Darnold is better off as a Jet than Giant.

[Patriot Killa]

Sam Darnold is better off a Jet than a Giant

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- Sam Darnold's dramatic arrival in the New York market inspired an interesting question: Is it possible to be the toast of the town before you can legally buy a drink?

 

Darnold will turn 21 in June, and to watch him during his first day on the job with the New York Jets was to remember that this kid is really, you know, a kid. Before he put on his helmet, buckled his chinstrap and started slinging footballs around a practice field in the team's rookie minicamp over the weekend, Darnold looked a bit like a college student who had just rolled out of bed. His reddish hair mussed, the unshaven Darnold faced the media in the middle of the locker room and answered questions with no trace of alarm in his voice. He repeatedly called his first NFL experiences "awesome." He described himself as a "pretty relaxed" guy. He promised to be true to his California self in "every setting."

Soon enough, he was sitting in a small chair at his stall, folding his thick, 6-foot-3 frame forward as he lost himself in the binder of schedules and plays resting in his lap. As youth is often wasted on the young, Darnold might have spent his first days on an NFL field without any clue that he is the luckiest man in New York (or New Jersey) -- Saquon Barkley included -- and that he is better off with the Jets than he would have been with the historically more successful and less dysfunctional Giants.

In fact, no high-profile athlete has entered the New York market with a greater opportunity to build a lasting legend since Mark Messier joined the Rangers in 1991, 51 years after that franchise had last won the Stanley Cup. Darnold comes to the Jets 50 years after they upset the Baltimore Colts for their only Super Bowl title. Now all the former USC star has to do is win one championship over the next 15 or so years -- just one -- and he will be lionized for life in the world's most significant city.

The roadmap from here to there is easy to read, said Steve Rosner, a partner at 16W Marketing with clients including former NFL quarterbacks Phil Simms and Boomer Esiason.

"If Sam Darnold has to emulate two New York athletes," said Rosner, a Jets season-ticket holder for four decades, "he should emulate Joe Namath on the field and Derek Jeter off the field."

In other words: Lead the Jets to a breakthrough Super Bowl victory and stay out of trouble after hours.

"What Jeter did off the field," Rosner said, "never ending up in the newspaper for something bad, is one of the greatest accomplishments in New York sports over the last 50 years."

Darnold doesn't have to match Jeter's five championships; he doesn't even have to match Eli Manning's two. The Giants could have drafted Darnold as the successor to the 37-year-old Manning after the Cleveland Browns made quarterback Baker Mayfield the No. 1 overall pick, but instead, they gambled on Barkley and the possibility that he'll become a transcendent running back.

This might not have seemed like a good break to Darnold at the time, given the Giants' standing as a flagship NFL franchise. But think about it for a minute: If Darnold ultimately replaced a two-time Super Bowl MVP, he would be expected to meet that standard.

With the Jets, Darnold will ultimately replace Josh McCown (unless Teddy Bridgewater makes a miraculous return from his devastating knee injury). McCown has a 23-50 record as an NFL starter and stands at the end of a very long line of quarterbacks who have failed to lead the Jets to the Super Bowl for the first time since man stepped on the moon.

 

"So Darnold has the ability to create his own legacy, as opposed to following someone else's," said Joe Favorito, a Columbia University professor and longtime strategic communications and marketing executive in New York. "If he wins with the Jets, the great thing is it can mean whatever he wants it to mean. He can be immortalized like Joe Namath and go after whatever he wants in the business world. Or he can sit back and let it all come to him -- because it will. Everyone wants to be a chooser rather than a chaser. If Sam Darnold wins one, he becomes a chooser."

Of course, winning just one is a lot harder than it sounds. Darnold's fellow first-round pick from USC, Mark Sanchez, reached the AFC Championship Game in his first two years with the Jets (2009 and 2010), then never made another postseason start. Sanchez is best remembered not for his franchise-record four playoff victories but for butt-fumbling his way into a lowlight that will be a featured part of blooper reels for as long as football is played.

Things can turn ugly in the NFL in a New York minute. Darnold will have to repair the turnover problems that burdened him at USC, learn how to call plays in the huddle and at the line, and figure out -- with relatively smallish 9 3/8-inch hands -- how to throw the football through the kind of late-season Meadowlands weather he didn't see in Los Angeles.

But with Tom Brady turning 41 in August, Darnold will likely play most of his prime in an AFC East finally, mercifully, liberated from the clutches of the greatest quarterback ever. Jets officials already are optimistic that Darnold has the temperament and poise to succeed Brady -- and outduel the Buffalo Bills' Josh Allen -- as the long-term quarterback to beat in the division. They already believe he will embody a low-drama, low-maintenance approach that eluded Sanchez and others.

The morning after Darnold was introduced to the New York media in his post-draft news conference at the team's Florham Park facility on April 27, he was ushered into a conference room and toward a table stacked with some 800 items requiring his signature. Jets first-rounders are usually run through this gantlet after their introduction, and some have been more agreeable than others. Darnold? "OK, let's go," he immediately said. He sat at the head of the table and signed every last helmet and ball without complaint before paying a visit to the nearby Goryeb Children's Hospital to make some kids smile.

"Sam Darnold is a sponsor's dream," said Blake Lawrence, a former Nebraska linebacker who is the CEO of opendorse, a marketing platform that has connected major brands with more than 3,200 athletes on social media. "He's got the USC brand behind him, the Los Angeles market and roots, the New York City market, the first-round hype. ... He's got looks and charm, a likable personality, longtime media training and a clean background. It's a perfect combination."

Lawrence compared Darnold to, among other established quarterbacks, the Philadelphia Eagles' Carson Wentz. "But with the L.A. base," he said, "not North Dakota State." That's why more brands (nine) have partnered with Darnold for sponsored Instagram posts over the past five months than have ever partnered with all previous Jets first-rounders and quarterbacks combined, according to opendorse.

But in the end, Darnold's success on the field, or lack thereof, will determine the durability and magnitude of his stardom. If he falters, his will be the most disappointing right arm in New York since Matt Harvey's. If he rises to the challenge, his impassive coach, Todd Bowles, will be doing a lot more of the playful shouting he did in his first news conference after watching Darnold throw from the pocket and show off his roll-out athleticism.

 

The challenge is simple. Darnold was reminded by a reporter the other day that it has been "half a century" since the Jets won a ring (man, that sounds like a long time) and that he was drafted to end the drought. Darnold responded that he embraces the responsibility, that he knows he has to earn respect rather than demand it and that he realizes he needs to be a leader at all times. It was a good answer.

Of the nine major professional sports teams in the New York/New Jersey area, the Jets have gone the longest without a title (1968), with the Knicks running a close second (last won the NBA title in 1973) and the Nets running third (last won the ABA title in 1976). Darnold is lucky -- really, really lucky. He wasn't born until 1997, but Messier could tell him a thing or two about the Stanley Cup he won for the Rangers in 1994 and how it means as much to his legacy as the sum of all five he won in Edmonton.

Darnold has an enormous opportunity here, courtesy of the more admired franchise next door. Just as Wellington Mara's Giants effectively sent Namath to the Jets by drafting a running back (Tucker Frederickson) No. 1 in 1965, John Mara's Giants effectively sent Darnold to the Jets by drafting a running back (Barkley) at No. 2.

While under center for various snaps in his first NFL practice, Darnold shouted, "Broadway, Broadway," as a signal to his offensive teammates.

Darnold needs to be Broadway Joe on the field but not necessarily off the field. He needs to win just one championship, like Namath, to be remembered forever among the biggest stars in the biggest city. All in all, that's a pretty good place for someone to be a month before his 21st birthday.

[MDL_JET]

Ehhhhhh. I get what they're trying to say but I don't completely agree. They just stated that a reporter just randomly brought up that the Jets haven't won a ring in half a century and that he was drafted to end that. Like...cmon now. And 90% of reports include the word "savior". 

He would have pressure with the Giants, but it's not like the Jets is an easier path.

[New York Mick]

Hating a team doesn’t make them bad

[UntouchableCrew]

I think that the track record of both franchises would indicate he'd be more likely to succeed with the Giants than the Jets but the point of the article is that success would simply mean more with the Jets, which is unquestionably true.

Following in Eli's footsteps would make it harder to create his own lasting legacy. Even if he were to win one title, some fans would view him as inferior. If this dude wins a Super Bowl with the Jets he'll be a god.

[SAR I]

1 hour ago, Patriot Killa said:

Sam Darnold is better off a [snip]

SAR I

[Dupe]

 can’t see him posing for GQ .....still very happy about how the draft fell. 

[nyjunc]

16 hours ago, UntouchableCrew said:

I think that the track record of both franchises would indicate he'd be more likely to succeed with the Giants than the Jets but the point of the article is that success would simply mean more with the Jets, which is unquestionably true.

Following in Eli's footsteps would make it harder to create his own lasting legacy. Even if he were to win one title, some fans would view him as inferior. If this dude wins a Super Bowl with the Jets he'll be a god.

Since 1991(which was a LONG time ago), NYG has 10 playoff apps and has won playoff games in 4 postseasons while the Jets have 8 playoff apps and won playoff games in 5 postseasons.  The giants are not the Patriots, since the 60s they had a great run in the 80s as a dominant team and that's it.  They have had other good stretches but they weren't the 80s/90s Niners or the 21st Century Pats.

The problem w/ following Eli would be the SBs the D led him to. other than those playoff runs he's been nothing more than an average, overrated QB who doesn't elevate the talent around him. if his team is really talented they can win. He's started for them for 14 years and is barely over .500 as a starter w/ playoff wins in only 2 postseasons and only 6 total postseason apps. The QB that follows Eli is not following Brady, Rogers, Brees, Ben,...

[Lupz27]

32 minutes ago, nyjunc said:

Since 1991(which was a LONG time ago), NYG has 10 playoff apps and has won playoff games in 4 postseasons while the Jets have 8 playoff apps and won playoff games in 5 postseasons.  The giants are not the Patriots, since the 60s they had a great run in the 80s as a dominant team and that's it.  They have had other good stretches but they weren't the 80s/90s Niners or the 21st Century Pats.

The problem w/ following Eli would be the SBs the D led him to. other than those playoff runs he's been nothing more than an average, overrated QB who doesn't elevate the talent around him. if his team is really talented they can win. He's started for them for 14 years and is barely over .500 as a starter w/ playoff wins in only 2 postseasons and only 6 total postseason apps. The QB that follows Eli is not following Brady, Rogers, Brees, Ben,...

Only thing in this post that matters is the Giants led by Eli Manning have won 2 Super Bowls, the rest is noise that nobody gives a sh*t about.  

[UntouchableCrew]

2 hours ago, nyjunc said:

Since 1991(which was a LONG time ago), NYG has 10 playoff apps and has won playoff games in 4 postseasons while the Jets have 8 playoff apps and won playoff games in 5 postseasons.  The giants are not the Patriots, since the 60s they had a great run in the 80s as a dominant team and that's it.  They have had other good stretches but they weren't the 80s/90s Niners or the 21st Century Pats.

The problem w/ following Eli would be the SBs the D led him to. other than those playoff runs he's been nothing more than an average, overrated QB who doesn't elevate the talent around him. if his team is really talented they can win. He's started for them for 14 years and is barely over .500 as a starter w/ playoff wins in only 2 postseasons and only 6 total postseason apps. The QB that follows Eli is not following Brady, Rogers, Brees, Ben,...

I agree, I think Eli sucks and is the most overrated QB in the last twenty years. I'm just saying the reality is winning a title for the Giants wouldn't mean as much to their fans, even if Darnold was a much better QB. Even if he had twice the stats but only won one SB, I don't know if he'd be revered the same way. 

As the article states, if Darnold won a title here we'd be building a statue in Florham Park the next morning. It's a different opportunity with more upside. Eli might not be great but he does have rings and he's better than any QB the Jets have had in 40 years.

[nyjunc]

3 hours ago, Lupz27 said:

Only thing in this post that matters is the Giants led by Eli Manning have won 2 Super Bowls, the rest is noise that nobody gives a sh*t about.  

He led them nowhere, if anything he held them back. SB talent around him and they won 10 & 9 games.  The D was incredible and that is who led them to both titles

[nyjunc]

1 hour ago, UntouchableCrew said:

I agree, I think Eli sucks and is the most overrated QB in the last twenty years. I'm just saying the reality is winning a title for the Giants wouldn't mean as much to their fans, even if Darnold was a much better QB. Even if he had twice the stats but only won one SB, I don't know if he'd be revered the same way. 

As the article states, if Darnold won a title here we'd be building a statue in Florham Park the next morning. It's a different opportunity with more upside. Eli might not be great but he does have rings and he's better than any QB the Jets have had in 40 years.

I kind of agree with you, I didn't think giant fans were that stupid (after all they wanted Eli gone numerous times before and after the SBs) but after what that did last year maybe they would be unfair to a young QB? Eli is not better than Vinny, Chad and I think he's comparable to Sanchez. The difference btw Eli and those guys is in the 2 SB runs his D played incredibly. Put any of those QBs on those Giants teams and they still win and probably more comfortably.

[JoJoTownsell1]

Darnold has to be better than Pennington/Testeverde/Lucas/Sanchez/Obrien/Todd and he will be an all-time great Jet. It's a great spot for Darnold. 

[kelly]

uggghhhh,.. WE are better off  Sam is a jet.. rather than a giant   ?

[UntouchableCrew]

54 minutes ago, nyjunc said:

I kind of agree with you, I didn't think giant fans were that stupid (after all they wanted Eli gone numerous times before and after the SBs) but after what that did last year maybe they would be unfair to a young QB? Eli is not better than Vinny, Chad and I think he's comparable to Sanchez. The difference btw Eli and those guys is in the 2 SB runs his D played incredibly. Put any of those QBs on those Giants teams and they still win and probably more comfortably.

I mean, Sanchez was awful and not in the same league as Eli. He never sniffed Eli's peak performance.

Prime Chad was probably better than prime Eli, but prime Chad lasted for a cup of coffee. Chad was made of glass and Eli was an Iron Man.

Vinny is basically a poor man's version of Eli.

[whodeawhodat]

1 hour ago, nyjunc said:

He led them nowhere, if anything he held them back. SB talent around him and they won 10 & 9 games.  The D was incredible and that is who led them to both titles

[nyjunc]

49 minutes ago, UntouchableCrew said:

I mean, Sanchez was awful and not in the same league as Eli. He never sniffed Eli's peak performance.

Prime Chad was probably better than prime Eli, but prime Chad lasted for a cup of coffee. Chad was made of glass and Eli was an Iron Man.

Vinny is basically a poor man's version of Eli.

Early Sanchez was better than early Eli, the Giants kept bringing in more and more talent for Eli while we kept getting rid of talent. Mark and Eli were both mistake prone QBs that could win big with the right talent around them. 

Eli is a poor man's version of Vinny. You say Mark never reached peak Eli(he didn't play long enough) but Eli never came close to 1998 Vinny.

[Fantasy Island]

Also breaking news: water is wet.

[Philc1]

Giants fans are lame.

[UntouchableCrew]

22 minutes ago, nyjunc said:

Early Sanchez was better than early Eli, the Giants kept bringing in more and more talent for Eli while we kept getting rid of talent. Mark and Eli were both mistake prone QBs that could win big with the right talent around them. 

I mean, Sanchez was in a better spot than Eli on a stacked team (that traded up to get him after a 9-7 season) and playing after the rules were changed in the mid 2000s to favor the offense. I know you're a huge Sanchez apologist but despite Eli's slow start it's a preposterous comparison. Sanchez has never been good in the NFL.

22 minutes ago, nyjunc said:

Eli is a poor man's version of Vinny. You say Mark never reached peak Eli(he didn't play long enough) but Eli never came close to 1998 Vinny.

Vinny played for like 20 years and 1998 is the only season he was really a good QB. Eli had a 5-6 year stretch where he was good... Not really an apples to apples comp here. There's a reason why Vinny was a journeyman.

[Lupz27]

2 hours ago, nyjunc said:

He led them nowhere, if anything he held them back. SB talent around him and they won 10 & 9 games.  The D was incredible and that is who led them to both titles

2 Super Bowl MVP’s, and in both years went into Lambeau, and out played both Favre, and Rodgers, he did a sh*t ton of leading in those 2 years.

[jetrider]

Quote

"he should emulate Joe Namath on the field" 

Jets staff should put together the ultimate Namath rocket passer highlight video and make Darnold watch it. 

[Joe W. Namath]

If the Giantd thought Darnold was a peyton manning or andrew luck type prospect they would have pounced on him.

The Giants do not believe Darnold is anything special.  The Browns felt the same way.

Darnold had a very disappointing season last year.  He is not a cant miss prospect.

He is a better fit for the jets because the jets wanted him.  The giants didnt.

[Greensleeves]

It's not too much to ask for Darnold to have a better career than Eli, IMO. Here are Eli's team records from when he was drafted:

04: 6-10
05: 11-5
06: 8-8
07: 10-6 (Super Bowl)
08: 12-4
09: 8-8
10: 10-6
11: 9-7 (Super Bowl)
12: 9-7
13: 7-9
14: 6-10
15: 6-10
16: 11-5
17: 3-13

That's 7 winning seasons out of 14 and only 3 divisional titles. The had great defenses on the Super Bowl teams and that allowed them to get hot and contend, even though they barely made the playoffs the years they won it all.

 

 

 

 

[Patriot Killa]

3 hours ago, nyjunc said:

He led them nowhere, if anything he held them back. SB talent around him and they won 10 & 9 games.  The D was incredible and that is who led them to both titles

So ironic that you just described Mark Sanchez, the one player that you defend with your life.

[nyjunc]

17 hours ago, UntouchableCrew said:

I mean, Sanchez was in a better spot than Eli on a stacked team (that traded up to get him after a 9-7 season) and playing after the rules were changed in the mid 2000s to favor the offense. I know you're a huge Sanchez apologist but despite Eli's slow start it's a preposterous comparison. Sanchez has never been good in the NFL.

Vinny played for like 20 years and 1998 is the only season he was really a good QB. Eli had a 5-6 year stretch where he was good... Not really an apples to apples comp here. There's a reason why Vinny was a journeyman.

Sanchez was not in a better spot, he didn't have a Tiki Barber, a Jeremy Shockey, a Plaxico Burress.

The rules were changed to favor offense after the 2003 season, Eli was drafted in 2004 so he played his entire career under those rules.

1998 Vinny was GREAT, the best single season in Jets history and NY pro football history and it's not close. Vinny struggled early in his career in TB(remember HOfer Steve Young failed in TB just before Vinny).

If the giants D doesn't do what they did Eli would have been a journeyman too, giant fans and the media wanted Eli gone before the 2007 SB run and before the 2011 SB run.  He was that bad, I think he led the league in INTs in 2007 yet NYG won 10 games and made the playoffs.

16 hours ago, Lupz27 said:

2 Super Bowl MVP’s, and in both years went into Lambeau, and out played both Favre, and Rodgers, he did a sh*t ton of leading in those 2 years.

he didn't deserve either SB MVP.  Keep in mind he led his offense to 17 & 19 pts(36 total) in the 2 games, this past SB Foles led his O to 41 in one game. In the Giants 2 Sbs his D held Brady and NE O to 14 & 17 pts(31 total), Philly's D allowed 33 to Brady and NE O in one game.

It's never been hard to outplay Brett Favre in January.

His lone GREAT game was at GB in the 2011 div rd.

Other than that 2011 GB game here's what Eli has done in his postseason career:

2005 shut out at home vs. Car

23-20 OT loss at Philly in a game Tiki averaged 5.3 YPC

24-14 win at TB

21-17 win at Dallas where Romo handed NYG that game

23-20 OT win at GB where the great Favre threw an INT in OT to set up NYG deep in GB territory for GW FG

17-14 win in SB vs. Pats. Pats O averaged 38 a game that season, NYG held them to 14 and they needed a ball to stick to a helmet and a Pats DB defender to drop an easy INT on that GW drive.

23-11 home loss vs philly, led O to 9 pts.

24-2 win vs. Atl in WC game, D pitches shut out

20-17 OT win at SF, in 2nd half and OT Eli "led" NYG to 10 points.  Both scoring "drives" began deep in SF territory after fumbled/muffed punts by SF including the GW FG in OT.  Both his SB apps were results of TOs in OT setting him where he had to do nothing to get in FG range to win it.

21-17 win in SB vs. Pats, led O to 19 pts, another great Pats O held to less than 20 pts.

 

he's been a mediocre QB the majority of his career, he was good in both playoff runs but not great other than the 2011 GB game.

 

16 hours ago, jetrider said:

Jets staff should put together the ultimate Namath rocket passer highlight video and make Darnold watch it. 

No, we don't want a QB like Joe.  we want what Joe could have been if healthy not the actual Joe that also had a mediocre career though at least he was great for a few years.

16 hours ago, Patriot Killa said:

So ironic that you just described Mark Sanchez, the one player that you defend with your life.

If you have ever paid attention you'd understand I never called Mark great, IO simply defended him from fans that bashed him by saying he sucked.  He was a good QB who was inconsistent but capable of helping a team win big if the right pieces were around him.  He was basically Eli manning until they stripped away all the talent around him. we won the 4 playoff games mostly b/c the D played great, we lost the 2 title games b/c the D played like crap. Mark and the O kept us in games, we were a team led by our D and, unlike NYGs Ds, our D couldn't get it done in title games.