SUMMER OF SAM
Darnold has turned heads; fellow firstrounder Allen might be ready to start too
SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. — Former housemates and newly minted NFL division rivals, quarterbacks Sam Darnold of the New York Jets and Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills were close to anonymous as they made their way through the crowds at the U.S. Open this summer.
The golf tournament was in Long Island, so there were a few doubletakes directed at Darnold, and an occasional high-five or selfie request. Allen, although big and athletic, was another face in the crowd.
Allen, who shared a beach house with Darnold when they trained in Orange County before the draft, conceded he clued in the spectators to his buddy’s presence whenever he got a chance.
“Any time he wasn’t looking at me,” Allen said, “it was like, ‘Oh my god, there’s Sam Darnold!’ I just had to push his buttons a little bit and have some fun.”
Going unnoticed is not likely to be the case from this point forward. Whether it’s Darnold and the Jets, or Allen and the Bills, each club believes it has selected its franchise quarterback, someone to lock down the position for years to come.
In the nearly two decades Tom Brady has dominated with New England — guiding the Patriots to five Super Bowl victories — starting quarterback has been a revolving door with the other three AFC East teams, although Miami is holding out hope that Ryan Tannehill still can get the job done. He’s back after missing last season because of a knee injury.
At least one rookie quarterback has started a Week 1 game in 10 consecutive seasons, the longest streak since 1950.
That said, most NFL teams have gotten over the notion of pressing a rookie quarterback into action immediately, even a top-10 pick.
Darnold went through training camp competing for the starting job with experienced veteran Josh McCown, who was the starter last year, and another former first-round pick, Teddy Bridgewater, who was traded to New Orleans. That trade signaled the Jets are ready to go with Darnold in Week 1, which would make him the youngest opening day starting quarterback in the modern era. He will be 21 years, 97 days old on Sept. 10 when the Jets play at Detroit.
In Buffalo, Allen is vying with less-experienced Nathan Peterman and AJ McCarron, who is just recovering from a collarbone injury suffered against Cleveland in the Bills’ second preseason game.
McCarron is no slouch. He filled in ably for Andy Dalton in Cincinnati, and might have been Cleveland’s quarterback if not for a clerical error. Last fall, the Browns tried to send second- and third-round picks to the Bengals for him. The paperwork didn’t go through before the trade deadline, however, and McCarron stayed in Cincinnati.
Allen is Buffalo’s long-term plan, and he has expressed strong interest in taking the reins from the start.
“I definitely welcome it, whenever my number is called,” Allen told reporters recently when asked about the possibility of starting. “I feel like I’ll be ready and I think the coaches understand that and they’re not going to throw me into a situation where I wouldn’t be ready.”
Jets coaches have been especially impressed with Darnold’s poise, attention to detail and work ethic. He certainly sounded like a player preparing to step in and perform.
“There is always a lot to improve on,” Darnold told reporters recently. “One thing that we always talk about is just getting in and out of the huddle, being able to call the play, have a clean huddle and hopefully get out there with 15 or 20 seconds left; that is the key every time. If I can do that ... really be able to see the defense a lot clearer. In terms of playing, just continue to do what I’ve been doing and going over my reads and evolving as a quarterback.”
He and Allen will evolve and develop, and with that their anonymity will disappear. That’s a trade both would happily make.