McCown on Darnold: Every day he gets better

There’s hearing, and then there’s seeing.

Especially so early in the football calendar, platitudes can fall on deaf ears, especially when it comes to hyped quarterback prospects, like Sam Darnold, on a team that hasn’t had many of late, like the Jets.

“Every day I feel like he goes out and gets better,” Josh McCown said of this year’s third-overall pick before the Jets opened practice on Tuesday. “I think for all of us, but re- ally for young players, you’re discovering something new every time you step on the field.

Then during practice, Darnold did just that. His initial reps were underwhelming at best, missing open receivers and seeing one ball go off Parry Nickerson’s hands. Then he settled in and started to make it look easy.

It’s one practice, in June, without contact, but it’s progress nonetheless.

“He made some throws,” coach Todd Bowles said. “Shorts and T-shirt, you can’t tell whether the ball would’ve been broken up or he’d been sacked or not, but his learning is outstanding.”

Whether the USC product starts on opening day will remain in question. None of the Jets’ quarterbacks have separated themselves this early, but competing with McCown and Teddy Bridgewater holds its advantages for Darnold.

“I think it kind of takes off a lot of pressure on him, at least from a team standpoint,” wide receiver Quincy Enunwa said. “If he comes into a team where it’s like the Browns … you bring a first-round pick in there or a high-round pick, you expect that guy to play. Here, you know, I don’t know what the idea is with the coaches but for us, we just wanna see him progress and earn his way on the field.”

Darnold himself is in the midst of the adjustment, something he readily admits. The throwing windows are tighter, the verbiage is different, and he’s working under center more often.

He won’t get used to all of that in 11 practices. But he already is getting better.

“When someone’s open, they’re not open for long,” Darnold said. “So just try to be on time and anticipate throws, and that’s what happens usually with some of my turnovers — some of the interceptions — is just trying to anticipate it and really understanding that all I need to do is check the ball down. It’s that easy.

“When I do make a mistake, which is gonna happen — whether I like it or not, it’s gonna continue to happen throughout my career — so limiting those mistakes and understanding how I could correct ’em and trying not to make the same mistake again, I think that’s huge for any position. So I’m just coming in here and when I see that the flat zone defender is getting over the over route, just [checking down] to the back is a learning experience that I grew from.” As for the starting job? “I would say anything’s possible,” Darnold said.