Finally, somebody with the guts to say it

You haven’t heard this too much . . .

Former NFL GM Randy Mueller was asked on VSIN, “Is [Miami’s season] all predicated on Tua’s health?”

“I think it has been, but it will say this, and this is just my opinion, I’m bigger on Mike White,” said Mueller about Tua’s backup. “I think the backup quarterback there has an opportunity to get them through a period if they lost Tua for 2-3 weeks. I think they have protected themselves by getting the former Jet, Mike White. who I think is an undervalued player and a guy who can start for a period of time and be effective, so I think that helps them.

“It’s not all Tua because of the addition of Mike White.”

This isn’t something you have heard very much.

Perhaps it’s not an accepted narrative. And to a large degree, we live in a world with accepted narratives and if you don’t go along with them, you will likely get gaslit.

In the middle of the 2021 season, with Zach Wilson struggling, I tweeted that maybe they should give White a try, and the responses would lead you to believe that I should have been committed.

For some reason, in the echo chamber, it’s clearly not acceptable to think White is a good quarterback.

I said on SiriusXM NFL Radio that the Dolphins have a good backup plan for Tua with White, and a guest from South Florida didn’t agree and said that he believed they should have re-signed Teddy Bridgwater.

But to me, this was a great signing for Miami.

Keep in mind, he signed for backup money, it’s not like paid White big money. He got a two-year deal for $8 million with $4.5 million guaranteed.

In a perfect world, that would have been a great deal for the Jets to do with White to backup Aaron Rodgers, but the timing was off on that and they are committed to trying to fix Zach Wilson. The Jets didn’t trade for Rodgers until late April and White signed with Miami in mid-March.

But most objective observers, if shot with truth serum, and asked, “Who would be the better backup for Rodgers this year – White or Wilson” – most would say “White” based on what we have seen from White and Wilson, wouldn’t you say?

But the timing was off on that, and Miami wasted no time in free agency getting White in the building, which could turn out to be one of the true steals in free agency.

White’s not perfect, but based on the Cincinnati and Chicago games alone, who wouldn’t want this guy as an insurance policy behind a starter?

And let’s be honest, if White had stayed healthy, and finished the season strong, with perhaps the Jets grabbing a wild-card spot, he’d probably be the team’s QB this year. Obviously it didn’t work out this way. He broke his ribs in Buffalo, and was never the same.

However, to me, what Miami did was brilliant. They brought in a guy, you can win games, as a backup Tua, and a guy who entered their building very comfortable in their system. Remember Mike McDaniel and Mike LaFleur were both Kyle Shanahan assistants in San Francisco, so they basically play the same system.

Kudos to Mueller for having the guts to say what the echo chamber is afraid to.

July 5, 2023

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