Tag: Mike White

2020 New York Jets Position Preview: Quarterback

Jets Wire breaks down New York’s quarterback room with training camp and the 2020 season approaching.

With the beginning of training camp less than two weeks away, it’s time to take a closer look at the makeup of the Jets’ roster entering the 2020 season.

Gang Green’s 2019 campaign essentially went off the rails when QB Sam Darnold contracted mononucleosis. Backups Trevor Siemian and Luke Falk were thrown into the fire, effectively exposing the Jets’ lack of depth under center.

As training camp and the beginning of the regular season inch closer, Jets Wire will be providing an in-depth look at each of New York’s position groups and what could be in store for the unit in 2020. Let’s kick things off with a breakdown of the gunslinger situation at One Jets Drive.

The Starter

Thanks to the upgrades the Jets made to their offensive line this offseason and a couple of new additions at wide receiver, 2020 could be the year Sam Darnold finally comes into his own as New York’s starting quarterback.

Insufficient pass protection and an underwhelming group of wide receivers plagued Darnold’s first two seasons as a starter in the NFL. Fortunately for Darnold and the Jets, general manager Joe Douglas did his best to rebuild the offensive line and give Darnold two new viable weapons in speedster Breshad Perriman and rookie Denzel Mims.

New York will go as Darnold goes in 2020. If the third-year signal-caller plays well, the Jets will be in the hunt for a wild card spot and maybe even the AFC East title. If not, it will be back to the drawing board at season’s end.

Depth

Justin Edmonds/Getty Images

If Darnold succumbs to injury or illness in 2020, the Jets will not be left out in the cold as they were last season thanks to an improved quarterback room.

Veteran Joe Flacco is in as New York’s No. 2 quarterback. He won’t be ready for Week 1 due to offseason neck surgery, but the former Super Bowl MVP gives the Jets a reliable backup once he is 100 percent healthy and a potentially valuable mentor for Darnold.

Behind Flacco are David Fales, rookie James Morgan and Mike White. Fales is familiar with Adam Gase’s offense, but the Jets drafted Morgan for a reason. The 29-year-old Fales is all but a lock to break camp with the team while Morgan marinates on the sideline, but once Flacco returns to the field, Fales’ time in New York will likely end. White is nothing more than a training camp body and is not a serious threat to make Gang Green’s 53-man roster.

Outlook

Darnold is potentially in store for a breakout 2020 season. He will finally be able to stand in the pocket and go through his reads playing behind a decent enough offensive line and has an assortment of weapons to work with in a solid wide receiver trio, the two-headed monster of Ryan Griffin and Chris Herndon at tight end, and Le’Veon Bell out of the backfield.

With that being said, the Jets need those hopes to come to fruition if they want to contend this upcoming season. Darnold does not have to magically develop into a worldbeater, but he has to play well enough to convert close losses into wins. If that does not happen, 2020 stands to be another disappointing year — and one that could force the Jets to reconsider Darnold’s future in the Big Apple.

Cam Newton and the Jets would be a disaster waiting to happen

Jets Wire breaks down with a marriage between Cam Newton and the Jets would likely end in a nasty divorce.

It’s not every day that a former MVP quarterback is available on the open market and willing to accept a role as a backup.

Following a nine-year tenure with the Panthers in which he earned Rookie of the Year, three Pro Bowl selections, an All-Pro nod, an MVP award and an NFC title in 2015, Cam Newton is still available for the taking in free agency.

Newton’s lingering on the open market is due in large part to injury concerns. He missed most of 2019 with a Lisfranc fracture in his foot and is only a little more than a year removed from shoulder surgery. Considering Newton’s age (30) and the beating his body has taken over the years, it’s worth wondering how much he has left in the tank.

Despite the injuries Newton has dealt with over the years, he is suited perfectly for a backup role. He would not be exposed to contact as often since he would only be appearing in relief duty, which would preserve his body and afford him a bit of longevity in the league. A year spent making a positive contribution as a backup could also provide Newton with the opportunity to return to a spot in the starting lineup for a quarterback-needy team in 2021.

Newton initially entered free agency insisting he remain a starter, but with no such jobs available, he recently said he was open to a backup job. With that in mind, could the Jets be a fit?

Beyond Sam Darnold, the Jets’ quarterback depth chart is suspect. James Morgan has developing to do before he can be looked at as a reliable backup, while David Fales has little professional experience and Mike White is nothing more than a training camp body.

In a perfect world, Newton is an ideal backup for Darnold. However, it’s hard to believe that a marriage between the Jets and the former MVP would work out.

This has nothing to do with Newton’s ability or talent as a football player. He would bring a unique skillset and the ability to produce on the spot if Darnold were to go down with an injury. It has everything to do with the personalities already at One Jets Drive.

Throughout his time in Carolina, the Panthers molded their offense to play to Newton’s strengths. That means a lot of run-pass options and designed quarterback runs — things that are not abundant in Adam Gase’s playbook. Considering Gase’s smartest guy in the room persona and overall stubbornness, it’s safe to assume he is set in his ways and would not entertain the idea of catering to anyone or anything when it comes to his playcalling.

Newton is an extremely smart quarterback. He understands defenses and complex coverages. He is also not afraid to speak his mind and let his opinion on an offensive scheme be known. Gase and Newton in the same building would mean two extremely strong-minded people with unique personalities interacting on a daily basis. If these two strong minds disagree on anything, even the smallest of details, it would not be crazy to think some sort of blowup will occur at some point in the year.

That’s not to say Newton has a volatile personality and he cannot be coached. When you combine a veteran quarterback who has had a lot of success in the NFL and has played a certain way his whole career with a coach who is deadset on running his offense his way, there is going to be an issue at some point in the season. That’s just common sense.

The Jets cannot afford to deal with a rift between a backup quarterback and a head coach. Gase’s first year with New York was filled with turmoil and that was a big reason why things did not go as planned. A second consecutive year of that would be disastrous.

Newton has everything the Jets are looking for in a backup quarterback, but this is just is not the right situation for him based on the personalities in the building.

2020 NFL Draft: Why the Jets should take a quarterback

With the Jets in need of a backup quarterback, they could take one in the later rounds in the 2020 NFL Draft.

The Jets don’t need a starting quarterback, not with Sam Darnold in the fold for years to come. They do, however, lack depth behind him, which is why it wouldn’t be surprising if they drafted a gunslinger later this week.

New York has two other quarterbacks on the active roster in David Fales and Mike White. Neither of them has proven that they’re capable backup quarterbacks, however, and the Jets have found themselves in need of one in each of Darnold’s first two seasons in the league.

Darnold has missed a combined six games due to a foot strain and mononucleosis. In those six games, the Jets are winless. Darnold hasn’t proven that he can play a full season and the Jets haven’t shown they can win without him.

It wouldn’t come as a shock if the Jets sign a veteran signal-caller in free agency, but what about drafting a quarterback in the later rounds of the 2020 NFL Draft?

According to the Daily News’ Manish Mehta, the Jets had virtual meetings with five quarterbacks: Princeton’s Kevin Davidson, Florida International’s James Morgan, Michigan’s Shea Patterson, Virginia’s Bryce Perkins and Iowa’s Nate Stanley. All are potential mid-to-late-round picks, which is all New York could afford to spend on a backup QB given other holes on the roster.

The Jets have one pick in the fourth round, one in the fifth round and two in the sixth round. Any of those picks could be used to draft a quarterback. None of those names are going replace Darnold at the top of the depth chart — and they may not even be viable backups right away — but the Jets could at least attempt to develop their own guy in Adam Gase’s offense and hope he turns into a reliable emergency option.

A new signal-caller is far from Gang Green’s most pressing need, but with a few options to choose from, don’t be surprised if the Jets add another quarterback with the hopes of him becoming Darnold’s understudy.

Texas Softball finishes the 2020 season ranked No. 1 in final poll

Although the season was abruptly cancelled, Texas softball can take comfort in knowing they were the No. 1 team in the nation.

What could have been. Continue reading “Texas Softball finishes the 2020 season ranked No. 1 in final poll”

WATCH: Texas Longhorns coaches, staff send uplifting messages

The University of Texas community took to social media to relay positive messages during these trying times.

The University of Texas community is doing their part to spread positivity.

Continue reading “WATCH: Texas Longhorns coaches, staff send uplifting messages”

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Florida basketball fans erupt after falling to unranked UConn

The Florida men’s basketball team began the season ranked No. 6 in the country just a few weeks ago. However, the good times would not last long, as the Gators already have 2 losses on the season to unranked opponents. Though basketball is a …

The Florida men’s basketball team began the season ranked No. 6 in the country just a few weeks ago. However, the good times would not last long, as the Gators already have 2 losses on the season to unranked opponents.

Though basketball is a marathon and not a sprint, dropping 2 of your first 4 games to unranked teams isn’t exactly the great either.

Following the road loss to UConn on Sunday, Florida fans took to Twitter to express their frustrations with coach Mike White.

Is it safe to say Florida fans don’t like Mike White?