lacks the mobility and big-play skills of some of the top young quarterbacks in the league and has struggled to stay healthy, leading to the Niners' decision to make a big play for Lance.
That's why Shanahan isn't in a rush to make a change and will likely opt to use Lance in a part-time role early in the season to get him experience.
“Jimmy’s a very good player,” Shanahan said. “And when Jimmy’s at the top of his game, I told him this back when we made the trade: ‘There’s no rookie that’s going to just come in here right away and take your job if you’re at the top of your game.’”
Garoppolo hasn't been at the top of his game in the preseason but is still slated to start Week 1 against Detroit.
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Wade Payne
It's a similar situation in Chicago, where the Bears traded up to draft Fields after already signing Andy Dalton earlier in the offseason.
Fields has shown flashes in the preseason of a quarterback who won the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year in each of his two seasons at Ohio State, displaying the ability to make big plays.
“Big picture, we love where he’s at,” Nagy said of Fields. “He’s done everything we’ve asked him to do.”
But with a spotty offensive line the Bears seem ready to stick with Dalton, at least for Week 1 against Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald and the Los Angeles Rams.
Wade Payne
It's a similar situation in Chicago, where the Bears traded up to draft Fields after already signing Andy Dalton earlier in the offseason.
Fields has shown flashes in the preseason of a quarterback who won the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year in each of his two seasons at Ohio State, displaying the ability to make big plays.
“Big picture, we love where he’s at,” Nagy said of Fields. “He’s done everything we’ve asked him to do.”
But with a spotty offensive line the Bears seem ready to stick with Dalton, at least for Week 1 against Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald and the Los Angeles Rams.
Greg Cote: Bill Belichick must be smiling as Dolphins deal with Watson rumors and Tua with doubts
John Minchillo
The situation in New England could be even more complicated. While Jones was the last of the first-round quarterbacks drafted at No. 15, he might be the most polished and could be ready to step in early after a stellar final season at Alabama. Jones has looked sharp in the preseason and got extra time with the starters last week when Cam Newton was forced to be away for five days because of COVID-19 protocols.
“I’m here to play any role that I can play and, help any way I can,” Jones said. “I’m going to be ready whenever my time comes up.”
When that time is remains a question with coach Bill Belichick saying only he has “a lot of decisions to make.”
If Jones starts Week 1 it would mark just the second time since the merger that more than two rookie quarterbacks started the opener, joining the five rookie starters in 2012. Those were Luck, Robert Griffin III, Ryan Tannehill, Brandon Weeden and Russell Wilson Only Wilson, in Seattle, is still with the team that drafted him.
John Minchillo
The situation in New England could be even more complicated. While Jones was the last of the first-round quarterbacks drafted at No. 15, he might be the most polished and could be ready to step in early after a stellar final season at Alabama. Jones has looked sharp in the preseason and got extra time with the starters last week when Cam Newton was forced to be away for five days because of COVID-19 protocols.
“I’m here to play any role that I can play and, help any way I can,” Jones said. “I’m going to be ready whenever my time comes up.”
When that time is remains a question with coach Bill Belichick saying only he has “a lot of decisions to make.”
If Jones starts Week 1 it would mark just the second time since the merger that more than two rookie quarterbacks started the opener, joining the five rookie starters in 2012. Those were Luck, Robert Griffin III, Ryan Tannehill, Brandon Weeden and Russell Wilson Only Wilson, in Seattle, is still with the team that drafted him.
There’s no awkwardness between Jets’ Mike White and Zach Wilson, who are both supportive of each other’s NFL careers
Andy Lyons/Getty Images North America/TNS
Mike White (5) of the New York Jets against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium on November 04, 2021 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images/TNS)
Andy Lyons/Getty Images North America/TNS
Mike White (5) of the New York Jets against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium on November 04, 2021 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images/TNS)
