Jet's Luke Falk has proved everyone wrong before

[MykePM]

Here’s another good article on Falk.  I know that every NFL player has an impressive college highlight reel, and/or a story like this one full of effusive endorsements from past coaches.  But if hope can survive through all the bad luck and adversity we face as Jets fans (40+ years of it, in my case), my hope is that Falk shows us something in this game, and maybe a few more depending on Sam’s recovery, and develops into a solid Pat Ryan-esque backup for us in the long term.

 

Quote

How Jets’ Luke Falk was molded for this Patriots moment – and why ’he’s definitely better than half of’ NFL starting QBs

By Matt Stypulkoski | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Today 6:37 AM

No one outside the building at One Jets Drive is giving Luke Falk any chance.

But that may play right into the Jets’ third-string quarterback’s hands.

“To me, the greatest part of Luke’s story and starting here on Sunday is that he really hasn’t had luck on his side," said Mike Favero, Falk’s old high school coach. “Luke has had to earn everything and he’s always at his best when he’s an underdog.”

Falk and the Jets will be one of the biggest underdogs in NFL history when they travel to Gillette Stadium in Week 3 to face the Patriots; the 22.5-point opening spread was the sixth-largest of all time.

Those who have spent the past decade helping Falk prepare for this moment give him far better odds of success – both Sunday and well into the future.

***

Forget the NFL for a moment – he made his first-ever start back in 2010 for the Logan High School Grizzlies, when he was a Utah high school sophomore.

Falk was fighting for his spot on the depth chart back then, too. A junior named D.J. Nelson was his competition – and Favero needed a way to decide which quarterback was going to play each Friday night.

“I said, OK, here’s the deal men: When you’re the quarterback, if you lead our offense to points – three or seven, you get plus one series,” Favero said. “You get to stay in there as long as you lead our offense to points.”

The first night Favero put system in place, Falk never saw the field – Nelson led seven straight touchdown drives in a blowout. But Favero gave Falk the start the following week ... and he promptly matched Nelson’s production. 

“I also said if somebody separates themselves clearly by scoring the offense more points, statistically, etc., then he’ll become the starter,” Favero said. “Well, they were neck-and-neck the whole season. Their stats were almost identical.”

Falk threw for 1,468 yards that season; Nelson threw for 1,466. Falk tallied 17 TD passes and four picks; Nelson had 16 and five. Falk completed 62.9 percent of his passes; Nelson hit the mark on 61 percent of his.

That’s the year Falk learned how to compete.

***

When you’re a Division 1 hopeful and a promising 15-year-old prospect, sharing time can grow old. Throw in two sisters chasing a music career and, next thing you know, Falk was leaving Utah behind for the bright lights of Los Angeles.

But, as it turns out, life at Oaks Christian School wasn’t any less competitive. In fact, Falk quickly found himself in a fight for time with Brandon Dawkins, who was just a few years away from becoming the starter at the University of Arizona.

Early on, Falk had the edge in that battle. But the advantage didn’t last long; head coach Bill Redell quickly turned to Dawkins because his offense needed a quarterback with more running ability.

“(Falk) let his performance speak for itself and the kids could tell his talent, the kids looked up to him when he was here,” Redell said. “He did a good job for us. I was sorry that he transferred out.”

Falk’s California adventure was finished after just two starts – though family considerations played a major role in his decision to return to Utah, too.

Even in that brief stay, though, the 16-year-old Falk made an indelible impression on his the College Football Hall of Fame coach.

“I’ve had good quarterbacks – I had Joe Montana’s kid, I had Jimmy Clausen who started at Notre Dame for three years,” Redell said. “I had really good quarterbacks and he would be right in that category.”

Falk was back in Utah by September, but the state’s transfer rules cost him the rest of his junior season. Instead, he had watch while Nelson, his old competition, guided the Grizzlies to a 15-0 record and a state title.

He never batted an eye.

“He kind of became a (graduate assistant) with me," Favero said. “He actually filmed our games ... literally the guy upstairs filming it, which was a real tribute to him. He was a selfless guy whose ego was never in the way. Some big-time guys might think that’s beneath them, but Luke was our filmer.”

But while Falk was manning the camcorder, the colleges that had been watching his own film stopped paying attention. 

Suddenly, he’d gone from a Division 1 prospect at a ritzy L.A. school to a recruiting afterthought.

“I think just like any other 16-year-old kid it took a toll on him and was very, very difficult emotionally," Favero said.

That was the year Falk learned how to handle adversity.

***

By the time Falk regained his starting spot as a senior, he was only a two-star recruit – and Cornell was the only school to extend an offer. So the pressure was on to perform.

Plus, Falk hadn’t played football in nearly a year, but had to carry the burden of leading the state’s preseason No. 1 team and defending a championship.

“We had four of our top players, All-State kids, get injured with season-ending injuries early in that season,” Favero said.

So much for that repeat state title.

Instead, Falk steered the ship to an underwhelming 8-3 finish. His stats were fine – but his team’s were not, considering the expectations.

Oh, and the scholarship offers never really came. Well, aside from the University of Idaho.

That was the year Falk learned how to fail.

***

An 8-3 finish may not have been good enough for the Grizzlies, but 3,618 yards and 36 TDs were good enough to catch Mike Leach’s eye.

A Cornell commitment was nice and all, but Falk’s dream had always been to play in the Pac-12. So it was impossible to say no once Washington State’s head coach came knocking – even if he could only offer a walk-on spot.

“I thought coming out of high school he was a scholarship guy – I just didn’t have a scholarship,” Leach said. "I would have if I’d found out about him sooner.”

Falk redshirted in 2013, but quickly rose to the backup role – and earned that scholarship money – as a freshman in 2014. By November, with starter Connor Halliday injured, Falk was pressed into duty as the starter.

Sound familiar?

“He played really well," Leach said. “It wasn’t perfect, but he wasn’t afraid to throw the ball downfield. He put it in play over and over again. Oregon State was good that year.”

Washington State, by comparison, wasn’t. The Cougars were 2-7 entering Corvallis. But that didn’t stop Falk from hanging 471 yards and five touchdowns in a 39-32 win – and taking home Pac 12 Offensive Player of the Week honors in the process.

That was just the beginning of Falk’s 42-game Washington State journey.

“The biggest mountain to climb would be to be the all-time leading passer in the history of the Pac-12, which he is,” Leach said. “This conference throws it more than anybody and he did it in three years.”

Those were the years Falk really learned how to throw it – 2,054 times, to be exact.

***

Despite setting Pac-12 records for career passing attempts, completions, completion percentage, passing yards and passing touchdowns, Falk slipped into the sixth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. The Titans took him with the 199th pick.

His playing days have been put on hold ever since – until last Monday night, when he jogged in to relieve Trevor Siemian against the Browns.

“I felt like I was watching him on Logan High’s football field,” Favero said. “He has the same demeanor, same attitude, same calm, cool, collected.”

That demeanor is why Jets head coach Adam Gase feels fine with Falk heading into Foxborough, while the outside world panics about his third-string quarterback being overwhelmed by the Super Bowl champions.

“Trust me, if you were around him, you would not worry about it,” Gase said. “It’s just the way he is. He’s built that way.”

Nearly a decade of football between Logan, Oaks Christian and Washington State constructed that quiet confidence – not to mention spending 2018 under Gase’s tutelage with the Dolphins.

The 24-year-old isn’t going to be the Jets’ new rah-rah leader. Don’t expect any emotional locker room speeches ahead of Sunday’s showdown. That’s just not his style.

Need proof? Ask anyone close to Falk about his childhood idol and they’ll spout off stories about his fondness for Tom Brady. But when Falk was asked about facing his hero this weekend, he brought all the excitement of a dental patient.

“Yeah it’s pretty cool, you are going up, you are playing against one of your idols," Falk said. "But I’ll be facing the defense, not playing against him.”

Don’t let that fool you, though. Falk isn’t always as dry as he may appear.

“Media-wise, he’s always very flatline, mellow – he cuts up with the guys,” Leach said.

New Jets backup quarterback David Fales, who played with Falk in Miami, can confirm.

“He’s a funny guy,” Fales said. “I don’t know how he is in the huddle, but in the quarterback room he’s pretty funny. He’s got good stories.”

He also has a strange signature: He ends most of his text messages with an American flag emoji – whether it has anything to do with the conversation or not.

Fales has no idea where that sign-off came from, but it’s something Falk started randomly in college. He says he just likes America. But at this point, he’s pretty clearly playing a bit.

“It’s like my Joker card,” Falk cracked.

That’s the person the Jets will have in the huddle on Sunday against the Patriots – dispassionate with a dash of deadpan. A persona crafted by those years of competing, adversity, failure and triumph.

But Gase will also be working with a quarterback who’s accustomed to opening it up and getting after it. The first-year Jets coach admitted this week that he was too conservative with Falk early in his pinch-hit appearance against the Browns. 

Leach, who watched Falk thrive in his air-raid system, would advise against that strategy this time around.

“I’d be aggressive," Leach said. “I don’t want to put pressure on (Falk) ... but I think you’ll find he’s better than several guys starting around the league.”

In fact, Leach is confident enough in his protege to predict Falk is “definitely better than half of” current NFL starting quarterbacks.

“He’s thrown an incredible amount of balls in college, so he’s had the opportunity to develop a lot of skills,” Leach said. "He’s accurate. I can’t fathom playing quarterbacks that aren’t accurate and yet they do. Guys that can’t stay composed under pressure – and there’s some talented guys that can’t – I think that’s something that you really have to dwell on and be good at ... and he is.”

---

Favero’s bold predictions didn’t go as far – but he has no doubt Jets fans will like what they see from his former pupil.

“His ability to be prepared, his football IQ, his attention to detail, his leadership, his competitiveness and his burning desire to be great,” Favero said.

 

[nyjets1969]

2 hours ago, Jet_Engine1 said:

Brooks Bollinger 2.0

 

Stop the madness. 

He is miles ahead of Brooks Bollinger the guy should have gone a lot higher than a 6th not saying he will be the next Brady but he  definitely is a NFL starting QB he has average arm strength but is accurate I compare him to a young Chad Pennington before he got his shoulder destroyed

[BurnleyJet]

2 hours ago, Tiffany980 said:

The "real" me is a Patriots' fan, just like you're a Jets' fan. I'm not wrong though...

What you are is a Pat’s troll.

[Philc1]

Let’s go

[Philc1]

11 hours ago, Tiffany980 said:

Don't you realize that the forum with the most trolls is the Patriots forum??? YOU might not understand...

Patriots and Red Sox fans all know suffering. We've spent decades enduring jokes and heartbreak. Sox went 80+ years and the Pats 30 +years...

My boys only know the success of these teams. I barely remember last century...

You chose the wrong franchise...

Dude I went on patsfans.com and got banned in 20 minutes it also took like 3 days to get an account 

 

Pats fans are the most sensitive b-tches

 

[rangerous]

13 hours ago, BurnleyJet said:

Nice fluff piece, Falk isn’t beating NE in  Bean town.

Look Aaron Rodgers isn’t beating NE in bean town.

He’s a limited QB, with what looks like nice accuracy. I hope he becomes Sam’s back up long term.

didn't chaddy beat the patsies?  i'm not saying falk has a real chance but he's got nowhere to go but up and he's liable to play the game pretty loose.  gase will need to give him some chance to win the game.

[carpetbeggar]

3 hours ago, Tiffany980 said:

The "real" me is a Patriots' fan, just like you're a Jets' fan. I'm not wrong though...

So what's your deal? Just thought you would come over and troll a Jets board? I see at least three trolls sign up here every week, and they always seem to be Patsie fans. You guys are the most insecure, bandwagon jumping fan base. Same as The Bruins fans. In five years we won't hear a peep out of you guys, as you all will have moved on from the Patsies to watching the LPGA and ATP World Tour.

The New England who?

[Apache 51]

4 hours ago, joewilly12 said:

For some odd reason I think this kid Luke Falk is going to beat NE tomorrow. 

Then the fix is in, or the D is 85 Bear like. Makes one hard, just thinking bout it.

[Joe Willie]

5 hours ago, Tiffany980 said:

The "real" me is a Patriots' fan, just like you're a Jets' fan. I'm not wrong though...

You most certainly are both a Pats troll and completely wrong. Remember, BB was a Jet before he was a Pat ... so, it's deliciously ironic that the numbnuts Pats "fans" needed an ex-Jet to lead their sorry-a$$ franchise to the promised land.???

[Tiffany980]

3 hours ago, Joe Willie said:

You most certainly are both a Pats troll and completely wrong. Remember, BB was a Jet before he was a Pat ... so, it's deliciously ironic that the numbnuts Pats "fans" needed an ex-Jet to lead their sorry-a$$ franchise to the promised land.???

Actually, BB was a coach on NE when Parcells was NE's HC... BEFORE he went to the Jets. So... You're wrong about that. ???

[Tiffany980]

5 hours ago, carpetbeggar said:

So what's your deal? Just thought you would come over and troll a Jets board? I see at least three trolls sign up here every week, and they always seem to be Patsie fans. You guys are the most insecure, bandwagon jumping fan base. Same as The Bruins fans. In five years we won't hear a peep out of you guys, as you all will have moved on from the Patsies to watching the LPGA and ATP World Tour.

The New England who?

Just because I don't agree with all the nonsense spouted? Bandwagon? Do you realize how many people claim they are done with this team on a daily basis? You guys even drove Fireman Ed away! A troll deliberately sows discontent without regards to facts. I, on the other hand, can back up everything I say... Not looking for trouble by any means.  

[Joe Willie]

14 minutes ago, Tiffany980 said:

Actually, BB was a coach on NE when Parcells was NE's HC... BEFORE he went to the Jets. So... You're wrong about that. ???

I stand corrected to the extent that BB was a Pats coach in '96 only. However, from '97 to '99, he was a Jets coach, and was actually the Jets' HC for about one day before he resigned. So, my position still stands ... the Pats required an ex-Jet to make them into what they are today.

[TNJet]

17 hours ago, sourceworx said:

I liked Falk a lot in college, and I thought he looked pretty good in the preseason. So while I'd definitely prefer to see Sam in this game, and I do believe this will likely be a rout, I'll admit I'm a little excited to see Falk play.

 

Nothing wrong with having a good backuo qb. Everyone wants that. That said, even if he pulls off a miracle tomorrow this is Sam's team.

[BROOKLYN JET]

[TNJet]

5 minutes ago, BROOKLYN JET said:

Has this board lost their minds this season? Kid plays decent in an azz whipping by the Browns and he's everybodys new fave player? Darnold is our future. No problem rooting for Falk, he has upside but a Darnold talent level he is not.

[TNJet]

Just now, TNJet said:

Has this board lost their minds this season? Kid plays decent in an azz whipping by the Browns and he's everybodys new fave player? Darnold is our future. No problem rooting for Falk, he has upside but a Darnold talent level he is not.

 

[BROOKLYN JET]

[Plen T]

21 hours ago, Nixhead said:

What if Luke Falk pulls this off and passes the Jets to a victory? I mean it's possible. What if he really does it? Does Darnold get his job back right away or do we ride the hot hand of Luke Falk? Its a problem Id love the Jets to have.

They can’t win with Mosley out

[Peace Frog]

Again. Love Falk. Saw nearly every game he played in college. 

Off the charts junior year. 

Big step back senior year. 

Got benched. 

TWICE. 

For Tyler Hilinski who then committed suicide. 

Falk is a great game manager but he has no pocket presence and as precisely accurate as he is, he could throw 5 INTs in a game. 

True story. 

[BROOKLYN JET]

5 minutes ago, Peace Frog said:

Again. Love Falk. Saw nearly every game he played in college. 

Off the charts junior year. 

Big step back senior year. 

Got benched. 

TWICE. 

For Tyler Hilinski who then committed suicide. 

Falk is a great game manager but he has no pocket presence and as precisely accurate as he is, he could throw 5 INTs in a game. 

True story. 

Stop poo pooing!

We had to kiss allot of frogs to find our prince!

[Peace Frog]

9 minutes ago, BROOKLYN JET said:

Stop poo pooing!

We had to kiss allot of frogs to find our prince!

I LOVE Falk. 

He just took a step back senior year. Lost his composure. 

[BROOKLYN JET]

7 minutes ago, Peace Frog said:

I LOVE Falk. 

He just took a step back senior year. Lost his composure. 

Step back? Darnold has mono and Siemien's a criple.

Falk is oury guy, he's stepping up, he's gonna beat the cheats!

What you want to go back to spleen cheese?

[Peace Frog]

4 minutes ago, BROOKLYN JET said:

Step back? Darnold has mono and Siemien's a criple.

Falk is oury guy, he's stepping up, he's gonna beat the cheats!

What you want to go back to spleen cheese?

I think you have misunderstood my posts. 

I love Falk. Wanted to draft him when I thought we’d have no shot at Sam or Baker. 

I’m his biggest fan. I’d just pump the brakes because of his pocket presence. But he can absolutely run this offense, just not downfield. 

We get a stout defense and he can win games till Sam gets back. 

[BROOKLYN JET]

16 minutes ago, Peace Frog said:

I think you have misunderstood my posts. 

I love Falk. Wanted to draft him when I thought we’d have no shot at Sam or Baker. 

I’m his biggest fan. I’d just pump the brakes because of his pocket presence. But he can absolutely run this offense, just not downfield. 

We get a stout defense and he can win games till Sam gets back. 

Dude

[Tiffany980]

1 hour ago, Joe Willie said:

I stand corrected to the extent that BB was a Pats coach in '96 only. However, from '97 to '99, he was a Jets coach, and was actually the Jets' HC for about one day before he resigned. So, my position still stands ... the Pats required an ex-Jet to make them into what they are today.

Or... A Patriots' assistant escaped a no win situation and returned to NE and created the the greatest dynasty in NFL history.

Truth be told, I was young when BB came back to NE. I didn't understand why the Patriots wanted him. The Jets punked NE by landing Parcells. BP was totally unprepared against Green Bay and NE lost a game they should have won because Parcells was more focused on the Jets than the SB. Then the Jets got Curtis Martin too! Bobby Grier, our GM, wasted the picks we got from the Jets. Laughing stocks! 

Then NE gave up picks to get BB back. I thought we got screwed by the Jets again! Little did I know... 

 

 

[Tony MaC]

There was a graphic of all the new starters this week. Boy did Falk stick out like a sore thumb. It's both the chance of a lifetime and a kind of a suicide mission. Go beat the best team in the NFL with a good Running Back and O-line that's either poorly schemed or terribly miscommunicating and maybe a couple of receivers who are worth a damn. tough sledding. But if he comes out with numbers like last week he'll have earned a roster spot for the rest of the year, maybe even going into next year. 

I just hope they're not afraid to let him rip it, for better or worse. Everybody know the Jets offense is Bell and a lot of nothing, if they can find a way to use the pass to set up the run he might be enough.

It's kind of exciting to see a new guy prove himself even though I logically know this wont end well. Its a better way to watch than dreading what's about to come though. 

[Spoot-Face]

"He's a real good game manager."

 

me: