GUIDING WHITE
Returning QB hopes to help Gang snap playoff drought - but knows he can`t do it alone
Mike White has delivered in the clutch before.
The Jets quarterback recounted a story on Wednesday about how as a 10-year-old slugger in Florida, he cranked a walk-off, three-run home run — his first career homer — in St. Augustine, Fla. It was his father’s birthday and his father was coaching third base.
“As I was rounding third base, I said, ‘Hey, happy birthday,’ ” White said. “My dad still has the ball.”
White can add to his father’s ball collection with a strong performance Sunday against the Seahawks. The stakes are a bit higher than a Little League game with the Jets chasing their first playoff berth in 12 years. They need to win the last two games and have the Patriots lose one of their final two games to reach the postseason.
White was cleared by the team doctors to return this week after missing two games with broken ribs. After watching Zach Wilson struggle over the past two weeks, White is being hailed as a savior by some Jets fans. But White cautioned Wednesday that he won’t be able to stop the Jets’ fourgame losing skid by himself.
“Football is the ultimate team sport,” White said. “It’s never going to fall on one person. It’s never going to fall on one side of the ball. It’s a collective effort. By no means do I think I need to go in there and do anything out of the ordinary. I need to just play my game and get the playmakers the ball and help this team try to move the ball and win these last two.”
White was the quarterback when this losing streak started, losing games to the Vikings and Bills. Even though the Jets lost those games, the offense moved more efficiently with him at quarterback. The Jets can only hope his return revives a unit that failed to score a touchdown last week against the Jaguars.
White said he is unsure if he will have to wear any extra protection for his ribs this week.
“I feel good with where I’m at,” White said. “I’m sure the trainers and doctors and the equipment stuff are playing arts and crafts and putting something together for me. Like I told you guys a couple of weeks ago, I felt like I could play two weeks ago. I still feel the same. I feel good. I’m sure there will be some extra stuff but I’m not exactly sure what that will be.”
Bills linebacker Matt Milano broke White’s ribs with a devastating hit three weeks ago. Jets coach Robert Saleh said the entire offense has to function better to protect White from taking any more big hits.
“It’s all encompassing,” Saleh said. “We’ve got to run the ball better, we’ve got to protect better upfront. It all starts upfront. We just have to be better, and the quarterback’s always going to get hit. You’d love for him to have a clean game, but it’s a little bit of everything.”
White, who grew up in Florida, said he watched the Dolphins-Packers game on Sunday while texting with childhood friends who are Dolphins fans. White said he tried to keep his comments to a minimum but was thrilled like Jets fans when the Packers beat the Dolphins to help the Jets’ playoff chances.
“Everything that happened that needed to happen for us,” White said. “It almost felt kind of like a sign, like a second chance almost, and maybe a little extra life was breathed into the locker room.”
After experiencing some success as a starter last year, White said he learned not to look ahead. The reality is
White could play his way into being the Jets’ starter for
2023, but he is not letting his mind go there.
He said he is only focused on this week.
“I fell into that trap last year a little bit and the possibilities of what if and all the yada, yada and then things go out of whack,” White said. “That’s the biggest thing I’ve learned from and I’ll take through the rest of my career and the rest of life and I’ll pass down to my kids. I truly believe that’s the only way to have success.”