GREEN MACHINE
Sam Darnold puts on a show during practice, raising expectations even more
Sam Darnold was cookin’ with gas Wednesday, prompting even the casual observer at Jets practice to see the thought bubble above Adam Gase’s head: Holy s—t! This kid is going to be special.
The second-year quarterback displayed some of his prodigious gifts in easily his best training camp practice, firing bullets inside and outside of the pocket, making swiss cheese out of Gregg Williams’ defense for at least one day.
“I like the fact that our quarterback is pretty good,” Gase said after a long smile.
Darnold displayed a little bit of everything after an inauspicious first snap in team drills when he turned the wrong way on a handoff to Le’Veon Bell.
“He was mad after the first play and then I was like, ‘We’re probably going to have a good day,’” Gase said. “Because he makes one mistake and then locks in really good.”
Darnold was dialed in for the rest of the two-hour practice. From improvisational magic rolling right to scripted lasers rolling left, the young signal caller gave everyone a taste of what Gase’s offense might be this season.
The true test obviously won’t come until five weeks from now when the Bills roll into town for
the season opener, but it’s reassuring for Gase & Co. to see moments like Wednesday with Darnold, who unofficially went 12 for 15 (that included a drop on perfect back-shoulder pass) with two touchdowns in 11-on-11 drills.
Darnold’s lone blemish in the passing game: A heave that sailed just beyond a wideopen Robby Anderson for what should have been a 50yard touchdown.
The rest of his practice was brilliant.
“If he’s playing like that, I don’t think there is a ceiling (for the offense),” Anderson said. “Sky’s the limit … He’s taking great strides. In a sense, he’s kind of a rookie again because it’s a new offense. He’s working hard. More serious than ever. You can tell.”
Darnold’s first eye-opening play revealed his instincts, football intelligence on the run, and ability to sense pressure behind him. After getting flushed out of the pocket, he ran to his right with a defender in pursuit. He extended the play, surveyed the landscape and fired a dart to Anderson, who perfectly executed his scramble rules.
“That’s a gift on his part,” Anderson said. “He can really throw the ball on the run. Not many guys can do that. Him being able to extend plays when things might die down … quarterbacks might throw it away or take a sack, he’s able to make something special happen as we’ve seen last year. We’ve just got to build on that and keep working that scramble drill. A lot of big plays will come from that. A lot of yards after catch and extended drives are going to come off his athleticism.”
Darnold made a pinpoint 25yard touchdown pass to Quincy Enunwa in tight coverage before firing a bullet on a designed rollout to the left in the red zone to Jamison Crowder, who showed no ill effects from a foot scare near the end of Monday’s practice. The signal caller’s ability to throw across his body with zip and precision is rare.
“When he throws it, he can get his whole body into it,” Gase said about throwing on the run to his left. “He twerks his hips and that ball comes flying out of there and is accurate. I haven’t seen many guys throw to his left the way he does. It’s impressive.”
Gase downplayed getting the better of Williams’ defense on this day, noting that the play callers “work together to script these situations to make sure that we’re seeing all the different looks.” Truth be told, Gang Green’s run defense made life difficult for Bell & Co. on Wednesday.
However, there’s a winner and a loser in every practice. And the bottom line on this day: Gase’s offense won thanks to a young quarterback who is going to be pretty damn good.