Sam Darnold

Jet Fan · April 5, 2021

Hello Panther fans. A Jet fan here. Since you just traded for Sam Darnold, I thought I would provide a review I wrote for the Jet message board awhile back. I think you did well. Remember, Sam will not turn 24 until June. He is a class act and a tough guy (despite the injuries). As bad as the Jets have been these last three years, when Sam was not starting, the game was over at halftime. I would not have traded him. Enjoy:

We took Sam in 1998 and played him immediately. The team went 4-12 and the season was a fiasco. First Qunicy Enunwa was resigned to starter’s money and went down for the career almost immediately. This left our wideouts as Robby Anderson, Jermaine Kearse, Deontay Burnett, Charone Peake and Rishard Matthews. The fact that all but Robby were out of the league pronto should tell you all you need to know about 1998. But the big culprit was Spencer Long. He instantly hurt his hand and the ensuing bad snaps were something to behold. Sam fielded them with remarkable aplomb. The offensive line was Beachum, Carpenter, Long, Winters and Qvale. The poor wideouts and scotch tape running game (Isaiah Crowell, Elijah McGuire, and Bilal Powell) produced a 1-9 skid after a promising 3-3 start. Once Carpenter went down in week 10, the wheels came off the train. Sam headed to the bench in week 9 with a bad foot. He would miss the next three games and McNown lost all of them. The offense ranked 23^rd in points and 29^th in yards. I note defense ranked 29^th in points and 25^th in yards. We fired Todd Bowles.

With a new coach – Adam Gase – came a new system to learn. The wideouts were Robby, Demaryius Thomas and Crowder. The backs were Bell, Powell and Montgomery. Herndon – after a fine rookie year – got suspended, came into camp out of shape and then got hurt and missed the season. The offensive line was Beachum, Qvale, Ryan Kalil, Winters and Shell. After staking the team to a 16-0 lead in the opener, the defense collapsed and we lost 17-16. Then Sam got mono and missed the next three games. We lost all of them by a combined score of 23-84 (remember Luke Falk). I note we could have used Captain Morgan . . . , but I digress. Ryan Kalil did a repeat of Long’s snapping and we started the season 1-7. Once we benched Kalil, the Jets went 6-2 and finished 7-9. The Jets offense ranked 31^st in points and 32^nd in yards. I note the defense ranked 16^th in points and 7^th in yards.

Last year, with the bright debut of Becton, the offensive line featured Lewis, McGovern, Van Roten and Fant. The wideouts were Mims, Perriman, Crowder, Jeff Smith, Vincent Smith, Josh Doctson, Berrios, Hogan and Cager (mother of God). The backs were Bell, Gore, Johnson and Adams. The starting wideouts Mims and Perriman, went down immediately. Sam missed four games with a bad shoulder and played twice with that bad shoulder. The Jets lost all six games (Flacco). Towards the end of the season, with Mims and Perriman healthy, we won two of our last three to finish 2-14 after a 0-13 start. We fired Gase. The offense ranked last in points and yards and the defense ranked 26^th in points and 24^th in yards.

Some facts. Sam has played with poor receivers and awful centers on three bad teams. The only offensive player to shine was Robby and he is a keeper. Naturally, we let him go (WTF!). To be fair, Sam throws picks – 39 in three years. Ourlads scouting service compared him to Winston and warned he too would throw picks. It was not a kind review. He misses games – 10 in three years. His TDs – 45 – are a little more than one per game when you account for the injuries. On the other hand, the Jets lost all 10 games without him. These were bad teams. As for offensive players who left, only Robby and Beachum are starters elsewhere which is scary when you consider the amount of team turnover.

Sam has been asked to run the read option. I always felt that was weird since Sam is not a running QB. Yes, he throws well on the run but it is not the same thing. I believe that play action would fit him better and I note that is what we are going to be running this year. Sam has a strong arm and – despite the injuries – is a tough hombre. As a man, he is a class act. When he started his first game, he was the youngest starter in the history of the NFL and is only 24 entering his fourth year. I am frustrated that Sam's technique has not improved since he entered the league. While I blame the coaches, Sam must shoulder some of the blame. When the defense played well in 2019, so did the Jets once we benched Kalil. On the other hand, we go three and out so often that it affected the defensive stats. The Jets have some serious issues. It is not all Sam’s fault.

I believe that Sam has a long career ahead of him. Is he an all-pro? No, I do not think so. Can he be a solid starter in the league? Yes, I really think he can. I am certain that he will be given a chance to start by good teams that need a new QB like the Steelers and Saints. Further, QBs are expensive and we paid a lot for Sam. I would pick up his option, play him this year and judge the future accordingly.