Joe Flacco To Start Week 11
New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh will turn to a former Super Bowl MVP and champion to get his team back on track this Sunday.
Per ESPN’s Rich Cimini, Saleh announced that Joe Flacco will get the start for the Week 11 home tilt against the Miami Dolphins (1:00 p.m. EST) in favor of the struggling Mike White.
Rookie Zach Wilson, the main starter, is out as he continues to recover from a sprained PCL that he suffered in Week 7 against the New England Patriots.
White started the next three games in Wilson's place. The former showed promise against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 8, throwing for 405 yards and a trio of touchdowns in a stunning 34-31 upset victory.
Saleh decided to make a change following White’s four-interception outing in Week 10 against the Buffalo Bills (a 45-17 blowout loss). White has five touchdowns against eight picks on the season.
Last year, Flacco started four games for the Jets and appeared in five games altogether. He completed 55.2 percent of his passes for 864 yards and six touchdowns against four interceptions.
He was reacquired in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles last month in exchange for a conditional sixth-round draft choice.
Flacco is 6-1 in his career vs. the Dolphins with 10 touchdowns against only four interceptions. As a rookie, Flacco led Baltimore to a 27-9 blowout victory over Miami in the 2008 AFC Wild Card Round.
New York enters Sunday's game against Miami as a 3.5-point underdog. Regarding gambling, there's a BetMGM New York launch bonus code offer that provides customers with risk-free bets.
Robert Saleh Responds To Rex Ryan's Comments
The Jets enter Week 11 with both the worst total defense (417.1 yards allowed per game) and the worst scoring defense (32.9 points allowed per game).
Obviously, it's not what the organization envisioned when they hired Saleh as their head coach a year ago.
Saleh was the San Francisco 49ers’ defensive coordinator from 2017 to 2020. His defensive expertise, energy and motivational tactics were key in helping the 49ers reach Super Bowl LIV, where they fell to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Rex Ryan, another renowned defensive-minded genius and head coach who coached the Jets from 2009 to 2014, had some strong words about Saleh's performance on Monday.
"This guy is supposed to be a defensive guru," Ryan said, per Cimini. "I take it personal. Everything I heard was this guy is a lot like myself, but without the bad part. Some of the bad part you need, because this team doesn't want to play with any damn heart. That's the thing that is disappointing to me.
"Don't ever compare this Robert Saleh guy to me. Statistically, one time they were a top defense (at the San Francisco 49ers). Four out of five times they were dead last in their division."
Saleh's response to Ryan’s harsh criticism was short and sweet.
"I've never met Rex. I've never had a conversation with Rex," Saleh said in an interview on The Michael Kay Show on ESPN Radio, per Cimini. "I don't even know him except for people who know him throughout the league.
"Obviously, if it's that personal for him, he knows where to find me."
Saleh also said he wasn't "surprised" with the comments since Ryan always has "something to say."
Struggling Jets Defense Held Players-Only Meeting
The Jets have eight games remaining on their 2021 schedule. The postseason is too far out of reach at this point, but if they want to finish the season on a strong note, the league's worst defense is going to have to step up over the final stretch.
Per Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post, the Jets' defense held a players-only meeting on Tuesday as they continue to look for answers.
"Just talking with one another about certain experiences on the field," sophomore cornerback Javelin Guidry said, per Dunleavy. "Really wanting us to lock in on what you, yourself, has to do to get better. When everyone does that, we'll be a better football team."
The Jets have over 20 points in eight consecutive games. The only time they kept it below that number? Week 1 against the Carolina Panthers, which turned out to be a low-scoring 19-14 loss.
The next two weeks should provide some form of optimism for Saleh's group. After they face the Dolphins (24th in scoring offense) on Sunday, they'll visit a Houston Texans team that is 29th in scoring.