‘NFL SCREWED SAMMY OVER'
Jets fume over airing of ghost comment
The Jets are rightfully ticked off that Sam Darnold’s mic’d up “ghosts” comment on the sideline during an embarrassing 33-0 loss to the Patriots on Monday night was aired. The second-year quarterback admitted he was “seeing ghosts” amid his forgettable five-turnover performance against the team’s bitter rival.
“We’ll be looking into that pretty hard,” Adam Gase said Tuesday. “That was one of those things that was really disappointing to hear about after the game. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen that where somebody that was mic’ed up was basically… a comment like that was allowed to be aired. It bothers me. It bothers the organization. Obviously, we’re going to be looking hard into our cooperation going forward.”
An on-site NFL Films representative cleared Darnold’s “ghosts” comment to be used. ESPN did have the freedom not to air the comment, but it made for great TV. My understanding is that people high on the NFL Films totem pole are not pleased that their on-site rep gave the green light to allow ESPN to air the comment.
There’s a trust between teams and NFL Films to keep comments that could potentially embarrass players, coaches or teams off air. That’s why most mic’d up comments on broadcasts are hardly inflammatory.
The Jets, who didn’t sign off on the comment being used, are understandably upset that NFL Films cast their quarterback in an unflattering light. Truth be told, comment like the one Darnold made are commonplace on sidelines. However, the fact that it hit the airways is not.
“The NFL screwed Sammy over,” Le’Veon Bell tweeted after the Daily News explained the process on social media. “There’s not one player in the NFL who’s cool with having every sideline convo broadcasted to millions… There’s a reason we’ve never heard other QBs frustrated on the sideline like that before. That’s crazy. NFL did Sam dirty as hell.”
NFL rules dictate that the quarterback and head coach must be mic’d up by NFL Films at least one game each season. The prime-time games obviously get much more attention. The Jets had initially agreed to have Darnold mic’d up for their Sunday night game against the Browns in Week 2 before the quarterback was diagnosed with mononucleosis.
“It’s not something’s that new,” Gase said. “Usually when it’s a Monday night game, somebody’s usually mic’d up. I know once a year I have to do the same thing. It’s kind of part of the deal. Obviously, you’re never anticipating something like that happening. The fact that it did just gives us pause to really cooperate anymore. Because I don’t know how we can allow our franchise quarterback to be put out there like that.”
It’s a fair position by Gase and the organization. There’s no way around it. Bell was right. Darnold got screwed.
C.J. Mosley didn’t quite look like himself in his first game back from a groin injury suffered in the season opener. The Pro Bowl linebacker seemingly lacked his usual burst in the middle of the field. He appeared to be laboring in pursuit on Sony Michel’s threeyard touchdown run on the Patriots’ game- opening drive in Gang Green’s shutout loss on Monday night. So, did the Jets bring him back too soon? “Going into the game I would say no,” Gase said on Tuesday. “From what we saw, he looked good. That’s why we’re going to keep looking at this and keep a close eye on him and keep communication with him and just try to figure out what we need to do so he can feel like he did going into that first game.”
Gase said coaches pulled Mosley, who assisted on three tackles, out for the final 14 snaps because the game was out of reach. But it’s fair to wonder whether it makes sense to sit Mosley again when the team travels to Jacksonville on Sunday rather than risk a severe setback.
“(It’s) just some soreness right now,” Gase said. “We’re going to keep an eye on him, make sure that we don’t have anything that would set him back from where he was. We’re kind of taking this day to day.”
MUM ON OSEMELE
Gase steered clear of the Kelechi Osemele standoff with the team regarding his need for shoulder surgery. The team fined Osemele, who says that he is in pain, for conduct detrimental to the team after not practicing on Saturday.
“I am really not going to comment about anything with what’s going on with that right now,” Gase said. “We will keep that in-house.”
INJURY UPDATES
Center Ryan Kalil, who left the game briefly with an elbow injury, might miss a day of practice this week. Gase is hopeful that Chris Herndon (hamstring) practices this week. DL Henry Anderson (shoulder) and LB Neville Hewitt are expected to be limited in practice. LT Kelvin Beachum, who missed the game with an ankle injury, is “progressing,” per Gase. Returner/running back Trenton Cannon will have another MRI on his foot.