New York Jets: Sam Darnold will not be ruined by starting week one
New York Jets fans that are concerned should not be. Sam Darnold will not be ruined by whatever happens if he starts week one.
Read the tea leaves, New York Jets fans. Despite the words of the coach, it is fairly obvious where things are going.
Check out the archive of training camp practice reports at NJ.com. The majority of the first team reps are going to Sam Darnold and that has been the story for the last several practices.
You know what’s next. We will all see it in just a couple of days. Sam Darnold will start against the Giants, and if he doesn’t have a major setback, he will be the starter in Detroit for week one.
It’s the only scenario that makes sense based on what we are seeing.
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With this reality coming to light, there has been a common narrative starting to appear among some of us.
We have heard it with every highly-drafted quarterback.
Why rush him? Let him sit on the bench and learn. You could ruin him if he starts as a rookie and fails.
Darnold is a guy that can handle New York. Coming from USC he understands the big city.
Los Angeles is not New York but it’s close. So far he has been appropriate yet forthcoming with the media. He even answered questions about his interception like a pro.
Now, adversity will come to Sam Darnold at some point during the season. He will have his struggles.
That’s what happens to a rookie quarterback. Peyton Manning led the league in his first season with 28 interceptions.
Sam has experience with adversity, don’t forget that. His turnovers increased from 9 to 13 in his final season with USC. He came back from those turnovers to have huge games. He has the necessary short memory to succeed.
Three up and three down vs Washington. dark. Next
Adversity has happened with other quarterbacks and it hasn’t ruined them. John Elway was benched as a rookie. He made it out just fine, wouldn’t you say?
It took Troy Aikman to get to season three before he threw more touchdowns than interceptions. He’s pretty highly regarded in NFL history.
Fran Tarkenton dropped a 15.5 passer rating in his first career start. Young readers, ask your parents about how good he is.
The point is to not worry about him losing confidence. Players can get through problems as a rookie and come out just fine on the other side. Former quarterback Sean Salisbury said it best right here:
If an NFL team is worried about starting a rookie Quarterback because they are afraid his confidence might be ruined if he struggles, may I suggest you shouldn’t have drafted him anyway. The best get hit in the mouth, struggle, then crush it! See Aikman and Manning as rookies!
— Sean Salisbury (@SeanUnfiltered) August 21, 2018
He’s right. If the quarterback is so fragile, there is no way he is going to make it in New York. Sam Darnold is not that fragile. He has the makeup to get things done for the Jets, finally ending the quarterback drought.
He would not have been selected otherwise. Stop worrying and enjoy the ride.