New York Jets quarterback Mike White Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

NFL analyst: Jets HC Robert Saleh had 'George Costanza moment' with QB switch

Robert Saleh turned to Mike White under center on Sunday, a decision that keyed a win over the Chicago Bears and saw big results for the New York Jets offense. One analyst called it a "George Costanza moment" for the second-year head coach.

Costanza — one of the core four characters from "Seinfeld," portrayed by Jason Alexander — had well-chronicled problems with approaching attractive women during his run on the show.

"After everything had gone wrong at the quarterback spot, Jets head coach Robert Saleh had his George Costanza moment. The team needed to 'do the opposite' at the game's most vital position. So Saleh named Mike White his Week 12 starter, and the 'do the opposite' decision worked, just like it did for George inside Monk's Cafe on Seinfeld that one fateful day in the 1990s," Trapasso wrote.

"... A well-managed game from their starting quarterback was all the Jets have been asking for of late, and White did that drastically better than the former No. 2 overall pick he replaced (Zach Wilson). This was the modern-day version of Costanza deviating from his normal tuna on toast order before approaching a woman at the bar and being honest about his employment and living situations being played out during an NFL game inside MetLife Stadium."

Wilson missed the first three weeks of the 2022 campaign with a meniscus tear but suited up from Weeks 4 through 11, a period in which "Gang Green" won four straight and went 5-2 overall. The numbers for the 23-year-old weren't pretty though, as he posted a 55.6% completion percentage with 1,279 passing yards, four touchdowns and five interceptions in the seven contests.

Wilson's most recent start in Week 11 vs. the New England Patriots saw him go 9-for-22 with 77 passing yards, zero touchdowns and zero interceptions. The Jets fell in that game 10-3 to snap the four-game winning streak.

White now seems to have control of New York's starting quarterback role after leading the team to a 31-10 defeat of the Chicago Bears on Sunday. In the win, the former fifth-round draft pick went 22-for-28 with 315 passing yards, three touchdowns and 0 interceptions.

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