Considering that the National Football League has been around a century and change, little should be deemed a surprise by now. Yet, in its wide, wild world, it still manages to produce moments that make even its most ardent followers do a double take. For instance, the decision of Jets head coach Robert Saleh to have 36-year-old Joe Flacco start against the Dolphins this weekend was most certainly a from-way-off-left-field development that stunned fans long used to head scratchers.
Interestingly, Saleh was just four days removed from defending relatively wet-under-the-ears Mike White following a poor outing against the Bills. At the time, the latter had just come off a four-interception stint and was being pilloried from all corners — or, rather, just about all corners, with Jets habitués seeming to remain on the side of the erstwhile backup. “Now, everyone wants to throw him away,” the bench tactician argued. “He deserves better than that.”
It isn’t simply that Saleh did a 180-degree turn in practically no time at all. It’s that the Jets are two and seven, and presumably better served by giving White the experience he needs to subsequently thrive under center. Instead, Flacco gets the nod, never mind the situation, and never mind that the one-time Super Bowl Most Valuable Player awardee was last on the field at kickoff a year ago, with a zero-of-six slate in the last six starts.
Clearly, the Jets are after low-hanging fruit. What a win in Week 11 of an obviously doomed season serves, however, is subject to speculation. It definitely doesn’t help White’s confidence any, the supposed surfeit notwithstanding. In any case, the choice is one thing, and the justification quite another. Saleh defended his action by contending that Flacco’s “calm” is better suited for the Dolphins’ defense — a specious claim in the face of the whopping 25 points they have allowed per game through their three and seven slate.
What’s done is done, though, and the Jets are once again compelled to reap what they sow. Whether and how this will redound to their benefit beyond the short-term gain — if at all — remains to be seen.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and Human Resources management, corporate communications, and business development.
