The Jets threw Sam Darnold to the wolves, and he survived. He survived the growing pains rookie quarterbacks endure, survived and advanced with a flourish by the time the season ended.
They all have to crawl before they can walk, and now there is no reason why Darnold should not be ready to run.
He arrived to great fanfare a year ago as the quarterback of the future for a franchise with a tortured and tormented past, and the future is now.
He was Boy Wonder a year ago, the youngest quarterback — 21 years, 97 days — to start an NFL season opener since 1970, and now new coach Adam Gase’ Jets look for him to be a man.
The teams are different, the circumstances are different, the landscape is different … but if Eli Manning, after just nine rookie starts, could steer the Giants to the playoffs in his second season, why shouldn’t Darnold be expected to end the Jets’ eight-year playoff drought? Such is the mandate of the franchise quarterback, old and young, in a quarterback-driven league. And such is the desperate plea from the army of long-suffering Jets fans.
Former general manager Mike Maccagnan didn’t give Darnold enough help in the draft, and former coach Todd Bowles and former offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates didn’t give Darnold enough help on game days. But 2018 was never viewed as anything more than a transition year with a rookie quarterback starting in Week 1.
2019 is when the Sam Darnold Era officially begins in earnest.
In Gase, Darnold has a creative offensive mind and playcaller who has drawn rave reviews from Peyton Manning.
In new running back Le’Veon Bell, Darnold has a dual-threat safety valve who will keep defensive coordinators up at night.
There is no reason why Darnold should not boost his completion percentage to 65, or higher, from 57.7.
Consider this: Under Gase, former Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill’s completion percentages were 61.9, 67.1, 64.2.
The second-year leap: Mark Sanchez improved his touchdown:interception ratio from 12:20 as a rookie to 17:13.
Eli Manning: 6:9 to 24:17. Peyton Manning: 26:28 to 26:15, and from 3-13 to 13-3 and the playoffs.
Carson Wentz: 16:14 to 33:7 and 7-9 to 11-2 before Nick Foles won the Super Bowl. Jared Goff: 5:7 to 28:7, and 0-7 to 11-5 and the playoffs under rookie coach and offensive whiz kid Sean McVay.
Don’t you worry about any sophomore jinx for Darnold.
The fact Maccagnan failed to fix the Jets offensive line as well as Dave Gettleman has fixed the Giants offensive line will be mitigated somewhat by Darnold’s off-schedule, improvisational prowess. Go review the game-winning, two-minute drive in Buffalo — when a scrambling Darnold laughed in the face of danger and found Robby Anderson with a 37-yard dagger.
Darnold returned from his foot injury to finish the season with a streak of 113 consecutive passes without an interception. Watching Josh McCown from the sideline was an invaluable respite for him. His TD:INT ratio was 6:1 over the last four games of the season. Joe Namath raved about him. So did Aaron Rodgers. He was a drawing card for Gase and GM Joe Douglas. He worked diligently on holding the ball with two hands in the pocket to ease fumbling concerns.
He will be coached hard by Gase and offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Dowell Loggains. He will be tested at every practice by defensive coordinator Gregg Williams. Darnold will be a more confident leader. He will see the field better and process information faster and make quicker decisions. Wide receivers coach Shawn Jefferson: “He’s a f——g dude with a f——g arm.”
Darnold never flinched under the New York spotlight. Same guy every day, win or lose. His first NFL pass was a pick-six in Detroit. He yawned. He got back up and shredded the Lions, 48-17.
No Broadway Sam here: More comfortable with a playbook in his hand than a Johnnie Walker Red. Or a blonde. Mature beyond his years. Wired the right way.
The Giants are thrilled they drafted Saquon Barkley with the second pick of the 2018 draft. The Sam Darnold Jets are thrilled they did, too.
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