Jets head coach Adam Gase decided to start Luke Falk at quarterback today against the Eagles despite Falk only having one day of practice. The issue with that decision wasn’t so much the move to Falk; he’s stepping in for Sam Darnold as Darnold deals with a spleen injury.
The issue was the lack of practice reps, as Gase obviously knew there was a strong possibility they’d have to use Falk this week. Falk has seen some game action this season, but being tossed in late is never an ideal situation, and the early returns seemed to confirm it.
Here, for example, is Gase going for a 4th and 1 near midfield, calling for a slow-developing play, and having it blow up completely in his face. (Bonus: Kevin Harlan on the call!)
.@NathanGerry grabs a pick six to extend our lead!#NYJvsPHI | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/MnyUIlDQBF
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) October 6, 2019
It wasn’t the only pick Falk threw in the first half, either:
That defense is eating today.#NYJvsPHI | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/MA04Ki2A87
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) October 6, 2019
So, yeah, not great stuff. Obviously there’s a chance that no amount of practice preparation would result in better results for Luke Falk on the road against a good team. But it’s hard to argue that Gase put him in the best position to succeed, which is theoretically what a coach is supposed to do.
