“You just believe in him”

Mike White was dancing in the group at the end of another day when Jets fans chanted his name in the rain. And later, Tyler Conklin looked at Mike White standing in front of his locker and said:

“You are the king of New York, aren’t you?” Mike – King of New York?

And all humble Mike White replied, “No.”

But yes.

“[Backup TE] Kenny Yeboah told me he was King of New York,” Conklin told the Post, “so now I’m all-in on King of New York. I could have shirts made… I run with them.

There were 47 seconds left before halftime when the loudest of ‘Mike White’ chants poured out from the WetLife stands.

And there were 3:43 of the Jets 31, Bears 10 left when “Mike White, Mike White” was once again sung with passion by that playoff-starved fan base who, since throwing for 405 yards last season against the Bengals, fantasized about him wearing the Crown.

“I think it started last year,” Conklin said, “but now it’s kind of solidified.”

Yes, it’s a game, but it’s a game the Jets (7-4) needed to have for their playoff push with road games in Minnesota and Buffalo next.

It is to be determined if Zach Wilson is the Jets quarterback of the future.

Mike White has unequivocally announced, with his arm and with his head, that he is – and deserves to be – the quarterback of the present.

The genie came out of the bottle.

QB1.

King of New York.

In Mike White, they trust.

Mount Mike White.

Mike White (22 of 28, 315 yards, 3 TDs) got it all right.

Mike White vindicated Robert Saleh for sending Zach Wilson into temporary exile.

Mike White agreed with Garrett Wilson (5-95-2 touchdowns).

Hell, Mike White even vindicated Elijah Moore (2-64-1 TD).

Mike White agreed with OC Mike LaFleur.

Mike Right.

“I don’t think there was a single moment when he was panicked or stressed,” veteran receiver Corey Davis said. “He gets the guys lined up where they need to be, and he runs a good operation. It’s clean, it’s fast and it’s efficient, so it gives us a lot of confidence.

That’s what winning quarterbacks are supposed to do.

“You could tell he felt extremely confident with the game plan, and him and LaFleur on the same page,” offensive lineman Connor McGovern said, “and he was just ready to rock and he played with it. great confidence.”

A year ago, White took what they gave him. That day, there were times when he took what he wanted.

“The way he carries himself, the way he’s in the group, you just have to have…you just believe in him,” Conklin said.

The ease with which White operated and commanded the attack with his regular bowling energized the stadium and his teammates.

“He made the easy look easy,” Saleh said.

With the chance to end their 11-year playoff drought, the answer is simple: Mike White.

“He didn’t need to be anyone other than Mike White, we didn’t need to be the biggest show on grass,” Saleh said, “we just wanted him to play into him. itself and be effective.”

That’s exactly what they’ve always asked Zach Wilson to do: make quick decisions. Play the right game. All that, and precision too.

“I can’t say I expected him to come out and have a 149[.3] passer rating,” Garrett Wilson said, “but I expected him to play.

A lot can change before the Jets head home Dec. 18 against the Lions, but Mike White can enjoy his love affair for now.

“Towards the end of the game I think it would be a lot cooler if they didn’t do it while we were trying to break the ball up,” White said with a smile from the fans chanting his name, “but no, I I I’m not going to complain too much.

White threw a pair of touchdown passes to Garrett Wilson, meaning the 10th pick in the NFL Draft wasn’t devalued by his quarterback’s play.

“Personally, the way I approach the quarterback position is to be a calming presence in the group, especially when things aren’t going well, because that’s when things can spiral a bit. and snowball,” White said, “but it’s just distributing the ball and letting them be who they are. They’re all in that locker room for a reason. It’s the NFL. Everyone who wears leggings on Sunday are very good, and you just have to give them the ball and give them confidence, and once someone’s confidence is in place, I think at least you will see their game go to the next level.

White completed his first five passes for 61 yards before finding Garrett Wilson at third base for the Jets’ first opening TD of the season and later connecting with him on a 54-yard score on which the dynamic weapon juked Kindle Vindor to the Bears 37 and was gone.

“All the pitches that we had to have, he put it right on the money,” Garrett Wilson said, “and even some of the ones that were kind of 50-50, he put it where we had a luck, man.”

White completed passes to 10 different receivers — yes, even a 42-yard catch-and-run from Moore — in the first half.

“It felt like a complete team win,” White said.

King for a day. And for much longer than a day.