THEY’RE STILL A LITTLE GREEN
Backups get reps vs. Eagles, but Sam’s already ready
PHILADELPHIA — The Sam Darnold Era will kick off in earnest in prime time against the Lions on Sept. 10, even if nobody wearing green and white is ready to admit it. The rookie signalcaller predictably didn’t play in the Jets’ 10-9 preseason finale loss to the Eagles on Thursday night, setting the stage for his debut in Week 1.
“If I am going to be the starter Week 1, I feel really comfortable,” Darnold said after the game. “I feel really comfortable with the offense. I feel really comfortable with the guys inside this locker room. I’m just really excited for whatever opportunity comes my way. But if not, I’m going to be the best backup I can be.” Spoiler: He ain’t going to be backup. The 21-year-old Darnold will be the youngest Week 1 starter since the NFLAFL merger.
“I thought I learned a lot in a short amount of time,” Darnold said. “I’m just excited to see where I can go from here in terms of my knowledge of the game and getting better fundamentally.”
Todd Bowles declined to reveal the worst-kept secret in the NFL, insisting that he’ll tell Darnold and Josh McCown about his Week 1 starter decision in the coming days.
“I don’t need to make it right now,” Bowles said. “They both can take reps. I’ll give them an idea when I see fit…. I haven’t made a decision or I haven’t talked to anybody to make a decision.”
Darnold has passed every test this offseason, showing the poise, smarts and maturity of a much more experienced player.
“He works so hard at it and spends the extra time,” said McCown, who started on Thursday. “He’s able to take the extra work that we’ve put in and it’s manifested itself on the field. He’s done that very early. I think all that time will be well served. And if his number is called… I have no doubt that if it goes that way, that Sam will be ready.”
McCown will be the backup now that the Jets have traded Teddy Bridgewater.
“We love Teddy,” Bowles said. “At the same time, we had three good quarterbacks. It was a good business deal for us and a good opportunity. We got good value back for it. It was something we had to do…. I have no doubt that he can be an NFL starter.”
Darnold, who will take center stage now, hasn’t been fazed by the enormous expectations.
“Throughout my life, whether it’s Pop Warner, life in general, in high school, college and now in the NFL,” Darnold said, “I’m going to continue to be the same person… continue to be the person that my parents raised me to be. And nothing’s going to change that… even if the stakes are a little bit higher being in the NFL and being able to play this awesome game for a living. It doesn’t change my outlook on life or how I’m going to be as a person.”