Zach Wilson was riding the stationary bike during Sunday’s preseason finale, and during the Jets’ win over the Giants, Gang Green GM Joe Douglas said he was progressing nicely after having knee surgery last week.
That said, Joe Flacco, who started Sunday’s game, expects to be the starter for Week 1 against the Baltimore Ravens, assuming Wilson doesn’t have a more miraculous recovery and finds himself behind center for the opener.
“Yes,” Flacco said when asked if he has that expectation, adding that, “to be honest, and I don’t want to start any stories, but I don’t really know Zach’s status at this point.”
Flacco was just 7-of-12 for 76 yards and an interception on Sunday, that pick early in the second quarter ending the veteran’s day; it was returned for a touchdown by the Giants, and when the Jets came back out, Mike White was in at QB, although head coach Robert Saleh had some thoughts otherwise.
“The competitive spirit wanted to send (Flacco) out again, but I had capped it,” Saleh said.
“You want to go out there and have a few good drives and feel good about it,” Flacco added. “Definitely aggravating the way things ended there – I was trying to hold on as long as I could, I just kind of yanked it – so definitely annoying.”
Saleh praised the second-team offense that was led by Mike White, who also started some games for the Jets last season, and went 13-of-17 for 170 yards and two scores on Sunday after struggling this preseason.
“Mike had the type of game we’ve come to expect out of him,” Saleh said. “He’s a really good quarterback and I know the first couple games left a bad taste in his mouth, so for him to have the game he had was really good.”
“We were just able to get in the rhythm; we were able to feel it, and once we got in rhythm, things started to break, and we progressed on it,” White added. “When you close on a performance like today’s, it helps carry that momentum into the season. I was presented with a lot of situations I learned from, and was able to build on the positives and not dwell on the negatives.”
Related
And don’t forget Chris Streveler, the CFL expat who signed just before camp and did nothing but engineer three straight comeback wins in the fourth quarter.
“Streveler has been awesome, and probably had one of the greatest preseasons in the history of football,” Saleh laughed. “It made going for it on fourth down at the end really easy knowing the ball was in his hands.”
It seems like a difficult decision on paper, but it looks like Flacco as the starter, White as the backup, and Streveler hopefully able to be kept on the practice squad, assuming his preseason performance doesn’t earn him a backup job somewhere.
Related
“My dad and girlfriend are in town, so I’m going to go to dinner with them and have a nice night, but it’s been an unbelievable camp,” Streveler said. “Such an up-and-down ride for me, and getting so many opportunities, I just have a feeling of gratitude. I’m thankful to be given the opportunity to be here in the first place. I don’t take anything for granted, and I think I’ve put my best foot forward and I’m at peace with the way I prepared and played. I just continue to work hard, and you never know what’s going to happen or when your opportunity will come.”
“It’s been an awesome preseason, and for him to do what he’s done, it’s impressive,” Flacco added of Streveler. “For a guy who hasn’t gotten a lot of reps to go out there and just make it about football, running the play that’s called and doing what he does, it’s been impressive to watch.”
Follow Lou DiPietro on Twitter: @LouDiPietroWFAN
Listen live to WFAN via:
Audacy App | Online Stream | Smart Speaker
Follow WFAN on Social Media:
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitch