Black Friday’s blowout loss against the Miami Dolphins was difficult to watch for New York Jets fans. With their 34-13 loss, they are now on a 4-game losing streak. It does not look like things can get worse for them. But how much of the blame should be laid on Tim Boyle’s shoulders who threw the Hail Mary?
After all, the play was called by their head coach, Robert Saleh. But as fans and analysts rushed to criticize Boyle for making that play that resulted in a 99-yard TD for the Dolphins, Saleh jumped in to defend his QB.
Robert Saleh steps in to shield Tim Boyle from criticism
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Rich Cimini, a reporter for ESPN, took to X to share that Saleh knew “that officials aren’t going to call anything in that situation”. He was speaking about Jason Brownlee, the Jets wideout, and asked him to “go in with the mindset to be a big boy down there.”
On what they could've done better on the Fail Mary, per Saleh:
* Boyle holds the ball "a tick longer" and puts more air under it so players could get better position in the end zone.
* Brownlee "pretty much tackled" in the end zone. Has to understand that officials aren't going…
— Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) November 25, 2023
Reflecting on what could have made the Hail Mary a success, Saleh said that had Boyle held on to the ball a little longer, it would’ve put more air under it. It would also have given the players to get into position to receive the ball and register a touchdown.
But alas, that was not to be. Even if Boyle did throw the interception, as Jevon Holland ran with the ball, the entire Jets defense was behind him, and yet not one could tackle him. After benching Zach Wilson and after the disastrous game against the Dolphins, are the Jets planning on benching Boyle too?
Saleh willing to give Boyle another chance
“We’re giving Timmy another shot to roll next week,” Saleh told the media when they asked him if he would be starting next week after the Fail Mary debacle. “Obviously, there’s things that he could have done better, there’s things that he had no control over and I know he battled out there.”
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In the last 9 starts, Zach Wilson was largely ineffectual and occasionally downright awful. The Jets then looked to Boyle, who in his first start since the 2021 campaign completed 27 of 38 passes for 179 yards and a touchdown with two interceptions. He completed just 4 passes of ten yards or more, and was sacked 7 times.
Read More: Amid Zach Wilson’s Benching, Younger Brother Scores Mind-Blowing 62 Touchdowns From 14 Games
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On December 3, when New York plays Atlanta at home, he will start under center once more. Now that the coaching staff has placed their faith in him, will he manage to earn the trust of Jets fans as well?
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