Flacco’s Browns Revival Speaks More About Jets’ Roster Flaws Rather Than Just Backup QB Plan

You won’t find many kind words about Zach Wilson in this forum. The Jets’ No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft not only proved to be an ineffective starter in his first two pro seasons, but he was also a lousy backup plan in case anything should happen to their newly-acquired 40-year old quarterback Aaron Rodgers this year.

Obviously, disaster happened. Rodgers ruptured his Achilles on the fourth snap of the season opener and the offense subsequently went down the tubes.

Wilson’s mostly godawful performances--he ranks last among the 31 qualifying QBs in rbsdm.com’s expected points added per play metric--led to a benching in favor of Tim Boyle, who was even worse in his two starts before he was unceremoniously released. A concussion then knocked Wilson out of Week 15’s blowout loss in Miami, so now they have Trevor Siemian under center. Like Boyle, Siemian’s EPA per play is lower than Wilson’s.

Still, there is a fallacy, perpetuated by Head Coach Robert Saleh’s ongoing comments about his “championship roster” that almost any other backup quarterback could have saved the day. Following that line of thinking, Joe Flacco, who has moved on after three seasons in New York to win Cleveland’s last three contests in advance of Thursday night’s revenge game against the visiting Jets, would have definitively been that better option.

Like Saleh, those who aspire to that theory are delusional. Remember that the Jets did their offense no favors this past offseason, whiffing on a host of free agent wide receivers and depth offensive linemen. Outside of center Joe Tippmann, who didn’t even crack the starting lineup until Connor McGovern got hurt, no one from the 2023 Draft has made major contributions to a historically-awful unit. So, they were basically counting on Rodgers, and only Rodgers, to lift up a demoralized franchise.

And as for the Jets’ defense, it has performed well. But “championship” level? Hardly. The immortal backup QB Jacoby Brissett marched the Commanders down the field three straight times for second-half touchdowns on Sunday as the Jets blew a 20-point lead. That kicker Greg Zuerlein bailed everyone out with a 54-yard field goal in the closing seconds didn’t gloss over the team’s glaring deficiencies on both sides of the ball.

Meanwhile, Flacco has been the beneficiary of a better (even if no longer great following a glut of injuries) offensive line and a coaching staff who can scheme guys open, Suddenly, Flacco, 38, is being treated by the public as the hot new outfit after being declared washed by Jets Nation.

But let’s stop the kidding. In all likelihood, Flacco would have been beaten to a pulp had he been asked to return given the dangerous combination of New York’s inept offensive line and his own immobility.

And then what? Per ProFootballFocus.com, Flacco has been pressured on less than a third of his dropbacks; during his New York tenure, that number was close to or above 40%. He has thrown 4 picks when under duress in his four starts this season—on top of three others from clean pockets. That extrapolates to at least 28 interceptions over a 17-game season.

Do you think this Jets’ coaching staff would tolerate that? He was coached to be a dink-and-dunker here, not a QB raining bombs downfield. He went 1-8 as a Jets starter over the three years, with the one win the Week 2 miracle in Cleveland last season when the Browns allowed New York to score 14 points in the final 1:22. The Jets didn’t reach the end zone in either of his last two starts.  

This isn’t to diminish Flacco’s arm talents, but some of his Cleveland highlights were the result of excellent cooperative planning and execution. He has thrown for ten touchdown passes (the same number as Jets QBs have thrown in 15 games) and I’d bet half were to guys who were so wide open that the nearest defender was at least ten yards away. Wide receiver Amari Cooper has come alive the last three weeks, making spectacular plays while totaling 22 catches for a league-leading 451 yards and three touchdowns. The next closest receiver in yardage gained is the Rams’ Puka Nacua, with 153 fewer yards.

Browns tight end David Njoku has matched his teammate with 22 receptions for 239 yards during this three-game stretch, which is more than his Jets’ counterpart Tyler Conklin has gained in his last six games.

On its face, it seems incongruous that Saleh and the Jets point to the loss of their star QB for their misfortune and then offered no regrets during his Tuesday press conference over passing on a player who has been lighting up the league in recent weeks. What fans need to understand is that his logic is on point when it comes to his latter assessment, but he’s living in a dream world, or more likely in job-saving mode, on the former.

Prediction: Browns 30 Jets 10