SLING IT, SAMMY
JETS OFFICIALLY HAND REINS TO DARNOLD
The Jets officially became Sam’s Club on Monday.
To no one’s surprise, Jets coach Todd Bowles named rookie Sam Darnold as his starting quarterback. Darnold will become the youngest quarterback to start on Week 1 during the Super Bowl era when he takes the field against the Lions next Monday night. The 21-year-old passed every test in training camp and the preseason and beat out veterans Josh McCown and Teddy Bridgewater, who was traded to the Saints last week.
“It was close, obviously,” Bowles said. “Sam had a good preseason. We weren’t holding him back, but we weren’t rushing him at the same time. He still has some things to learn, but he’s poised in the pocket and the way he grasped the offense coming in right away and the guys gathered around him. He gives us a very good chance to win.”
Darnold will be the third rookie quarterback to start Week 1 for the Jets, joining Mark Sanchez in 2009 and Geno Smith in 2013. He will be the 31st quarterback to start for the team since Joe Namath left town in 1976.
The Jets said when they drafted Darnold with the third-overall pick in April out of USC they would give him the chance to win the job. That is exactly what he did. After a threeday contract standoff, Darnold wowed coaches by being able to run the offense on his first day in camp after not attending a single meeting since the spring. After that, he made progress in practice and then played well in three preseason games, throwing just one interception.
“We feel like he gives us a good chance to win,” Bowles said. “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.”
Darnold is part of the ballyhooed quarterback class of 2018, but he is the only one starting in Week 1.
The Jets did not make Darnold available to reporters after Bowles announced his decision. He did speak to the media shortly before the announcement was made. He was told that fans are counting on him to be the man the Jets have been seeking since Namath. Darnold laughed, but promised good things are coming.
“It’s going to be really fun for a long time here in New York,” Darnold said.
Darnold impressed coaches with his ability to learn the offense and the skills he showed on the field that can’t be taught.
“It wasn’t a specific moment,” Bowles said of his decision to pick Darnold. “It was a natural progression. You had to go day by day, week by week. He’s still going to go through some things during the season, but I think poise in the pocket again, awareness in the football game and reaction, the way he plays the game made it a little more comfortable.”
Bowles had kept the decision under wraps until Monday despite it being clear things were heading in Darnold’s direction for the past three weeks. He met with Darnold and McCown five minutes before he made the decision public.
Bowles said the Jets could win with both quarterbacks, but gave Darnold an edge when it came to mobility.
“Sam’s got feet to get himself out of trouble,” Bowles said. “He’s got a good pocket feel. He’s probably a little quicker, a step quicker at this point. Josh is obviously smarter playing in the league longer but Sam picks things up very well also. It’s good to have a quarterback that can throw and move his feet.”
Everyone knows there will be struggles for Darnold as he learns to be an NFL quarterback, but nothing seems to faze him.
“It is who I am,” Darnold said of his calm demeanor. “I don’t really think much of it. I just kind of go out there and let my play speak for itself and not worry too much about what others are thinking and how many necessarily are out there watching us.”