QB makes life better for Gase

Sam Darnold’s terrific performance in his first game back Sunday from a spleen-enlarging illness typically reserved for curious teenagers has prompted this fair question: Who exactly is whispering to whom on One Jets Drive?

For all the chatter about Adam Gase’s ability to bring out the best in his young quarterback, perhaps we should view it this way: Darnold is the coach whisperer.

There’s more evidence suggesting that Darnold makes subpar coaches look better than there is that Gase takes marginal quarterbacks to a higher plane.

Make no mistake, Gase is a bright guy with smart ideas, but there’s a picture of Darnold crystallizing before our eyes.

Consider the evidence. Darnold went 20-4 as a starter with a Rose Bowl victory in two seasons for USC head coach Clay Helton and play caller Tee Martin. Helton and Martin are 8-10 since Darnold left. Helton took back play-calling duties last year before finishing with a losing record (5-7). Martin and him are likely goners during or after this season.

Darnold also made former Jets offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates look very good in the final month last season. He caught fire in three of his final four games to give everyone in the organization hope for the future.

The second-year quarterback certainly made Gase look better Sunday. The Jets were a non-competitive, offensive mess without Darnold during a nightmarish, month-long span. While other coaches were turning quarterback nobodies into somebodies, Gase was out of answers. (The Steelers won a game with a third-string undrafted rookie quarterback from Samford on Sunday, in case you hadn’t noticed).

Armed with a big arm and big brain, Darnold came to the rescue in Gang Green’s 24-22 win against the Cowboys.

“All the throws that he made that were not necessarily the rhythm-type throws,” Gase said Monday. “He had to move in the pocket, slide, off-balance. The accuracy he threw with… I was very impressed by that. We’ve seen a lot in practice… For him to get into the game and just how calm he was is impressive.”

Darnold has the pocket presence that coaches dream of. His knack for sensing pressure cannot be coached. He seems to know when and where the heat is coming from.

Then, he has the athleticism to maneuver around a collapsing pocket or bolt from it to make something special happen. Whether it was moving to his left while throwing an off-balance completion to Jamison Crowder in the third quarter or stepping up in the pocket before firing a bullet to Crowder to start a pivotal fourthquarter drive, Darnold was a difference maker in the truest sense.

“It’s definitely something that’s ingrained in me for sure,” Darnold said of his pocket presence. “That’s a good way of saying it.”

Gase wasn’t merely along for the ride. After sleepwalking though the better part of the season without Darnold, the play-caller made some smart choices like being more aggressive with passes on first down than he had been in the past. Although the Cowboys’ penchant for Cover-1 looks prompted more passing, give Gase credit for making the wise decision on early downs.

Gase dialed up 17 passes and nine runs on first down, including six play-action/runpass option calls.

Darnold went 13 for 15 for 202 yards and a touchdown on first downs. The Jets also drew a defensive pass interference and gave up a sack on those dropbacks. The Jets’ nine first-down runs, meanwhile, generated just 30 yards (3.3 yards per carry).

“It (was) a different style of defense than what we’ve seen the past few weeks,” Gase said. “Between Philly and New England (in the previous two games), it kind of felt like run was better on first down compared to second down. This week was kind of flipped for us.”

Gase might not be a quarterback whisperer or innovator, but he is smart enough to help Darnold. The reality is that Darnold is going to be a difference maker no matter who is calling the plays, but he can definitely learn from someone with quality ideas. It can be a mutually beneficial relationship.

Gase has already done a solid job pinpointing subtle — but important — elements in Darnold’s game that needed to be fixed.

But Darnold’s natural gifts will help elevate everyone around him, including the guy with the headset on the sideline.

There’s no substitute for a coach whisperer.