The Jets’ second preseason game comes on Monday Night Football, and we may get an extended look at Joe Flacco, who will be the guy under center until Zach Wilson returns from his second knee injury in as many season.
Gang Green won’t rush Wilson back, so even though he is already back at camp and is only expected to miss two-to-four weeks, Wilson may still miss the season opener at least – and, as Boomer Esiason said Monday, this is why you have a guy like Joe Flacco.
And as a former Jets QB, one who has been in a similar spot, Boomer thinks is a huge chance for Flacco to show he’s more than just a mentor and emergency option for Gang Green.
“If I was in his situation, I’d want to get this job. I’d have a bunch of good young players around me, and I’d try to go all gas no brake, as Robert Saleh likes to say, put the pedal to the metal, and throw for 350 yards and win games and make it impossible for them to take me off the field,” Boomer said.
Flacco’s not a strong personality – Boomer called him a “flatliner” – and Booms even admitted that might be asking too much of the former Super Bowl MVP at this stage of his career…to everyone but Flacco.
“If you ask him, I’d say he thinks he’s still good enough to be a starting QB in the NFL,” Boomer said, “and I think he has an opportunity now to go out and show everybody that yeah, he can still be the guy. You don’t have to be a maniac and run around the field to be able to be a good starting QB in the NFL.”
But even if Flacco does what the Booms offered, Gio just feels “no juice” around the Jets without Zach Wilson.
“I think all the juice gets squeezed out of the Jets when Zach Wilson is not on the field,” Gio said. “I feel like Joe Flacco is old news – I know he’s a veteran, but from my perspective as a fan, you know he’s cooked at the end of his career and he’s not the future. He can still make throws and win a game or two, but this is not what you want to see; you want to see the No. 2 overall pick go out there and do his thing!”
Unfortunately, that won’t happen for a couple weeks into the regular season it seems, and Boomer says he wouldn’t be surprised if Flacco “wins a game or two” under center.
But what happens if Flacco is rolling, and Wilson misses a little more time than expected?
“It depends on how well he’s playing and if the team is winning,” Boomer said. “(Flacco) probably has the best group of offensive players that he’s had around him in a long time, and this is a moment in time for him.”
Boomer recalled his final season in Cincinnati, when he was a Joe Flacco to David Klingler’s Zach Wilson, and he saw a lot of “disconnected young players” blossom because of Boomer’s wisdom and experience.
He sees a similar path for Flacco.
“When I look at the Jets, I see a team with a ton of talent – and there are guys who should have a great start to the season with Joe Flacco if he wants to do this, and I think that he can make it really hard for Zach Wilson to get back on the field if he wants to.”
Follow WFAN's morning team on Twitter: @7BOOMERESIASON, @GioWFAN, @Alsboringtweets, @JerryRecco, and @WFANMornings
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