You Fools, This Will Only Make Mike White Stronger

Mike White: hero; enigma. We, like NFL defenses, have been learning as we go about the Jets backup thrust by fate into superduperstardom, and we, like the Bills defense on Sunday, have been delighted with what we've learned. This domestic man of mystery is full of surprises. Item: When Mike White enters the New York locker room, all his teammates start chanting "Mike White." Item: If you ask Mike White, Mike White should've been a first overall draft pick.

Item: Mike White might not actually be Tom Brady, and might in fact just be Nathan Peterman.

White struck a brown note on Sunday against Buffalo, throwing four picks, including on three straight possessions, in a 45-17 home loss. They weren't all his fault! Just most of them. On his first, his arm was deflected as he delivered a present to Taron Johnson.

On the second, White appears to have just closed his eyes and thrown the ball as far as he could and hoped for the best.

On pick No. 3, White fell victim to a route-jumping.

On the fourth, White stared down his intended receiver from the snap, and it ended predictably.

Thanks to a Micah Hyde fumble recovery, every member of Buffalo's secondary save one had recorded a turnover before White took that last shot at the end zone. Poyer had some kind words for White.

Let's all say it! Thank you, Mike White.

Afterward, White gave credit to the Bills defense for "not showing any tendencies and ... mixing up coverages," and then took the blame for making things worse when the game started to get out of hand. “It becomes tough in this league when you have to become one-dimensional,” White said. “I think a lot of that is my decision-making, I need to be able to not get so aggressive and think we can score it all in one play." Generally agreed, but if there is any quarterback that could have scored 35 points on a single throw, White has to be up there.

White was relieved for the final series by Joe Flacco, who calmly marched down the field and recorded the Jets' only passing touchdown of the afternoon. I suspect that given Sunday's results, and pending Zach Wilson's ankle, Mike White Season has ended. This would be a shame. Mike White merely needs time to thrive, and to blossom, like a beautiful flower growing from a pile of shit. Because Mike White has now seen, and no doubt dissected, Buffalo's coverage. It has no surprises left to offer him. When the Jets meet the Bills in the AFC title game this January, do you want an untested, unproven Wilson staring it down for the first time? Or do you want Mike White slicing it up like a surgeon? You want Mike White.

Here at Defector.com, your official source of Mike White news and analysis, we urge Robert Saleh not to give up on the future.