The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
QB Darnold already playing like a pro
Sam Darnold hasn’t had the look of a deer against NFL defenses. The rookie quarterback has looked comfortable in the pocket, and has reacted and responded well to stressful situations.
It’s a major reason many believe the Jets have not only found their starting quarterback for this season but for many to come.
Rookies, and especially first-year quarterbacks, often say the biggest adjustment from college to the pros is getting used to the speed of the game. But Darnold, 21, said it hasn’t really been an issue for him and he credits the Jets’ defense for helping prepare him.
“The way our defense gives such a great look during practice, when I get out in the game it kind of feels the same, which is a really good feeling,” Darnold said after throwing for 86 yards and a touchdown in Friday’s preseason loss to the Giants.
“As a guy who hasn’t played a ton of NFL football games, it’s awesome to go out there in the preseason and feel the same way as I do in practice - really comfortable. Know when I got to get out of the pocket. Know when I should eat it or throw the ball away. All those things that have been popping up in practice, it kind of feels the same way in the games, which is pretty cool.”
No doubt some of this is innate.
The Jets have been impressed with Darnold’s maturity and poise. His mental makeup and tools have him in line to be the Jets’ starting quarterback Week 1 at Detroit.
Darnold showed tremendous awareness Friday night, but a few plays in particular displayed why franchise quarterback has been so often linked to Darnold since the Jets took him with the No. 3 pick.
In leading an openingseries touchdown drive, on third-and-8 Darnold saw that the Giants were going to blitz and he audibled. Darnold felt the linebackers, “mugged in the Agaps,” wouldn’t get back to cover the tight ends so he changed the play and connected with Neal Sterling on a 13-yard completion.
“That was pretty cool to be able to see it, digest the information and kind of do that on my own,” Darnold said.
On that same drive, Darnold was under pressure on third-and-13 and he saw an opening to run. He scrambled for 14 yards.
Later, on his touchdown pass to Terrelle Pryor, Darnold saw tight end Chris Herndon on a post route in the end zone. But he didn’t want to try to squeeze it in a tight space and risk an interception — Darnold threw a pick in the red zone last week at Washington. He, instead, threw it to Pryor on a shallow cross for a 12-yard touchdown.
“He’s learning from his mistakes,” coach Todd Bowles said. “He’s seeing things as he goes. As a rookie, you’re going to get in the game and no matter what a coach or veteran tells you, you’re going to see things for the first time. You’re going to have to make football decisions. The more he plays, the quicker the football decisions come. That’s good to see from him.”