WHO CAN SPELL SAM?
Jets don’t have solid plan in place in case Darnold misses time again
Sam Darnold has a world of promise, but what’s the plan if he misses time early in the season? The Jets settled on 35year-old Joe Flacco, coming off off-season neck surgery, to be Darnold’s primary backup, but the veteran remains on the PUP list. The organization’s expectation all along was that Flacco wouldn’t be cleared to play until early September at the earliest, leaving it in a precarious position if Darnold missed time in the first month of the season for a second consecutive year.
The Jets went 0-3 when the young signal caller missed three games last fall with mononucleosis. Adam Gase’s offense was a trainwreck by every objective measure.
So, what’s happens if something unforeseen happens to the franchise centerpiece again?
Even the glass-half full crowd can’t turn a blind-eye to reality.
Gang Green re-signed David Fales and Mike White, who have combined for exactly zero NFL starts, along with drafting James Morgan. Although Fales is familiar with Gase’s offense after playing for him at two other stops (Chicago and Miami), White has had a chance to work with the backups this summer.
“Obviously with Joe being out right now, these guys are getting a great opportunity of getting a lot of reps,” Gase said Tuesday after practice. “Mike… didn’t gain a bunch of weight, but he looks thicker. He looks sturdier. The way he’s throwing the ball, it’s coming out of his hand really well. He’s making great decisions with his reads. He’s made some really nice throws. He’s got really good pocket presence.”
“You’re (doing) scout team last year,” Gase continued. “It’s completely different having him in training camp and seeing how far he’s come in such a short period of time. I’ve been really impressed with how he operates.”
The 6-4, 224-pound White, a 2018 fifth-round pick by the Cowboys, spent last year on Gang Green’s practice squad after Dallas cut him before the season. He hasn’t taken a snap in a regular-season game.
Fales, meanwhile, is well versed in Gase’s offense, but only has 48 career attempts in five seasons.
“David knowing the offense… that’s always the big plus for him,” Gase said. “He doesn’t have to think as much. He knows all the steps down the road (to) be ahead of everybody.”
The Jets obviously hope that Darnold, who has missed three games in each of his first two seasons, remains healthy. Otherwise, the Jets, who are 0-6 in games that Darnold has missed, will be in trouble.
Gang Green had ample opportunity to sign a healthy veteran backup quarterback this summer, but passed because they didn’t believe in the player or didn’t want to pay the going rate. So, they settled on an injured veteran who’s rehabbing from a significant surgery.
So, Fales or White, who was believed to be the odd man out entering camp, is expected to be Darnold’s backup when the Jets face the Bills in the season opener.
“I feel like they both have really had a lot of good completions… a lot of opportunities in the pocket to see how everybody moves,” Gase said of Fales and White. “It’s going to be one of those ones where we’re going to keep battling it out and see who really is going to really be the guy. How this works out, I don’t where Joe is exactly on the timetable. I don’t know (want) to put a date on that. But those two guys just got to keep battling it out.”
Although Gase said that Morgan has “shown some abilities and some throws that are really impressive” with his “strong arm,” the rookie isn’t a serious challenger for the backup gig this summer.
STAYING HEALTHY
Wide receiver Breshad Perriman, who’s dealing with swelling in his knee, isn’t expected to practice again until Saturday, according to Gase. Undrafted rookie WR Lawrence Cager, who has impressed team brass in the camp, left practice due to a knee issue. Outside linebacker Tarell Basham left practice due to an ankle injury.
Darnold is encouraged by the news that no NFL players tested positive for COVID-19 from Aug. 12-20, but made it clear that the bigger challenge will be making it through a 17-week season.
“That part doesn’t really surprise me, because we all wanted to come back and play football,” Darnold said Tuesday about the recent string of negative test results. “So, that part’s awesome. I think it’s just around the league all the guys seeing it throughout the entire season. That’s going to be the challenge and I think we’re up for it. I think we can stay disciplined in terms of doing things outside of the building and outside of where we live to be able to continue to have negative tests.”
Darnold on Le’Veon Bell’s light-hearted suggestion that he avoid the bar scene in order to stay healthy after contracting mono last year: “It’s great advice, man,” Darnold said. “He’s always got words of wisdom for me. It’s good to hear that.”