Serby: Sam Darnold sounds off on playoffs and catching Patriots

[Jet Nut]

https://nypost.com/2019/07/21/sam-darnold-sounds-off-on-playoffs-and-catching-patriots/

Nice fluff...

Second-year Jets quarterback Sam Darnold huddles with Post columnist Steve Serby for some Q&A before Gang Green head to training camp this week.

Q: Do you expect to win a Super Bowl one day here?
A: Yeah, for sure. Absolutely. There’s no doubt in my mind that we can do it. It’s just about going out there every single day, practice, whether we don’t have practice, if we’re in the film room, just taking everything that we do very seriously. But at the same time, if guys are making jokes, laughing, doing all that, that’s also what makes some of the best teams great, is they’re able to have fun with each other. But when it’s time to strap it up and really focus on what we’re doing, then they can lock back in.

Q: Jets fans have been waiting 51 years for another Super Bowl championship. How much longer will they have to wait?
A: I don’t know. To be determined. For us, it’s about making the playoffs, winning the division, and then once we start doing that, then we can talk about winning a Super Bowl.

Q: Is winning the division realistic? The Patriots have won it 10 years in a row.
A: Yeah, it’s absolutely realistic. Talent-wise, everyone in the NFL is capable of winning, it’s just about building that culture, and really understanding that every single down, every single possession matters. If we can kind of ingrain that mentality into everyone in the locker room and everyone in the building, then I think a culture will be set and we’ll be better off.

Q: Would the season be a failure if you don’t make the playoffs?
A: I don’t want to speak too soon on that. I think it just kind of depends on how the season goes and all that. When you start the season, it’s Super Bowl-or-bust, every team has the same goal, so in that regard, yes. But there’s definitely stepping stones that you have to make up become a great team and kind of build that culture that I’ve been talking about. So I guess we’ll kind of see when the season kind of dwindles down here

Q: Is this a playoff team?
A: Oh, yeah. I mean, we don’t expect anything less. If anyone on the team expects something less than that, they should probably leave (laugh).

Q: Why would you say this is a playoff team?
A: We have the talent. I think, first of all, every NFL team has the talent to be a playoff team. With us, there’s this culture that we’re trying to build now, and it’s really prevalent. It’s obvious in the locker room, and just in the whole building. There’s a vibe of wanting to win, and a sense of urgency as well. I can feel it, and I think a lot of the guys on the team can.

Q: How will you be better this season?
A: I’m gonna play with a lot more confidence. I know what to expect now. I’ve seen more defenses. There’s just so much that goes into the first year of playing football, that you don’t really see it all in college. To be able to see some of the stuff, and go into Year 2 and understand, “Oh yeah, I’ve seen this before,” maybe last year or even earlier in the season and kind of just be like, “Yeah, I’ve come across this before and know where I want to go with the ball right away.” That’s gonna be really fun, and it’s gonna be awesome to kind of do that. With Coach [Adam] Gase and the offense that we’re running, I’m really understanding it, understanding where to go with the ball.

Q: Your completion percentage last season was 57.7. Is one of your goals to raise that?
A: Oh yeah. I don’t have a specific number, I definitely want to throw hopefully in the 60s, that’s always the goal. I think for me it’s just about finding completions. That’s kind of the name of the game right now, ’cause defenses don’t really get as much time to practice tackling anymore with the CBA. Once I get completions, whether it’s a yard from the line of scrimmage, I know my guys are capable of making yards after the catch.

Q: Do you expect to make that second-year leap with Gase that Carson Wentz, Jared Goff, Mitchell Trubisky all made?
A: Yeah, I definitely do. But not thinking about it like that, I think just improving off of last year. You gotta look at in simple terms, right? You gotta complete the football and you can’t turn the ball over. I think if I do those things, then I’ll have one of those years where I make a little bit of a leap.

Q: Why didn’t New York scare you?
A: Well we’re in Jersey (laugh), so that’s one thing.

Q: The New York market.
A: New York doesn’t scare me. Being in L.A. at USC, I think that definitely helped. Just understanding that I just gotta do my job every single day, and if I do that, then I’ll be fine.

Q: What advice would you have for Giants rookie QB Daniel Jones?
A: Just that. If I were to say anything to Daniel, I’d just say, “Keep your head down and work, and be yourself, because if you do that, no one’s gonna say anything about you, and if you don’t make headlines, you’ll be all right.” (chuckle)

Q: What’s wrong with making headlines?
A: In a bad way (smile).

Q: Joe DiMaggio once said: “It’s great to be young and be a Yankee.” Is it great to be young and be a Jet?
A: 100 percent.

Q: Why do you say that?
A: Well, first of all, I think it’s awesome to be young, and to have Coach Gase and Dowell [Loggains, offensive coordinator/QBs coach ] and this coaching staff that’s really on the same page. All these offensive coaches that have great minds are all working in one room together. For me to be the quarterback kind of running this offense, it’s exciting. Again, to be young and hopefully be doing this for a long time. Hopefully Coach Gase is my coach for a long time, and we can kind of build this offense for years and years. … It’s definitely awesome to be able to understand how young I am [22], and how much potential that we as the Jets have in this league.

Q: What have you learned about Coach Gase?
A: I think me and Coach Gase have very similar personalities, and very similar learning styles. I think that’s super-important for him to kind of understand how I learn and how I process information. It’s fun to kind of be on the same page with everything, that constant communication of what’s going on, and, “Oh, I don’t really get this. Can you talk to me about this a little bit more Coach?” Or, “Oh I got it, let’s move on.”

Q: Describe his offensive mind.
A: He’s definitely one of the best out there, if not the best. It’s interesting how this offense is a combination of a lot of different offenses. It’s interesting how he’s put his own spin on it. It’ll be fun. … The fans should be expecting a lot of wins and a lot of points to be scored.

Q: Sum up what the major difference between the 2018 and 2019 Jets will be.
A: Wins.

Q: A lot more wins?
A: A lot more wins, yeah.

Q: What do you want the personality or mentality of your offense to be?
A: Just attack. Just on the attack every single down, every single second. We want to be in control. We don’t want to let the defense dictate what we’re gonna do.

Q: You and backup QB Davis Webb threw to Robby Anderson, Quincy Enunwa, Jamison Crowder and Chris Herndon out by you in California this offseason.
A: It was something I always wanted to do. I think it was just, especially right before training camp, to just let the guys hear the terminology again. … I just really wanted to make sure that we were able to spend time together, just hang out, and just be able to get on the same page with some of the stuff that we’ve been talking about, kind of relay some of the signals that we might be using and all that stuff.

Q: What did you learn about Crowder?
A: I got to meet the girl that he’s with and their baby that they got together. Jamison’s a great slot player. During games, he just kind of does his own thing, which is nice for me, ’cause I feel like sometimes when a play breaks down, if something’s not perfect right away, we’ve already kind of seen how we’re on the same page in terms of scramble mode. When things break down, he’s able to get loose and get away from the defender quick, so it’s kind of fun to have a receiver like that.

Q: How high is Anderson’s ceiling, and how can he be used differently?
A: He has such a great potential to do great things in this league. Everyone knows how fast he is, but he’s become such a good route runner, too. It’s really fun to kind of see him grow in that aspect of his game.

Q: So he’ll be more than a deep threat?
A: Oh, no doubt, no doubt. Robby will always have that factor of going deep, but using that speed, you can definitely run those intermediate-to-short routes a lot better, and I think he’s doing a good job of that using his speed to kind of set up these shorter routes.

Q: And Enunwa’s impact?
A: Quincy’s always a guy that once he gets the ball in his hands, he’s a friggin’ monster out there. He can truck people, he can get loose, but I told him once he gets 10 yards to just get down if someone comes near him (smile). He can be a great threat out there in the open field, and we know that. We’re just gonna try to get the ball in his hands as much as we can. Kind of opposite of Robby, he’s needed to work on those down-the-field routes and he’s definitely done a great job of getting better in that area this offseason.

Q: Who’s a better rapper, you or Le’Veon Bell?
A: Anyone who raps is better than me (smile).

Q: Have you been in touch with Bell?
A: Yeah, I’ve been in touch with him, and I’m just excited to get to work with him.

Q: What is it that excites you about him as a weapon?
A: He’s such a threat out of the backfield to catch the football. If the first and second option, maybe the third option isn’t there, I always have a good outlet in Le’Veon. And whenever a play breaks down, I feel like he’s one of the best improvisers. He played with one of the best improvisers ever in Ben Roethlisberger, and I feel like I can improvise a little bit kind of like Big Ben, where if nothing’s there, I can kind of buy time to throw the football. And I’m excited to see what he can do and how he can get loose in the open field. … But first of all, when he runs, he’s so patient. When he sees something there, he’s gonna explode through the hole and friggin’ go. He’s not afraid to put on a show out there, and he does it with the best of ’em.

Q: What enables you to be that kind of improviser?
A: I think for me it’s definitely just playing a bunch of football growing up, always kind of playing quarterback, too. But also playing other sports. The spatial awareness and all that kind of comes into play with how to improvise, and knowing when a play’s dead and knowing when I can take off and try to make something happen.

Q: How will practicing against coordinator Gregg Williams’ defense make you better?
A: Oh, it’ll help me a ton, it already has. Seeing his looks … the Cleveland game [against Williams’ Browns defense] wasn’t my best game ever, and to kind of see those same looks in practice every day, and see the different variations of blitzes that he brings and how he disguises coverages, the way he does it is second to none. I saw a little bit of it last year with Coach [Todd] Bowles.

Q: What do you think of Herndon’s four-game suspension for DUI?
A: It sucks. He’s obviously such a great weapon for us, such a down-the-field threat, but he’s also a great blocker as well in the run game. It is what it is, and we’re gonna deal with it.

Q: What are your thoughts on linebacker C.J. Mosley?
A: Hard worker. Doesn’t say much (smile), but he’s definitely a culture-setter. He leads by example.

Q: Jamal Adams?
A: Talks a lot, talks a lot more than C.J. (chuckle). One of the hardest workers I’ve ever seen. He backs that talk up a lot, and he does it well. It’s fun to compete with him at practice because I’m kind of like C.J. — I’m not saying much out there, I’m not talking a ton of trash — so when Jamal talks some trash to me, it’s fun to kind of get into it with him.

Q: Will you be able to concentrate with Adams on one side and Bell talking trash on the other side?
A: (Chuckle) Oh yeah, you got to. When other people aren’t poised, and when guys are going back and forth, you gotta be that guy to stay level-headed and get the play in and out and get the guys rolling.

Q: Do you expect Bell to bring a swagger to this offense?
A: Yeah. I think there’s a lot of guys that bring swagger to the offense, but Le’Veon’s definitely got that swag to him. It’ll be fun to see how he performs on the field when the lights are shining.

Q: How can you be a better leader in your second year?
A: With guys seeing how I played last year, and hopefully the leap that I make this year, I think guys will respect that, and just based on my habits in what I do every day, I think that’ll kind of make me the leader that I am.

Q: Is your body fat percentage down?
A: I lost 3 percent body fat. I feel a lot better.

Q: How’d you do it?
A: So you just work out and you eat right (smile). And get sleep. That’s about it.

Q: What is your body fat percentage now?
A: It’s 13, which isn’t technically great, but it’s definitely a lot better than what I was.

Q: Weight?
A: 220.

Q: What were you last year?
A: 220.

Q: But it’s a better 220?
A: Yeah. I gained muscle, lost fat.

Q: What were your best and worst moments of last season?
A: Best moments, I think, just getting to spend every day with my teammates, and getting to know everyone a lot better, because I think that makes the second year a lot easier. Worst thing was obviously losing. Losing sucks.

Q: You’re not used to losing.
A: Last year was I feel like a fluke.

Q: Have you been in touch with [former Jets backup Josh] McCown?
A: Oh yeah. I talk to Josh every day.

Q: He’ll be great on ESPN.
A: I know. He’ll be really good.

Q: How do you relax in-season?
A: I make sure I FaceTime friends and family back home. I like to occupy myself with different things, watching YouTube clips of anything, usually comedy is a good way for me to do that. I love watching stand-up. And then, every now and then, I’ll read.

Q: Any book you’re reading?
A: I’m reading “Tribe” right now by Sebastian Junger. It’s all about modern society. He talks about American Indians, the Natives, and he kind of goes into how they were so good at communicating with each other. And then he talks about New York City and how there’s millions of people in New York City, and you’re surrounded by millions of people throughout the day but you might not even talk to one of ’em. So it’s pretty interesting to see where modern society is going in his opinion, and to get that inside knowledge of what it was like back in the day when we didn’t have technology and there weren’t industrialized jobs and to kind of see how people just interacted with each other.

Q: Did the July earthquake affect you?
A: I actually felt it a little bit, yeah. I was just hanging out with my family and the puppy back at home, and the ground started moving back and forth. It was crazy.

Q: How long did you feel it for?
A: Probably 20 seconds. There’s nothing like an earthquake, man. It’s the most dehumanizing thing you’ll ever realize in your whole life, ’cause you’re just sitting there and all of a sudden the house starts shaking.

Q: You were in the house when it happened?
A: Yeah. We ran outside.

Q: You ran outside?
A: The house was shaking! If it would have come down, it would have hurt us.

Q: Have you found a good New York sushi spot?
A: I have. Sushi by Bou.

Q: What is your favorite sandwich at CJ’s Deli in Madison, N.J.?
A: If you go in for breakfast, they got a great Taylor ham, egg and cheese; their coffee’s amazing as well. And then they got for lunch or dinner, they got one of the best Sloppy Joes ever. It’s not a traditional Sloppy Joe though. I do turkey, and then I put a piece of bread right in the middle, and then you got ham on the bottom, with some of their secret sauce on there, it’s great stuff.

Q: What drives you?
A: Just kind of seeing how hard my family, especially my dad and my mom, how hard they’ve worked throughout their lives, to create a better life for me and my sister. … I think subconsciously that’s always gonna be there, just me wanting to do the most that I can to be successful. But also there’s a competitiveness to me. When you’re as competitive as I am, it’s hard not to try your hardest every single day (chuckle). If I feel like I’m not giving 100 percent of my effort every single day, it bothers me. It’s hard to go to sleep at night. So with that being said, I think it’s more of how I was raised than anything.

Q: Are you driven to be great?
A: Yeah. I think if you’re in this league, and you’re not driven to be great, or you might be in it for the money, which is fine, you might be in it for the wrong reasons.

Q: What did you learn about yourself last season?
A: That I can do it. That I can play in this league. It’s just a matter of keeping myself under control when I’m out there, and not letting outside distractions get to me.

Q: Can you guarantee that the Jets will win a Super Bowl while you’re the quarterback here?
A: I’m not gonna guarantee anything. … Maybe if after we win the AFC Championship game … I think that’s when Joe [Namath] did it, so I’d feel a lot more confident. … I feel great about this team. I think we do have a chance to win a Super Bowl. But I’m not gonna go out on a limb and say we’re gonna guarantee a Super Bowl. There’s a long way to go and we have training camp to get some things figured out, but I definitely think there’s a lot of potential with this team.

Q: Do you think this team can win a Super Bowl this year?
A: I think this team can, yeah. But I’m not gonna guarantee anything (laugh).

Q: What is your message to Jets fans?
A: Get ready. It’s gonna be a wild ride, but it’s gonna be fun. Gonna be a lot of wins. We’re gonna score a lot of points. Our defense is gonna do their thing, they’re gonna fly around. But man, it’s gonna be fun. We’re gonna have a good time doing it, there’s gonna be a lot of swagger out there. It’s gonna be real fun winning games and scoring points.

Q: You love playing for these Jets fans, right?
A: Oh my gosh, they’re the best (laugh). To not win a Super Bowl in 51 years, and to stay loyal like that — we gotta do something special for ’em this year.

[The Crusher]

That's all fine and good. I wanna know if he is sick of all the haters yet?"

[dbatesman]

7 minutes ago, Jet Nut said:

Q: Is your body fat percentage down?
A: I lost 3 percent body fat. I feel a lot better.

Q: How’d you do it?
A: So you just work out and you eat right (smile). And get sleep. That’s about it.

Q: What is your body fat percentage now?
A: It’s 13, which isn’t technically great, but it’s definitely a lot better than what I was.

Q: Weight?
A: 220.

Q: What were you last year?
A: 220.

Q: But it’s a better 220?
A: Yeah. I gained muscle, lost fat.

anyone else creeped out by this

[Patriot Killa]

10 minutes ago, Jet Nut said:

Q: Is this a playoff team?
A: Oh, yeah. I mean, we don’t expect anything less. If anyone on the team expects something less than that, they should probably leave (laugh).

^^^

[Joe W. Namath]

Even mayfield hasnt gone this far w/ predicting super bowl.  This cocky SOB!

[Patriot Killa]

16 minutes ago, Jet Nut said:

Jamison’s a great slot player. During games, he just kind of does his own thing, which is nice for me, ’cause I feel like sometimes when a play breaks down, if something’s not perfect right away, we’ve already kind of seen how we’re on the same page in terms of scramble mode.

This is why I’m predicting Crowder to thrive here. This is going to be big in 2019-20.

[RutgersJetFan]

From a character standpoint Darnold is kind of ideal in 2019. He doesn’t take risks on social media, he’s mastered the art of generic answers, and he keeps a pretty low profile off the field. Hard to do for a kid of his stature.

Who knows how all of this is going to work out but at least we know he’s mindful enough to not eat hot dogs on the sidelines or accidentally post dick pics.

[JustInFudge]

I like Sam Darnold, a lot. 

[CTJetsFan]

Every time I read articles like this about Sam I just want to give Dave Gettleman a "Thank You" hug ?

[Charlie Brown]

Oh MY!!!!!

Sam left a lot of morsels in this article when you see what he says about the team from this year to last.  And he explains why and what he really wants the team to achieve!

How can you not LOVE this guy...

All I can say is please let the season start  I am not sure that I can take it.....

 

[Lupz27]

Well I guess the one pair of boner pants is definitely not enough!

[Integrity28]

58 minutes ago, Jet Nut said:

just about finding completions. That’s kind of the name of the game right now, ’cause defenses don’t really get as much time to practice tackling anymore with the CBA. Once I get completions, whether it’s a yard from the line of scrimmage, I know my guys are capable of making yards after the catch.

Holy sh*t.

The 20-something kid gets this, but everyone we’ve hired during his lifetime when this trend evolved did not.

Belli has understood this for 2 decades. We finally caught up to basic strategy!!!

[BUM-KNEE]

Gotta love Sammy D.

Im very interested in that sloppy joe sandwhich he speaks of tho...

[NYJ1]

I really like this kid. He says and does all the right things.

[JustInFudge]

1 hour ago, Jet Nut said:

Q: What is your message to Jets fans?
A: Get ready. It’s gonna be a wild ride, but it’s gonna be fun. Gonna be a lot of wins. We’re gonna score a lot of points. Our defense is gonna do their thing, they’re gonna fly around. But man, it’s gonna be fun. We’re gonna have a good time doing it, there’s gonna be a lot of swagger out there. It’s gonna be real fun winning games and scoring points.

Q: You love playing for these Jets fans, right?
A: Oh my gosh, they’re the best (laugh). To not win a Super Bowl in 51 years, and to stay loyal like that — we gotta do something special for ’em this year.

This was my favorite part of this wonderful playboy magazine centerfold addition of Sam Darnold.

Wins > Points > D > Swagger and then reiterate wins and points.  #priorities.  Him and Gase know you gotta score to win.

I love the recognition of what we've been through as a fanbase and how loyal we are to godforsaken team.  It's almost like he gets us but more specifically me.  He can see my soul but we've never even met.  I love him.

[The Crusher]

29 minutes ago, JiF said:

This was my favorite part of this wonderful playboy magazine centerfold addition of Sam Darnold.

Wins > Points > D > Swagger and then reiterate wins and points.  #priorities.  Him and Gase know you gotta score to win.

I love the recognition of what we've been through as a fanbase and how loyal we are to godforsaken team.  It's almost like he gets us but more specifically me.  He can see my soul but we've never even met.  I love him.

No kidding. Dude is literally almost impossible not to like. Good parents I'm guessing. 

[Warfish]

1 hour ago, JiF said:

I like Sam Darnold, a lot. 

He's a smart kid, says all the right things, presented in a likable inoffensive personality.

[greenwichjetfan]

I'll say it.

If harboring a deeply intimate and unrequited love for Sam is wrong, then damn it I don't ever want to be right.

[The Walrus]

We got a good one IMO. Of the 4 QBs we could have had last year, we got the best balanced one. Nice to have the QB situation sorted out for a while.

[14 in Green]

I love how he makes all you grown men swoon...  

[Smashmouth]

6 hours ago, dbatesman said:

anyone else creeped out by this

Horrified is more like it

[batman10023]

4 hours ago, Warfish said:

He's a smart kid, says all the right things, presented in a likable inoffensive personality.

And a pretty decent arm also

[HelenOfTroy]

5 hours ago, The Crusher said:

No kidding. Dude is literally almost impossible not to like. Good parents I'm guessing. 

Also, they weren’t “helicopter parents”, just down to earth, gracious people.  

[nycdan]

So what I learned:

2018 Sam: 

2019 Sam:

 

Well - maybe not at 13% body fat, but who cares.  He's going to bring the thunder.

 

[14 in Green]

46 minutes ago, nycdan said:

So what I learned:

2018 Sam: 

2019 Sam:

 

Well - maybe not at 13% body fat, but who cares.  He's going to bring the thunder.

 

So wait... @RedBeardedSavage Is ACTUALLY Sam Darnold???

I mean, I figured out Helen of Troy was his grandmother a while ago, but this is crazy...

[Warfish]

12 hours ago, batman10023 said:

And a pretty decent arm also

I wasn't talking about him in on-field terms.

[freestater]

17 hours ago, Warfish said:

He's a smart kid, says all the right things, presented in a likable inoffensive personality.

This post makes me wish there was a reaction button for "yes-these are words"

?

[ljr]

Love it all

Favorite part though was hearing him keep it real & say the Herndon suspension & losing “suck”!


Sent from my iPhone using JetNation.com mobile app

[Hackenberg - Banned]

Hilarious.  You still buy these 3rd grade level composition answers. Same scripted cliches, over and over again.

 

 

[dbatesman]

8 minutes ago, Hackenberg said:

Hilarious.  You still buy these 3rd grade level composition answers. Same scripted cliches, over and over again

Darnold's weight is actually 221. Wake up, sheeple!

[Larz]

Oh yeah, that’s the spot, right there lol

[Hackenberg - Banned]

14 minutes ago, dbatesman said:

Darnold's weight is actually 221. Wake up, sheeple!

The stats people lie about their height and weight all the time. It's seldom true or genuine. You always hear people making the excuse of padding the stats or bio. He ain' that tall etc.

[Apache 51]

1 minute ago, Hackenberg said:

The stats people lie about their height and weight all the time. It's seldom true or genuine. You always hear people making the excuse of padding the stats or bio. He ain' that tall etc.

Bank accounts too.

[New York Mick]

Q: Your completion percentage last season was 57.7. Is one of your goals to raise that?

No, I was hoping to throw more INTs as well you ****ing idiot. 

[Jetster]

Sam takes his job seriously & has everything you need to be a successful QB. Talented athletes that work hard = Winners! 

Its a pretty simple equation. Archie Manning was an outlier because the Saints were truly a horribly run franchise. Winning a Super Bowl takes some luck from other positions.

Tuck Rule. Vinereiri kicks a 45 yard FG in the snow.

Pete Carroll gets cute from the 1/2 yard line while he's got a guy called THE BEAST in the backfield. 

Falcons coach Quinn doesn't take the air out of the ball with a 23 point lead. Guy had Ryan taking snaps with 15 seconds still on the clock.

Chiefs intercept Brady to ice game but Dee Ford is offsides. 

A lot of things have to go right or wrong for the other team to get to & win a Super Bowl.