Mike White isn’t the answer for the New York Jets. That is hardly a groundbreaking revelation. Sure, his first start was a nice story. But media folks trying to talk up a quarterback controversy are wildly off the mark. Look no further than Nick Mullens for proof of that.
Or Tom Savage. Or Brandon Allen. While they may not have put up the gaudy numbers that White did, the trio picked up wins in their first career starts and looked better than the passer they replaced. Of course, the bar was set pretty low in all four instances. Sorry to all you Brock Osweiler fans out there.
Don’t let the ESPN murmurings fool you, Mike White will not be a franchise quarterback for the New York Jets. If NFL history tells us one thing, it’s that he’s probably taking a loss in his second start.
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Mike White and the New York Jets should take note
Brandon Allen (2019)
| 1st Start | 2nd Start | |
| Comp/Att | 12/20 | 17/39 |
| Yards | 193 | 240 |
| TDs | 2 | 1 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 1 |
Mike White’s journey to the New York Jets was very similar to Brandon Allen. The latter bounced around the league and spent some time on the practice squad. In his third season, Allen finally received his chance and led the Denver Broncos to victory. He was solid on his debut and was a refreshing change of pace from Joe Flacco, who dragged the team to a dismal 1-7 start.
The following week started fast with Denver taking a 20-0 lead into halftime against the Minnesota Vikings. Things fell apart in the second half and the Broncos eventually lost 27-23. Allen would make one more start, a dreadful 82-yard passing performance, before being benched.
Nick Mullins (2018)
| 1st Start | 2nd Start | |
| Comp/Att | 16/22 | 27/39 |
| Yards | 262 | 250 |
| TDs | 3 | 1 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 2 |
After a season ending injury to Jimmy Garoppolo and a brutal 1-7 start, the San Francisco 49ers were forced to start Nick Mullins in a Thursday Night Football showdown against the then Oakland Raiders. It went better than anyone could have hoped for. The Southern Miss alum finished with a passer rating of 151.9, the highest mark for a quarterback with at least 20 passing attempts in a debut since 1970. The Niners won handily with the press singing the new signal caller’s praises.
Mullins second start wasn’t terrible, but he lost to a pretty awful New York Giants team. In fact, the quarterback finished the season as San Francisco’s starter, although the results were not good.
Related: Is a perfect passing rating an impressive accomplishment?
Tom Savage (2016)
| 1st Start | 2nd Start | |
| Comp/Att | 18/29 | 5/8 |
| Yards | 176 | 25 |
| TDs | 0 | 0 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 1 |
The Houston Texans found themselves in the thick of the playoff race in 2016. Unfortunately, Brock Osweiler was single-handily trying to squander the opportunity. The team had grown so tired of his erratic play that they turned to Tom Savage midway through a game late in the season. He did well enough to earn the start one week later.
It wasn’t a pretty performance by any means, but Savage led Houston to victory. His second start was a dud, however. Despite hopes the fourth round pick could be a solid game manager, the passer was unable to get anything going. He would be benched for Osweiler and didn’t see the field again until next season, where he started the opener before giving way to Deshaun Watson.
