Darnold Will Take a Huge Leap Forward this Season

[JetBlue]

I was watching film and highlights from last season, and was amazed that Darnold was able to accomplish as much as he did considering the play of the OLine and our utter lack of weapons.   When Jameson Crowder is your go to guy, that tells you all you need to know.   As nice as Anderson was, he was not someone you could depend on to make that big catch.   Griffin was a pleasant surprise but the absence of Herndon was a huge loss.   

Darnold rarely had ANY time to set his feet, survey the field and make a throw.  Almost immediately he had to scramble out of pocket and basically had to pass on the run the vast majority of the time.   In some ways this kind of played to his strength as he is very good at passing on the move and improvising, however as a young quarterback, it put a lot of undue pressure on him to make his reads that much faster and speed up his decision making which lead to more turnovers.  I think as the season went on, the game began to slow down a bit for him and he also matured a bit and started taking better care of the ball.  

Now flash forward and he now has a a completely rebuilt offensive line.  Granted it may take a few games for the line to gel and get comfortable, but  as good as Becton is, he is still a rookie and will  have his share of growing pains (although I think he will have a very good season).   Thinking of Becton, we rarely talk about the impact he should have on the running game.   While he might never admit it, having that year off definitely effected Bell as he seemed more indecisive and step slower.  Part of that was him have few if any holes to run through, but he didn't look like the Bell we were accustomed to seeing.   I believe he will have a better season and with Gore and Perine, we have quality back ups that should do well in their roles. 

That brings me now to our receiver corp.  The additions of Perriman and Mims will more than make up for the loss of Anderson.   Crowder was a revelation last season and now he has help.  Vyncint Smith is a dark horse and Lawrence Cager could make the team and provide that big physical presence at WR.  The return to health of Chris Herndon is huge as he had developed great chemistry with Darnold.    Griffin's emergence was a pleasant surprise and he and Herndon are nice one two punch.  .     As you watch this video, just imagine Sam with our new and improved OL and additional weapons.   

 

[LAD_Brooklyn]

Darnold Will Take a Huge Leap Forward this Season

[KushComa]

Can't discount the fact this will be Darnold's first time having continuation with the coaching staff. He could make a big leap not only from having better offensive talent, but also just being more comfortable in Gase's system.

"His brain is working so much faster when you go in Year 2 of these things because you know all the little tiny details of what the offense is about," Gase said.

"Sam is trying to do the right thing where he knows this offense cold and he knows all the little details that he needs to do day in and day out," Gase said. "He has to help all these guys that are new get caught up to speed as fast as possible. He is an extension of the coaching staff in that aspect because he has more experience in this offense than most of the guys that are here and he's going to have to do a good job of just making sure he's on point."

[jetscrazey]

I agree Darnold will take steps forward with a new o-line that's built for this scheme.  Now we just need a season to actually happen.

[Jetlife33]

23 minutes ago, jetscrazey said:

I agree Darnold will take steps forward with a new o-line that's built for this scheme.  Now we just need a season to actually happen.

What a tragedy it would be for the jets, their young potential franchise QB has season 2 derailed by mono, and season 3 possibly by covid-19. 

[David Harris]

Just watched the Darnold highlights and my off-season optimism is in full affect.  I can’t help it.  I almost forgot how godamn good good Sam Darnold is.  If that O-line holds we could win the division - we have respectable weapons.
 

Are Perriman and Mims the fastest starting duo in the NFL?  Crowder is crafty and reliable. Herndon has high potential. Le’Veon Bell is our running back. 
 

A lot of ifs, but overall it’s more why not us- why not now?  Win the division this year. Give JD a second off season. Shed some of the Mac cap quagmire. Next year deep playoff run.

[jetsons]

2 hours ago, JetBlue said:

I was watching film and highlights from last season, and was amazed that Darnold was able to accomplish as much as he did considering the play of the OLine and our utter lack of weapons.   When Jameson Crowder is your go to guy, that tells you all you need to know.   As nice as Anderson was, he was not someone you could depend on to make that big catch.   Griffin was a pleasant surprise but the absence of Herndon was a huge loss.   

Darnold rarely had ANY time to set his feet, survey the field and make a throw.  Almost immediately he had to scramble out of pocket and basically had to pass on the run the vast majority of the time.   In some ways this kind of played to his strength as he is very good at passing on the move and improvising, however as a young quarterback, it put a lot of undue pressure on him to make his reads that much faster and speed up his decision making which lead to more turnovers.  I think as the season went on, the game began to slow down a bit for him and he also matured a bit and started taking better care of the ball.  

Now flash forward and he now has a a completely rebuilt offensive line.  Granted it may take a few games for the line to gel and get comfortable, but  as good as Becton is, he is still a rookie and will  have his share of growing pains (although I think he will have a very good season).   Thinking of Becton, we rarely talk about the impact he should have on the running game.   While he might never admit it, having that year off definitely effected Bell as he seemed more indecisive and step slower.  Part of that was him have few if any holes to run through, but he didn't look like the Bell we were accustomed to seeing.   I believe he will have a better season and with Gore and Perine, we have quality back ups that should do well in their roles. 

That brings me now to our receiver corp.  The additions of Perriman and Mims will more than make up for the loss of Anderson.   Crowder was a revelation last season and now he has help.  Vyncint Smith is a dark horse and Lawrence Cager could make the team and provide that big physical presence at WR.  The return to health of Chris Herndon is huge as he had developed great chemistry with Darnold.    Griffin's emergence was a pleasant surprise and he and Herndon are nice one two punch.  .     As you watch this video, just imagine Sam with our new and improved OL and additional weapons.   

 

I disagree with that remark regarding Robby... I think he was very underrated & will be a very good receiver for the Panthers... The Entire issue is/was the OLine... if that is corrected (hopefully it will be thanks to JD) there will a Dramatic difference in Sam's play this season... but Robby was clutch while here.

[talisaynon]

I just dont want to see some dumb sh*t like losing to Miami and Cinci back to back. Those are some Jetsy ass things to do.

[Kleckineau]

7 hours ago, JetBlue said:

I was watching film and highlights from last season, and was amazed that Darnold was able to accomplish as much as he did considering the play of the OLine and our utter lack of weapons.   When Jameson Crowder is your go to guy, that tells you all you need to know.   As nice as Anderson was, he was not someone you could depend on to make that big catch.   Griffin was a pleasant surprise but the absence of Herndon was a huge loss.   .........................

maybe..

[Vader]

5 hours ago, David Harris said:

Just watched the Darnold highlights and my off-season optimism is in full affect.  I can’t help it.  I almost forgot how godamn good good Sam Darnold is.  If that O-line holds we could win the division - we have respectable weapons.
 

Are Perriman and Mims the fastest starting duo in the NFL?  Crowder is crafty and reliable. Herndon has high potential. Le’Veon Bell is our running back. 
 

A lot of ifs, but overall it’s more why not us- why not now?  Win the division this year. Give JD a second off season. Shed some of the Mac cap quagmire. Next year deep playoff run.

Why limit ourselves? Let’s win the super bowl this year and the Stanley Cup next year!

[CrazyCarl40]

I’d like to see it but Adam Gase is still designing the offense and calling the plays so that automatically puts Darnold at a disadvantage. While I’m encouraged about the upgrade on the line and WR position, neither are a strength at this time until they prove that they are. Our WRs are likely average to below average as a group and the line is probably just reaching average. At this point, I don’t see a top 20 offense from this squad. 

[Melly-Mel]

Yes, I expect he will show alot more, and have some major growth as the seasons progresses.

[pdxgreen]

We have a BINGO!!!

[Scoop24]

when he isn't running for his life he is pretty damn good. but I would like too seem him show more poise under pressure being that this his 3rd year and he has pretty much seen every defense now..

[freestater]

I.cant shake the feeling that Sam is going to catch the coronavirus and be out for a good portion of the season. 

[docdhc]

18 minutes ago, freestater said:

I.cant shake the feeling that Sam is going to catch the coronavirus and be out for a good portion of the season. 

He does have bad luck with viruses. This should be his new helmet!

[Philc1]

I think Darnold throws for 4,000+ yards and 27-35 tds

 

but the jets go 6-10 

[Philc1]

32 minutes ago, pdxgreen said:

We have a BINGO!!!

Remember when jets fans would have a meltdown over Rex not having the #1 defense?

these are the same guys now defending Gase for having the 30th ranked offense

 

 

[pdxgreen]

9 hours ago, Philc1 said:

Remember when jets fans would have a meltdown over Rex not having the #1 defense?

these are the same guys now defending Gase for having the 30th ranked offense

 

 

The thing is... the offense just has to be able to score TD's.  Williams is the actual difference maker to this regime working as a great DC.  A team with both sides of the ball proficient that has a great personnel office pumping in talent... can get to a SB. Jeez.  IF Gase can't make this work he really is an incompetent clown riding Manning's close association.

[Jetster]

1 hour ago, talisaynon said:

I just dont want to see some dumb sh*t like losing to Miami and Cinci back to back. Those are some Jetsy ass things to do.

Two no shows by the Oline & defense. Think back to that game in Miami & it was smack dab in the middle of our worst Oline dilemma. Injuries, flip flopping guys, the Oline was a train wreck & Sam Darnold took one of the worst beatings physically in his career that day. Sam Darnold had the dirtiest uniform ON THE FIELD that day! 

You HAVE TO keep your QB clean & that was one of the worst days for the Oline last year. In Cincy the D didn't show up, Andy Dalton carved them up & they could not catch up to a team desperate for their 1st win at home. Jets were at their worst in those 2 games. 

[KRL]

You're right about the OLine, but to me the under the radar factor in Darnold's
development this year is the running game.  We were putrid last year, averaging
78 yards a game and 3.3 per carry:

https://www.espn.com/nfl/stats/team/_/view/offense/stat/rushing/table/rushing/sort/rushingYardsPerGame/dir/desc

We have to get those numbers up to at least 120 yards a game and 4.0 per carry.
Why???  Because it makes us "two handed" offensively and opens up play action passing.
With no sports on one of the channels was replaying the USC/TEX game from Darnold's
last year.  And Darnold thrived when he was in the shotgun running RPO's.  With
his ball handling, ability to throw from odd angles and accuracy he thrived on
throws when he pulled the ball from the RB.  Play action opens up some of the 
easiest throws a QB could want.  That's the reason Tannehill had success last year,
before he got exposed in the playoffs.  He had the ability to fake to Henry and make
simple throws to their WR.  Gase has to make that happen with his run schemes this
year

[playtowinthegame]

I luv a good fluff piece early in da mornin while drinkin' dat good juice. 

[JetsLife]

Onwards, Samuel!

Pretty funny there’s all of one highlight from the New England MNF game. Definitely not all his fault, that was putrescence across the board offensively. Perhaps most of all with Gase getting his OC clock cleaned by Belichick. 

[Warfish]

Quote

Darnold Will Take a Huge Leap Forward this Season

He better.

A third strait year with missed time and/or a bottom five level of production would be a serious problem for his future (and ours).

I'm setting my hopes low:  Stay Healthy (no missed starts) and produce to the current NFL average (15th ranked or close in most major metrics).

That would be a huge step for Darnold, and it the least we Jets Fans SHOULD be expecting in 2020.

[Bowles Movement]

1 hour ago, Philc1 said:

I think Darnold throws for 4,000+ yards and 27-35 tds

 

but the jets go 6-10 

seriously?

[ChuckkieB]

If the O-line holds up, I think there's enough at the WR, TE, RB positions to expect a legit leap forward from Darnold in 2020.  This season will go a long way to determining if Darnold is going to be Andy Dalton or the top 10 QB many of us think he can be.

[slimjasi]

I still think we need one more solid veteran WR, but maybe

[ryu79]

11 hours ago, JetBlue said:

Thinking of Becton, we rarely talk about the impact he should have on the running game.   While he might never admit it, having that year off definitely effected Bell as he seemed more indecisive and step slower.  Part of that was him have few if any holes to run through, but he didn't look like the Bell we were accustomed to seeing.   I believe he will have a better season and with Gore and Perine, we have quality back ups that should do well in their roles. 

I think this is the lowkey biggest thing that can happen for Sam. If people need to respect playaction or respect the run even a little, it will be enormous for the balance in our offense and making things simpler for him and our offense.  

[jetsons]

Top 10 Offense... imagine that

[BigRy56]

He truly has to. Darnold has a TON of potential and now is the time to put it all together

[SomebodytoAnybody47]

Better oline protection + 2nd year in system = Darnold owning the league. 
 

Simple math really. 

[Jetlife33]

2019 Games 9-16

CMP	ATT	YDS	CMP%	AVG	TD	INT	LNG	SACK	RTG	ATT	YDS	AVG	TD	LNG
163	267	1,947	61.0	7.3	13	4	69	15	93.3	22	62	2.8	2	24

 

He needs to build off of this. Really nice stretch of football here. 

[Jetlife33]

Jets QB’s in franchise history to complete over 60% of their passes, throw for 3,000 yards and score a total of at least 20 touchdowns in a single season:

2019 Sam Darnold 

2008 Brett Favre 

2002 Chad Pennington 

1998 Vinny Testeverde 

1986 Ken O’Brien 

1985 Ken O’Brien 

How sad is that...

 

edit: feel free to correct me if I’m wrong here, did this research solo 

[RutgersJetFan]

You literally started this exact same thread about Christian Hackenberg.

[JustInFudge]

I know I'm in the minority but I think he took a huge step forward last season.  He improved year over year in every meaningful passing category and wwent 7-6 on a really bad Football team.  But more importantly and probably what was more impressive, is how he bounced back after what looked to be a sure fire broken bust of a QB after the 3 game stretch of NE-JAX-MIA.  When he didnt make an effort for the bad snap in the endzone vs. the fins, I thought the Jets broke him.  He was clearly shell shocked and I didnt think he'd recover but he did by putting his 3 best games of the year down following the MIA debacle and the Jets won their last 6 of 8 games which included a lot of game sealing/winning drives by Darnold.  To do this with the team as injury riddled and the OL being as bad as they were with zero running game, IMO, is taking a huge step forward.  Now it's more about refining the game and seeing the production as results.  He's proven he could win in the face of extreme adversity, now it's time to step up and be legit franchise QB.  Extinguish all doubt and take over as the leader of the NY Jets for the next 15 years.