The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Rookie Darnold draws comparisons to Luck
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Sam Darnold remembers sitting at home in Southern California watching Andrew Luck sling the football all over the fields of the Pac-12 for Stanford.
The young quarterback was a freshman in high school in 2012, when Luck became the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft and the future of the franchise for the Indianapolis Colts.
More than six years later, Darnold is in the same spot with the New York Jets. And, now he’ll get a chance to face Luck on the same field Sunday.
“From watching him in the past, first of all he’s such a bright dude in general and you can see how he takes that to the football field,” Darnold said Wednesday. “So it’s really cool to be able to watch him play.”
While Luck is 29 and Darnold just 21, there are some comparisons when it comes to poise and calm under fire that are strong attributes of both quarterbacks.
They are also the respective faces of their franchises, and Darnold has seen Luck deal with that responsibility over the past few years.
“To see him get drafted and to see what he’s been able to do for the Colts and to see what he’s been able to do for that organization, yeah, he’s been banged up, but he’s a great player,” Darnold said.
“We know our defense has their hands full, but it’s also going to be a dogfight for us, too, because they have a great defense. We’re really looking forward to the challenge though, knowing how great of a quarterback Andrew is.”
Luck missed all of last season with a shoulder injury and has been thrust right back into running the pass-heavy offense of the Colts . The veteran threw 121 passes in a five-day span last week in losses to Houston and New England, appearing at times as though he never missed a beat.
The Colts quarterback is also known to be able to make plays with his feet while playing smartly — characteristics that have some comparing Darnold to Luck.
“Yeah, he definitely has more years of experience, but I can see it,” Darnold said.