No Excuses - Darnold needs to STEP IT UP!

[JetBlue]

First of all I love Sam and I am super excited for whenever the season starts but JD has taken away every excuse one can use (other than health) for Sams relative lack of success so far.

The fact is Sam is probably younger than some of quarterbacks drafted this year so he is still years away from a finished product, still the Jets have given him just about everything he needs to take his game and the offense to the next level. 

1. This will be Sams second year in Gase's system so he should be more familiar and comfortable. 

2. Offensive line - Mount Becton, Clark and all the FA signings changes the very nature of the Jets offense.  For the first time in a while we can actually play some smash mouth football and expect to give Sam a clean pocket to throw from that will last more than 1.5 seconds.   LeVeon Bell should have a bounce back season to the extent that Gase fully utilizes him.  5th round pick L. Perine, may not be the flashiest RB but he is an all around player who can block, catch and be productive running the ball.  the perfect back up to Bell.  Trent Cannon provides the speed out of the backfield and in his 3rd year may be ready to blossom, especially behind this new and improved OL. 

3.  Weapons for the Passing game - I loved what Anderson brought to Jets as a deep threat but it was obvious he was limited in other areas.   The signing of Breshad Perriman has been panned by many on this board as a downgrade from Anderson and if we simply look at past production, they would have a point.  However, if we consider talent and upside Perriman offers the team a more complete player without losing the ability to beat teams deep.   The trading down and eventual drafting of Denzel Mims is the kind of thing we are used to seeing other teams do.   When I look at Mims, I see a guy who may be the best receiver this team has drafted since Al Toon; THAT is how talented and special he could be.   The rest of the receiving corp is talented but mostly unproven with the exception of Jamison Crowder who has proven to be a prototypical slot receiver and already a favorite target of Darnold.   Bottom line is Sam has 3 legit wide out targets to go along with several other talented receivers.   At TE the combination of Griffin and Herndon are as good as any in the division. 

4.  Competition - The drafting of James Morgan in the 4th round was a serious shocker to many including myself, but not as much to other GMs and other draft experts.   The guy is extremely raw but is also has prototypical size and true cannon of an arm.  His drafting is almost like a "shot across the bow" of Sam Darnold.  Let us not forget; JD didn't trade those 2nd round picks to move up in the draft.  Nor was he the one who drafted Darnold.  He has no allegiance to him other than wanting him to succeed because it will make his job that much easier.  If Sam has another injury plagued year or doesn't not show significant improvement, there is nothing to stop Douglas from drafting another quarterback next year as well.  

5.  The Defense - Gregg Williams did an incredible job last year and I don't see any reason why that won't continue this year (barring injuries to key players)  He will have CJ Mosely back with could be huge, another year for Quinnen Williams, a crop of very talented rookies in areas of real need (Edge and Secondary) to go along with all the returning players who played well last year.   This means Darnold should have more opportunities. 

6. Special Teams - The drafting of Braden Mann should help the Jets win the field position battle more often than not, giving the offense a shorter field to work with.   

7. Maturity - this will be Sams 3rd season and he has gotten plenty of playing time and has had his share of success and adversity.  He should know what to expect from opposing defenses and DC.   with our porous OL he has had to make some decision faster than he would have liked but the game overall should be slowing down for him.  Now that he should have more time in the pocket, he should be able to cut down on the turnovers and recognize when it is just better to throw the ball away.  

In closing, for all the reason stated above, the ball is now firmly in Darnolds court.  It is time for him to take that step up and become a top 10 - 15 quarterback in this league.  NO EXCUSES, PERIOD.  If he does that, this team is going to the PLAYOFFS  this year.  I really believe that.    Lets Go Sam!  I'm rooting for you!! 
 

[Losmeister]

2 small things.

one) Bells production has nothing to do with "how Gase uses him" if we ran more last year we would have punted even more than we did.

people kept it up with "Gase isnt using him properly. utter nonsense.

the OL was bad and Bell is slow. he's just slow. doesnt mean he cant be effective. he's sort of a shifty power back who catches the ball well. we threw the ball to him plenty.

its about the OL. and then Bells should be at least ok. Am hoping like 4.5 ypc.

two) Perriman is 1st rnd bust who is less prodcutive than RA. "more talented" i"more complete" is hogwash. 1/2 as productive is what he is. 

we'd be better off Chowda, Mims and RA. with chowda getting the least targets. 

(and i think Perriman is ok as a 3rd wr. ok)

and i pretty much agree on what you said about Mims being as good as Toon. Im a believer.. 

otherwise, yes. 

sam needs step it the **** up. 

 

[JetBlue]

8 minutes ago, Losmeister said:

2 small things.

one) Bells production has nothing to do with "how Gase uses him" if we ran more last year we would have punted even more than we did.

people kept it up with "Gase isnt using him properly. utter nonsense.

the OL was bad and Bell is slow. he's just slow. doesnt mean he cant be effective. he's sort of a shifty power back who catches the ball well. we threw the ball to him plenty.

its about the OL. and then Bells should be at least ok. Am hoping like 4.5 ypc.

two) Perriman is 1st rnd bust who is less prodcutive than RA. "more talented" i"more complete" is hogwash. 1/2 as productive is what he is. 

we'd be better off Chowda, Mims and RA. with chowda getting the least targets. 

(and i think Perriman is ok as a 3rd wr. ok)

and i pretty much agree on what you said about Mims being as good as Toon. Im a believer.. 

otherwise, yes. 

sam needs step it the **** up. 

 

So tell me how you really feel?  Lol If you can't see that Perriman runs a better route tree, does a better job on 50-50 balls, better after contact, then no point in debating it.   Bell was absolutely not utilized enough by Gase; especially from a game situation stand point.  Al least we agree he should do better with this improved OL, assuming he gets the carries.   I will also consider him being rather rusty after being off a year and then not getting many reps in preseason and that might have effected his utilization.   

Anderson is gone so that ship has sailed.  It will be Mims, Perriman and Chowder as our 3 receiver set, barring injuries or other surprises.    If Perriman can stay healthy you will change your tune about him.   BTW Anderson is was basically a number 3 receiver himself, thrust in the role of # 2.   

[thebuzzardman]

WEAPONZZZZ!!!!!

[freestater]

Take a look at what Gase's system did without Darnold in there. 

Sam was the only one on offense that was stepping up last year. 

[PCP63]

Can't blame last year's poor decision-making on the OL. When Darnold did have a clean pocket, he still made terrible decisions. He still has a lot to prove. Especially in today's NFL, where QBs come in and shine immediately.

[Jets723]

Honestly nobody has said that Sam doesn’t need to step it up.  We have all listed the things that Sam need to improve on.  Nobody he has said been great. HOWEVER it’s not an excuse to say that his oline(or lack of) or weapons(lack of) has made life much much tougher for him.  It doesn’t matter how talented a QB you are you still need help around you.  The Chiefs  built a high powered offense and oline around Mahomes as did the Ravens. That’s what you need to do.  You need to protect your QB.  So yes I agree he needs to take a nice step forward but Douglas has done a good job fixing the oline.  Obviously we do t have huge weapons yet but I love the Mime pick.  I do think Bell is gonna have bounce back year with the improvements of the oline.  Crowder I really like.  I think TE big key is the health of Herndon and Griffin.  If both are healthy that huge us us and Sam 

[Barry McCockinner]

Agree completely with the sentiment. No more excuses, and for the love of god can we please stop talking about his age as if he's a delicate flower? This will be his third year in the league. Anyone who says "he's only 23 years old" should be tarred and feathered.

[nico002]

This team is 0-6 averaging 7 ppg when Darnold has missed time.

Every time he has had decent protection he’s played at a pro bowl level 

He battled mono and the worst offensive line in NFL history last year 

you can’t name 10 QBs that under the same circumstances would have performed better.

“Step up”? Like statistically? 

if the offensive line gives Darnold average to slightly above average protection we will win the east

[nico002]

10 minutes ago, Barry McCockinner said:

Agree completely with the sentiment. No more excuses, and for the love of god can we please stop talking about his age as if he's a delicate flower? This will be his third year in the league. Anyone who says "he's only 23 years old" should be tarred and feathered.

Again excuses for what? Being the best player on the field since the day he became the starter? 

[Grandy]

18 minutes ago, PCP63 said:

Can't blame last year's poor decision-making on the OL. When Darnold did have a clean pocket, he still made terrible decisions. He still has a lot to prove. Especially in today's NFL, where QBs come in and shine immediately.

I'd say he did alright when given enough time.

[Irish Jet]

I think is in a better, albeit still bad situation. There’s a lot of unknowns that could flip either way. Last year they (Osemele, Kalil) flipped to the very worst case scenario.

But even in this better situation can we please stop pretending Breshad Perriman is better than Robby Anderson? There’s literally nothing to suggest as much. Not the stats. Not the money they received. Nothing. It’s delusional. And annoying.

[Jets723]

9 minutes ago, Grandy said:

I'd say he did alright when given enough time.

Agreed.  Has he made bad decisions?  Of course most young QBs do at times.  But overall his oline has sucked for his whole career so far.  I think Douglas has improved that a lot and now to up to Sam.  Personally I think he had all the intangibles to be a very good QB even if he makes mistakes sometimes.  As long as we win that’s all that matters 

[Jetpain]

I think to help put both Darnold and Morgan in better position to succeed the jets need to add veteran QB to the team. They need an adult in the classroom and on the field to guide them and help them mature .  I thought the loss of McCown last year hurt Sam tremendously. Gase as HC does not have time between every series to sit with Sam    I would look to resign Josh or someone like Flacco for a year.  The money the team saves by not signing the right veteran could slow these 2 guys development 

[Creepy Lurker]

1 minute ago, Jets723 said:

Agreed.  Has he made bad decisions?  Of course most young QBs do at times.  But overall his has sucked for his whole career so far.  I think Douglas has improved that a lot and now to up to Sam.  Personally I think he had all the intangibles to be a very good QB even if he makes mistakes sometimes.  As long as we win that’s all that matters 

Why do I end up quoting you all the time? It’s getting creepy so I apologize. A lot of the bad decision making was Sam being frustrated with losing and trying to force things. He can’t do that this year and will not have any excuses once the OL builds chemistry. The the 2nd half of the year or last 12 games will be crunch time for him. Of course this all depends on if the season is starting on time etc. 

[Jets723]

1 minute ago, Creepy Lurker said:

Why do I end up quoting you all the time? It’s getting creepy so I apologize. A lot of the bad decision making was Sam being frustrated with losing and trying to force things. He can’t do that this year and will not have any excuses once the OL builds chemistry. The the 2nd half of the year or last 12 games will be crunch time for him. Of course this all depends on if the season is starting on time etc. 

No problem ? Yes I agree about Dam getting frustrated which is understandable but it’s k etching he had to fix this year 

[kdels62]

Contending that Perriman is better than Anderson in anyway is homerism. Robby is a more accomplished professional WR. It’s just true.
Perriman does have upside and talent and I think he’s a good fit for this team - DT recommended Vyncint Smith to the team because he thought Smith could learn to be a good receiver under Gase. 

[Jetlife33]

1 minute ago, kdels62 said:

Contending that Perriman is better than Anderson in anyway is homerism. Robby is a more accomplished professional WR. It’s just true. Perriman has upside and talent and I think he’s a good fit for this team - DT recommended Vyncint Smith to the team because he thought Smith could learn to be a good receiver under Gase. 

Not sure how Perriman will turn out, like you said potential is there. The over valuing of Robby Anderson during his time with the jets was also some serious homerism. 

[kdels62]

But also Sam needs to be more consistent and to be better against the blitz.

Going into last year Sam struggled on short throws and he improved in that area this past season. This year he needs to improve against the blitz. If he does that it leaves his only true weakness as the deep ball and honestly I don’t think he’ll ever be a great deep ball guy. That’s fine be opportunistic on the deep ball and good at everything else and we’re golden.

[JetBlue]

34 minutes ago, Jets723 said:

Honestly nobody has said that Sam doesn’t need to step it up.  We have all listed the things that Sam need to improve on.  Nobody he has said been great. HOWEVER it’s not an excuse to say that his oline(or lack of) or weapons(lack of) has made life much much tougher for him.  It doesn’t matter how talented a QB you are you still need help around you.  The Chiefs  built a high powered offense and oline around Mahomes as did the Ravens. That’s what you need to do.  You need to protect your QB.  So yes I agree he needs to take a nice step forward but Douglas has done a good job fixing the oline.  Obviously we do t have huge weapons yet but I love the Mime pick.  I do think Bell is gonna have bounce back year with the improvements of the oline.  Crowder I really like.  I think TE big key is the health of Herndon and Griffin.  If both are healthy that huge us us and Sam 

Well the point was he has no excuses GOING FORWARD no matter how you slice it.  JD has done a great job of giving him the tools he needs to take not just his game but the entire offense to a new level.  

[Jets723]

Just now, JetBlue said:

Well the point was he has no excuses GOING FORWARD no matter how you slice it.  JD has done a great job of giving him the tools he needs to take not just his game but the entire offense to a new level.  

I agree.  I wasn’t questioning your post I think it’s a fair point.  

[kdels62]

2 minutes ago, Jetlife33 said:

Not sure how Perriman will turn out, like you said potential is there. The over valuing of Robby Anderson during his time with the jets was also some serious homerism. 

2nd best deep threat in the league and good piece in a wide receiving Corp. He’s been our most dangerous offensive piece for the last three years. It’s not homerism, nobody wanted to give him more than $12 million. If we’d kept him and gotten Mims there’d be less concern about our receiver room than there is now.

[Jets723]

8 minutes ago, kdels62 said:

Contending that Perriman is better than Anderson in anyway is homerism. Robby is a more accomplished professional WR. It’s just true. Perriman has upside and talent and I think he’s a good fit for this team - DT recommended Vyncint Smith to the team because he thought Smith could learn to be a good receiver under Gase. 

I’ve never said he is better.  In fact if I had a choice I would pick Robby but I don’t think it’s by a wide margin.  I’m a Robby fan but let’s be honest he was inconsistent and despite his deep threat there wasn’t much else to his game.  I do think he benefited from us not having many other decent weapons.  He is more of a number 3 receiver 

[Gibby]

First QB since Namath to crack 4k- next years stats.

64% 

31 TD- 3 more rushing TD

15 Ints

4133 yards

9 wins

 

 

[RedBeardedSavage]

Sams got a bit of gunslinger in him, and you’ll love it sometimes and hate it others. But I’m good with it.

I don’t buy the ‘Sam’s gotta step up’ narrative - it’s about the rest of the goddam offense stepping up. 

As many in this thread have already mentioned - the offense was completely non-functional without Sam last year. Suddenly he comes back and we’re beating teams we shouldn’t. 

A clean pocket, a running game and some #weaponz will allow Darnold to put up the #’s we all want.

[kdels62]

Just now, Jets723 said:

I’ve never said he is better.  In fact if I had a choice I would be Robby but I don’t think it’s by a wide margin.  I’m a Robby fan but let’s be honest he was inconsistent and despite his deep thrust there wasn’t much else to his game.  I do think he benefited from us not having many other decent weapons.  He is more of a number 3 receiver 

I don’t think I was talking to you specifically just literally anyone who pretends Perriman is better than Robby. RA is hardly a transformative piece and Carolina is gonna hate him at $12 million guaranteed with little talent around him and a weak armed Bridgewater but he is still better than Perriman.

[Jets723]

1 minute ago, kdels62 said:

I don’t think I was talking to you specifically just literally anyone who pretends Perriman is better than Robby. RA is hardly a transformative piece and Carolina is gonna hate him at $12 million guaranteed with little talent around him and a weak armed Bridgewater but he is still better than Perriman.

I wouldn’t say is is a transformative piece. Like I said I am a fan of Robby and wanted him to stay but he is what he is. Some games he wows you with his speed and deep catches and other games you wonder if he even suited up ?.   I personally like Perriman.  I don’t know how he is gonna do here but it’s not out of the realm of possibility he can come close to matching Robby we shall see.  I just don’t think Robby was a huge loss not a knock on him 

[TNJet]

The only excuse left is Gase's extremely conservative play calling. If he opens it up and uses Sam's ability plus his new weapons, we'll be just fine.

[Losmeister]

1 hour ago, JetBlue said:

So tell me how you really feel?  Lol If you can't see that Perriman runs a better route tree, does a better job on 50-50 balls, better after contact, then no point in debating it.   Bell was absolutely not utilized enough by Gase; especially from a game situation stand point.  Al least we agree he should do better with this improved OL, assuming he gets the carries.   I will also consider him being rather rusty after being off a year and then not getting many reps in preseason and that might have effected his utilization.   

Anderson is gone so that ship has sailed.  It will be Mims, Perriman and Chowder as our 3 receiver set, barring injuries or other surprises.    If Perriman can stay healthy you will change your tune about him.   BTW Anderson is was basically a number 3 receiver himself, thrust in the role of # 2.   

your love of the Perriman signing is comical.  1/2 as productive. Am fine with him as the 3.

Bell was underused?  riiiiiiiiight. We needed more 0 yard runs. and 1 yd catches.

Anderson being a 2/3 is what I have been saying all along. 

 

 

[Losmeister]

31 minutes ago, Jetlife33 said:

Not sure how Perriman will turn out, like you said potential is there. The over valuing of Robby Anderson during his time with the jets was also some serious homerism. 

nah. its just that he caught heat for not being what we lacked, whcih was a true #1 type physical. i valued him for what he WAS.

did he have limitations? of course. but he's a legut 2/3 deep ball threat with mad speed that has missed 1 game in 4 yrs., 

and was the biggest WR weapon we had for 4 yrs. Not his fault that we didnt have a better weapon. RA didnt cockblock the GM.

[Warfish]

Quote

No Excuses - Darnold needs to STEP IT UP!

Now this I agree with.

[DRJETS]

1 hour ago, freestater said:

Take a look at what Gase's system did without Darnold in there. 

Sam was the only one on offense that was stepping up last year. 

Please let’s take into account that if it wasn’t for the heated sidelines debate between the fraud and Sam and the “fired banner in the sky” he would had probably fielded the worst offense in the history of modern football. After  those incidents we saw Sam doing the exact same thing we was him doing during the last 6 games of the 2018 season when Bates was the OC.

Last year was a total waste.  The fraud came in here with my way or the highway attitude, nothing in between and by the time he went along with what made Sam confortable it was too late.

[Beerfish]

Gase has clearly demonstrated that at best he is a mediocre offensive coach with plenty of excuses and more likely a bad offensive coach.  Too bad Darnold is saddled with this guy, in any case Darnold will take all the heat this year if the offense is not a lot better.

[Losmeister]

1 hour ago, Barry McCockinner said:

Agree completely with the sentiment. No more excuses, and for the love of god can we please stop talking about his age as if he's a delicate flower? This will be his third year in the league. Anyone who says "he's only 23 years old" should be tarred and feathered.

been calling out the infantalism of BabySam for a while now..      it's the weakest of sauces....

maybe we should have a poll for the pusnishment... 

a) tar and feather

b) keelhauling

.....

[Barry McCockinner]

1 hour ago, nico002 said:

Again excuses for what? Being the best player on the field since the day he became the starter? 

fwiw he was the 27th ranked QB (qualified) for QB rating in 2019 with an 84.3. Sandwiched right between Winston and Trubisky.

Sam Darnold has been OK. He's flashed moments of brilliance. He's also done a lot of dumb ish.

He needs to play better, simple as that.