greenwave81

Looks like my leg...but then again, I'm 58 and had a medial meniscectomy at age 18 (before they had arthroscopic surgery) lol...

If Darnold was wearing the 'outfit' McCown was sporting, I'd be very worried. And there's Hack sighting in pic 20...man, he looks 2" taller than both Darnold and Teddy. He 'looks' the part lol. Teddy's brace in that pic is quite the deal and substantial...that knee cannot be even considered 'fully healed'. And, Teddy has toothpicks for legs BTW.

While the gesture is genuine and in their best interest, not so sure many players would use a 'team provided' service all that much...especially if you're repeatedly being picked up sh*tfaced at 3 am many nights.

Bridgewater is on a one yr deal is my understanding anyway...

I swear, Jets fans are so typical. 'Don't start him..he ain't ready'! ... 'You're gonna ruin him, just like Sanchez!' ...'You can't start him now, the OL sucks!'..'He's too young!'. 'We need to develop him!' Heard it all, multiple times. The answer is to start him when: He knows the playbook, can protect himself and the football, and is mentally ready to accept the challenge. He may have some rough goings at first. But if he can process the experience and learn from it and grow, play the kid. He ain't gonna learn to be an NFL QB sitting on the sideline watching Josh McCown and getting all McCown's 'mentoring goodies'. If you draft a QB at #3, he better be able to handle, and learn, from adversity at the least. Rodgers sat behind Favre...Eli behind Warner. Sitting Darnold behind McCown is asinine unless he cannot meet the 4 criteria above. This season is about Darnold..or at least it should be. It should not be about trying to eke out a #6 seed until we get eliminated in week 14 while playing McCown. Darnold will either be the future, or he won't...he'll get probably 3 years to show himself either one way or the other, and as soon as he demonstrates the criteria above, he should start...even if he doesn't outplay the 39 yo 18 yr NFL veteran in TC.

There shouldn’t be a rush. But that assumes that when he IS ready, he plays regardless of whatever may be transpiring at the time. They need to be committed to the long term outlook for this team for once. I don’t want to hear BS like ‘we’re still in it’ with a ‘near’ .500 record and a middling offense, which keeps the kid on the SL (if he’s ready) until we’re ‘out of it’. Giving Sam the ‘Petty treatment’ letting him start on a deflated injured team when already eliminated is not a path to success IMO. Sent from my iPhone using JetNation.com mobile app

Up and running/posting now FYI. Thx! Sent from my iPhone using JetNation.com mobile app

Earlier while logged in on the JN app it was not allowing me to post replies. Said not authorized or something. Just FYI

Just because Darnold may be able to know the playbook, can handle the huddle and protect himself and the ball (what you said in your second post), does not always mean that he would necessarily give them the 'best chance to win' over another QB on the roster (what you said in your first post)...like McCown. Darnold is bound to have some growing pains that you might not expect out of McCown at first...but he needs the experience to learn from them which is worth more long term than a few more possible wins playing McCown next season. All I was trying to say and point out...I agree with your second post 100%

You're contradicting yourself by saying that...but I agree with it 100%. Just doing those things you mention right there doesn't mean he's necessarily 'better' than McCown at that point, but not being demonstrably 'better' than McCown should not mean he shouldn't start....because he is only going to learn so much 'observing'.

I don't even care if he's 'the best person on the roster' at that particular moment...all I care about is, does the kid have enough knowledge, and feel for the game that he can learn from starting while not getting himself killed. We should all expect him to improve over time, unless they throw him out there so unprepared and overwhelmed that learning becomes secondary to survival. Josh McCown does NOTHING for this franchise, Darnold has the capacity to do wonders. As long as he's comfortable enough and knowledgeable enough to protect himself and not so overwhelmed that he cannot 'learn', he should start...even if he isn't 'better' than McCown at that particular moment in time.

Well said!

Couldn't care less about what Ben said about being butt hurt they drafted a QB. It was interesting how he pretty much said 'look, if the guy asks for help I'll help him' and brushed off any suggestion to 'put him under my wing' and mentor nonsense. In most professions, someone mentoring another person is not at their 'direct' expense...i.e., if successful you lose your job. As a Navy Officer and Physician I mentor young Doctors all the time. But the world needs more good Doctors, and I may require one sooner or later before I die. Same for Navy Officers. But there's only 1 starting QB job per team...and it pays VERY WELL. McCown had a moderately successful year last year and cashed in for a cool $10 million. Who's to say he's not thinking about repeating that this year and for another contract next year? If McCown was here as a recently retired QB in a coaching staff role, or signed to a backup QB deal with that understanding going into the contract, I'd buy the 'mentor' nonsense. I'm sure McCown doesn't mind serving as an example as the starting QB of the NYJ for Sam but mentoring is more than just setting an example. Maybe McCown is more magnanimous than I give him credit for...guess we'll see. But my takeaway from Ben's comments are 'it's my damn job and I need to make sure I'm ready' not worry about my replacement.

'The Hammer" ...his grandfather Dick would approve.

If the kid went to Tulane, my alma mater ;), unless things have changed over the past 30 yrs he's probably got a good head on his shoulders. Tulane (at least used to) actually require athletes to meet decent academic standards and attend class etc. Glad to hear!