Jets Country

'That's My Quarterback': Mike White Earned More Respect From Jets Playing After Rib Injury

Mike White made quite an impression on his teammates, returning to Sunday's game after suffering a rib injury.

Max Goodman

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As Mike White traveled from Highmark Stadium in Buffalo to a hospital on Sunday evening, a precautionary measure after a scary rib injury during New York's loss to the Bills, White's teammates gushed over the quarterback's toughness.

"He's got a lot of heart," rookie receiver Garrett Wilson told reporters after the game. "He's going to lay it on the line for his boys. I would do the same for him."

“He’s a f–king soldier,’’ running back Michael Carter added. “No disrespect to Zach [Wilson] or Joe [Flacco], but it’s really cool to play with him. I love him.’’ 

White returned to Sunday's game after multiple excruciating hits in the pocket. At one point, White was folded by Bills linebacker Matt Milano as he threw downfield. He staying on the ground for quite some time before limping to the locker room for X-rays. His teammates recalled the moment White later emerged from the tunnel and returned to the huddle in the fourth quarter. 

The quarterback didn't say much in that moment. It wasn't about him, it was back to business with New York down by two scores.

"I'm sure he was hurting," offensive tackle Duane Brown told reporters. "Just him being there, he didn't have to say anything. We got the message just seeing him in the huddle."

Since White took over for Zach Wilson a few weeks ago, players and coaches have praised the quarterback, lauding his leadership skills, his confidence at the helm of New York's offense and, of course, his abilities with the football in his hands. Now, he has even more respect from those within the organization, showing the type of grit and resolve that you simply can't teach. 

"He's tough as nails," head coach Robert Saleh said on Monday. "He got beat up a little bit, I think we can all agree on that. I feel like we could've played a lot better on the offensive line, felt like we could've been better in the run game, but he stood in there, took his shots, delivered strikes and was playing really well, moving the ball on a pretty good defense in their home stadium."

White's future with the Jets is still unclear. Saleh has maintained the intent that Wilson will play again this season, returning from his "reset" on the bench. White is set to enter free agency this offseason as well, a candidate to test the open market after another strong performance during a shot at playing time.

It's clear the Jets want to go to battle for a player like White, though. Barring any sort of reversal in his performance between the lines, that doesn't seem like it's going to change either. 

“He showed resilience and strength, but the best thing is: That’s him every day of the week,’’ safety Will Parks told Mark Cannizzaro of the New York Post. “That’s my quarterback.’’ 

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Max Goodman
MAX GOODMAN

Max Goodman covers the New York Jets for Sports Illustrated and FanNation. He also covers the New York Yankees, publisher  of Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Yankees site, Inside The Pinstripes. Before starting out with SI, Goodman attended Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Master’s Degree in Sports Media, graduating in 2019. While at school, Goodman gathered valuable experience as an anchor and reporter on NNN SportsNight and played on the club baseball team. Goodman previously interned at MLB.com as an associate reporter covering the Miami Marlins. He also interned with ESPN, working as an associate reporter on Mike Greenberg's Get Up. Goodman is from New York City. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Follow Goodman on Twitter @MaxTGoodman and connect with him via email by reaching out at maxgoodmansports@gmail.com.

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