GOOD LUCK, SAM!
Darnold faces off against Colts QB as Jets look to reach .500:
The sun doesn't rise or set these days without a new comparison for the most important person on One Jets Drive.
Sam Darnold has the arm of (INSERT HALL OF FAMER HERE).
Sam Darnold has the poise of (INSERT DIFFERENCE MAKER HERE).
Sam Darnold has the elusiveness of (INSERT GAME-CHANGER HERE).
To hear some people tell it, the rookie signal caller is a lab-created dream who will be an unstoppable force one day. (That second part actually might be true).
Some of the grandiose analogies are downright comical. I mean, is it possible for one human quarterback to have Peyton Manning's intellect, Aaron Rodgers' throw-on-the-run accuracy, Tony Romo's slipperiness, Andrew Luck's toughness AND Eli Manning's unflappable demeanor? Probably not. On a day when the Jets will commemorate the 50th anniversary of their only Super Bowl winning team, Darnold provides hope to the scores of frustrated faithful that they can all be champions again one day.
“He just looks like the real deal,” said Colts head coach Frank Reich, who will face Darnold for the first time on Sunday. “I love his body language. I like the energy that I see from him on the field. It just looks like he belongs… It's funny. Certain quarterbacks… just have a look and feel to them on the field. You see that in Sam.”
It's obviously unrealistic for Darnold to be a blend of all these former – and current – great signal callers, but the most telling part of this is that we're having the discussion at all. You have to be mighty talented for people to even dare to dream like that. I don't recall a flood of parallels for Mark Sanchez or Geno Smith.
Darnold draws these comparisons because he possesses so many enticing qualities that he has yet to cultivate.
Can he be like Rodgers outside the pocket? Will it become routine for him to extend plays like Romo? Will he hang in the pocket in the face of an avalanche like Luck? Will we never see him sweat in this New York crucible like Eli for the past 15 years?
Everyone is always searching for the Next Someone, while being careful not to jinx a special young player. Some folks on One Jets Drive have been on Cloud 9 for six months. Darnold might be reminiscent of several difference makers at his position, but people in all corners of the building are careful not to anoint him the Next Anyone… even during private conversations with me. They want him to breathe and cultivate his talent. The dude's only 21, after all. The desire to turn Darnold into the next superstar is tempting. Consider Reich's admission that Darnold has a similar vibe to his former pupil Carson Wentz, who was on track to be the NFL MVP in his second season before being derailed by a torn ACL.
“It feels like to me (like he has) a little bit of the same personality,” said Reich, who admittedly has never met Darnold. “It's not too big not only intellectually, but also — for lack of a better word— emotionally. The game's not too big. Just physically being able to make the throws. And some of the athleticism. I haven't evaluated Sam's athleticism compared to someone like Carson or Andrew, but he's made some good plays with his feet now as well that honestly surprised me a little bit. I didn't realize that he was that good of an athlete running the ball.”
Darnold has hardly been a statistical giant through five weeks (7 touchdowns, six interceptions, 77.2 passer rating), but the numbers belie the truth: This kid has made tangible progress in the first month and a half of his career. He's flashed some of the skills that could turn him into one of the league's difference makers in the not-so-distant future.
Darnold has made strides literally from head to toe in the early stages of his career. Just look at his threetouchdown performance in last week's laugher over Denver.
The rookie admittedly had “quiet feet” that helped him play with more confidence and control.
“Just having your feet settled — not happy feet or moving around in the pocket — just allows you to be more accurate, allows you to keep your eyes down the field and go through the progressions,” offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates said. “He's going to keep growing. That's just part of it… Just feeling comfortable in the pocket is powerful.”
Darnold's ability to quickly relay a wordy play call to teammates and get in and out of the huddle efficiently have also been pivotal parts of his development. The rookie had some understandable hiccups this spring and summer after coming from a simplified college system that required everyone to look at the sidelines for the call. The transition to calling plays in the huddle after getting them piped in through his headset wasn't seamless, but he's ahead of the curve. (He reads longer
plays off his wristband).
Darnold's goal is clear: Get to the line of scrimmage with 15-20 seconds left on the 40-second play clock to allow for sufficient time to survey the landscape and make any necessary pre-snap adjustments based on the defensive alignment (coverages, pressures, etc). Bates was pleased with the tempo against Denver, but realizes it'll be an ongoing process for his young quarterback.
“Any time it gets lower than (15-20 seconds left), now all of a sudden the stress happens,” Bates said. “You're creating anxiety that's not needed. When we substitute personnel, we have to hustle in and out. We have to make the call. The more time the quarterback can see, the more time he has a chance to really get the answers to the test. Peyton Manning was amazing at it. He had 38 seconds. Obviously, we got to keep working on getting better.”
Darnold's growing post-snap, situational awareness is fun to watch too.
Consider his 35-yard touchdown pass to Robby Anderson late in the first half last week. Darnold's first read was actually to Quincy Enunwa on the right. Once he saw that Enunwa was blanketed on his deep route, he quickly snapped back to his left and let it fly, knowing full well that there was minimal risk for a turnover in that area of the field on that throw. It would either be a touchdown or an overthrow. (It also helped that the Broncos were playing single-high safety, which made it easier to take the shot into the endzone).
Darnold's work ethic will push him forward in the coming days, months and years. The comparisons won't stop as long as he continues to give us a peek of his talent. The latest: Darnold agreed that he “can see some similarities” with Luck, who starred in the PAC-12 when Darnold was a high school kid rooting for USC.
“It was really fun to watch and really cool to see Andrew Luck dissect defenses at such a young age,” Darnold said. “It was really fun and kind of inspiring to me.”
Maybe one day some young kid will say the same about Sam Darnold.