The football gods couldn’t be that cruel, could they?
Aren’t 53 years without a Super Bowl enough for the Jets?
Wasn’t Vinny Testaverde rupturing his Achilles on the opening day of a 1999 season that was expected to end in a Super Bowl championship enough?
Weren’t back-to-back AFC Championship game losses in 2009 and 2010 enough?
Mike White had just thrown his fourth TD pass in five quarters and had tied the score against the Colts on Thursday night … and then he was on the sideline getting his forearm examined.
With 13:24 left in the second quarter, Josh Johnson was the quarterback for the Jets.
White (7-for-11, 95 yards) spent the rest of his night watching Johnson, watching Colts 45, Jets 30, and wondering what might have been — just like everyone else rooting for him.
Whiteout, first for White, then quickly for head coach Robert Saleh and a matador defense that was obliterated by a stampeded of angry Colts.
Here was a kid trying to make a name for himself, trying to be Cinderella Man with Zach Wilson sidelined for as long as Saleh would let him, trying to carry Jets fans on a magic carpet ride out of nowhere with him to who knows where?
Here was a kid who exhilarated and titillated the Jets and their long-suffering faithful last Sunday with a debut for the ages.
And here came another moment, on the road, that hadn’t looked too big for him.
There was a near interception by Zaire Franklin on a short flea-flicker try on White’s opening possession.
The next time he had the ball, he was playing catch-up.
Which he did. Immediately. He stood tall in the pocket, saw the field, delivered the ball. And when rookie Elijah Moore was left wide open by a blown coverage, White found him for a 19-yard TD pass.
But his right arm had been hit by DeForest Buckner, and just like that, a hot hand had been rendered frozen.
The clock had struck midnight on Cinderella Man.
And just like that, a career journeyman who makes Ryan Fitzpatrick look like a squatter tried his hand at being Mike White.
The way the Jets were playing defense, or weren’t playing defense, on the ground against Jonathan Taylor and in the air against Carson Wentz, Broadway Joe couldn’t have beaten these Colts on this night.
The way the Jets were playing defense, or weren’t playing defense, old-timers might have had flashbacks to John Unitas at quarterback and Lenny Moore at running back. Saleh didn’t borrow one of Joe Judge’s headsets, did he?
Johnson engineered a field goal drive while it was still a game, but by halftime, it was Colts 28, Jets 10 and it was already Garbage Time late in the third quarter when he found Moore with a 19-yard TD pass … the ninth TD pass of a career in the shadows that began in 2009. His 10th and 11th scoring passes followed in the fourth quarter.
The football gods couldn’t be that cruel, could they?
Wasn’t the Buttfumble enough?
Wasn’t Bill Belichick resigning as “hc of the nyj” after 24 hours on the damn job enough?
Wasn’t Belichick and Tom Brady winning six Super Bowls together enough?
Fame is fleeting. Wilson is scheduled to return to practice next week. Will White be healthy enough to get another chance?
The encore wasn’t anything close to the show opening. No one should have expected it to be. But this?
Wasn’t two years of Rich Kotite enough?
Wasn’t two years of Adam Gase enough?
Wasn’t losing out on Trevor Lawrence enough?
What did Mike White do to deserve this? What did Jets fans do to deserve this?