New York Jets: Sam Darnold’s career begins tomorrow night

Sam Darnold of the New York Jets (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Sam Darnold of the New York Jets (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /
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The future is here as New York Jets rookie quarterback Sam  Darnold makes his debut tomorrow night. What can we look for out of him?

New York Jets fans, tomorrow night is the moment you have all been waiting for. It’s the moment you have dreamed about for decades.

It’s finally time for the future to begin. At MetLife Stadium tomorrow night, Sam Darnold finally takes the field. We finally get to see what he can do when the lights are turned on.

Josh McCown is not slated to play much this preseason which means we are going to see a lot of the rookie. It’s a look into the future and it is about to begin.

You pumped up, Jets fans? I know I am. I can’t wait for him to take the field tomorrow night.

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What do we look for? How do we quantify the progress he has made? What is fair to expect out of Darnold in his debut?

First of all, don’t expect Sam to have a perfect night. There will be some throws we don’t like. Some might even be ugly.

That will be par for the course, even as we move into the regular season. He’s a rookie. It happened to Peyton Manning quite often.

So, what then? First, check his eyes. Is he making his reads?

Coming out of college, one of the biggest challenges for young quarterbacks is going through their progression.

Take a look at what Darnold did during a recent practice, impressing everyone:

It’s the type of play that veterans make. Let’s see if Darnold can do it when the game is on. The game will be faster, he has to make those quick decisions.

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Let’s see if he looks like a deer in headlights. We always talk about the speed of the game, and it’s a fair point. Defensive backs will close on Darnold’s receivers a lot faster than they did at USC.

Friday night is the first chance to see if he can throw into those smaller windows. Yes, the competition may be backups, but they will be better than he has seen in the past.

Trust your eyes, ladies and gentlemen. You will know if he has “happy feet”. You will also know if he looks comfortable in the pocket.

It won’t be a perfect night but look for progress. Take it one step at a time.