Last year in week 6 of the 2020 NFL Season, the 0-5 Jets took on the Dolphins in Miami and were defeated 24 – 0. Joe Flacco got the start and he was 21/44 with 186 yards and a pick. Fans were a bit confused and some were upset, with the decision for Flacco to get the start over Mike White this upcoming weekend as the Jets host the 3-7 Miami Dolphins. Coach Saleh’s reasoning was mostly because of experience.

"My comments on Monday were because people wanted him out of New York"

Robert Saleh addresses his quote from earlier this week where he said "everyone wants to throw [Mike White] away": pic.twitter.com/d6fV9CJtTw

— Jets Videos (@snyjets) November 17, 2021

He mentioned how Mike White did a great job of putting good football on tape and how the idea is for Mike White to be with the Jets for years to come. He was specifically asked about Joe Flacco’s struggles last year when he faced the same Miami defense and Coach Saleh explained that the offense this year and the personnel within it are very different.

Joe has had a career of almost a decade and a half now and he has experienced great success. On the 2012, 2013 Ravens Super Bowl run, Flacco had a historic post season performance over the course of 4 games where he threw for 1,140 yards, 11 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. Coach Saleh touched a little on that as well.

“He’s in the record books all over the place. He’s a world champion, so he’s got a history of playing good ball. One drive didn’t solidify anything; it’s his history more than anything. He’s seen these type of defenses many times over.

“There’s a young group that’s playing its butts off, and it’s just a chance to get the chains moving and get the ball to our guys. Just like Mike proved, if you can get the ball to our guys, they can do a lot of damage with it. In this situation, where you’re seeing a very complex defense, we feel like Joe can get the ball to those guys.”

Apparently Joe Flacco has gotten to the point where he knows the offense well enough to come in as the starter this weekend and the point that the roster and the system are very different are true so I will give the benefit of the doubt here. Joe did have a touchdown pass to Elijah Moore last week and appears to still be physically capable. The offensive line and the playmakers seem to be taking steps in the right direction. This is a good opportunity for the Jets team to bounce back against an also struggling Dolphins team. The Dolphins are however, coming off of a big win in primetime against the Ravens, and Tua has looked better and better as he has gotten more games under his belt. I do agree that Flacco may be the right decision in terms of not being surprised by what Miami’s defense looks like. This could potentially bode well for the rest of the Jets offense and their development.