Darn’ good move
Gang Green makes bold decision in turning to No. 3-overall pick in Week 1
THE red-numbered clock above Todd Bowles’ green Jets cap read 2:48 when the franchise-altering decision came down in the press room inside the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center.
“Sam’ll be starting Monday,” Bowles finally announced to no one’s surprise. And just like that, The Future Is Now for Sam Darnold and his Jets, starting on “Monday Night Football” on the road against the Lions.
It is more about who the Jets believe Sam Darnold can become and sooner rather than later than who he is now, and they absolutely love who he is now: The Natural. It is the right call. Time is of the essence when you are approaching 50 years without a Super Bowl championship, and you do not believe you are throwing your precocious phenom to the Lions.
Darnold was asked what he would tell his hyperventilating fan base, which has been starving for The Next Joe Namath. He chuckled. Darnold is by no strength of the imagination The Next Namath. It is much too early for that, obviously. But he is younger than Namath was when he made his first start. Younger than any Week 1 QB starter since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger.
“It’s gonna be fun,” Darnold said. “I mean, whether I play this year, next year, the year after that — even if it’s not me, if it’s Josh [McCown] out there, I know that we’re gonna win football games.
“So it’s gonna be really fun for a long time here in New York.”
As far as the Jets are concerned, the Giants can believe all they want in 37-year-old Eli Manning — they are thankful the relentlessly cruel football gods allowed a 21-year-old franchise quarterback to fall in their laps.
“We’re not starting him because he’s a rookie and he’s not ready, we’re starting him because he gives us a chance to win the game,” Bowles said.
Bowles trusting Darnold after three consecutive years of missing the playoffs speaks volumes about both coach and rookie quarterback. How the poised, stoic, driven Darnold copes with the inevitable growing pains this season will go a long way toward determining whether Bowles will reap what he and offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates can’t wait to sow next season.
As much as everyone respects and admires 39-year-old mentor Josh McCown, Darnold can do things McCown only wishes he could do, certainly not yet with his head but with his arm and his feet.
“He’s able to throw us open, and that’s something special in a quarterback,” wide receiver Jer- maine Kearse said.
After watching the way his team has responded to Darnold, it wasn’t really a difficult decision for Bowles. Or for McCown, who raves about Darnold’s preparation and passion, to understand. “It’s all ball,” McCown said. The Kid bounces back after a mistake. The Kid blocks out the New York noise.
“I don’t know what it is,” defensive end Henry Anderson said, “but he just kinda carries himself like he’s been in the league a while. You don’t see that a lot with rookies, but he’s very mature for someone his age. It seems like he doesn’t really care too much about the outside noise and he’s pretty much got like a singular focus on himself and doing his job to the best of his ability.”
Darnold has mastered the playbook, and mastered the huddle and the pocket, and mastered the art of how to win friends and influence people.
“There’s never a moment where I’ve really seen him wide-eyed,” Kearse said.
Darnold doesn’t expect to be on the biggest stage of his life either.
Bowles conveniently broke the verdict to the quarterbacks minutes after the media had already left the locker room.
“If I do get the start, I’ll be very confident,” Darnold said. “I think we have some really good chemistry in this locker room, and I think we’re ready to go showcase that Monday night.”
Perhaps this is the end of Same Old Jets. And the beginning of Sam New Jets.