He came off the bench, so that's technically not a start. I still believe in sitting Darnold should the line be in shit shape. Let a veteran handle it for the first couple of weeks.
Lmao I didn't say he started the game. He started his first game in week 1. I figured that was implied, but I guess I was wrong lol The point was, Jackson played from day 1
There have been plenty of great QB's who've started from day one as a rookie. There have been plenty of great QB's who've started as rookies (but not until mid-season). And there have been plenty of great QB's who've sat the bench and developed as a backup. On the other hand there have been countless QB's under all 3 situations that failed. Tricky question.
I couldn't possibly disagree more with that part of you. As we all know, FQBs don't grow on trees. IMO it would be dumb to put Darnold out there behind a shaky OL and risk getting him hurt. You most certainly can "not start him" because of lack of talent on the OL. How smart would it be to start Darnold behind a shaky OL and see him go down with a serious, season-ending injury that would hamper his mobility the rest of his career or perhaps his throwing shoulder, or worse, a career-ending injury? It won't hurt Darnold to sit if the OL isn't up to the task. It may not be as fast, but he could still learn and work to improve while on the bench. Conversely, it could hurt him quite a bit to play and get injured. Being a "disservice" to Darnold and the fans is the very last thing they should consider. If the Jets put Darnold out there behind a bad OL and Darnold did suffer a major injury, fans would be going after Mac and Bowles with torches and pitchforks demanding their jobs, if not their lives. At this point, the Jets may be able to sign an older stopgap OL who has been cut because younger OL emerged on the team he was on, but it would only be one, and more likely only upgrade the depth. In addition, there is a shortage of qualityOL in the NFL in general, and it's not just a matter of "finding the pieces to make it better." That's just simplistic nonsense.
Different players (people in general in all walks of life) learn different ways. Maybe Sam is the type that needs to play from the getgo. Maybe he really won't get much out of being a spectator. Sanchez and Geno, yea perhaps they didn't benefit from being thrown into the fire right away. But even if they were sat for a year or two is no guarantee they would've been any different than what they became
It may not be popular or may be hugely popular but the answer is in our past. Mark Sanchez is an unrestricted free agent looking at a 4 game PED suspension. You bring him in, get him comfortable with the playbook and play him the whole 4th game. He can’t be on the roster for 4 weeks minimum, likely never, you bring back a veteran QB who was somewhat of a fan favorite (or hated, but not as much as Tebow or Hack), he takes some lumps and if all of the QBs go down, he miraculously leads us to a SB win going 14-18 for 137 yards and thereby receives total consciousness. Which is nice.
I don't trust the line 10%. Just sayin'. I think Darnold will be fine mentally no matter how suspect the OL is, but I keep having nightmare visions of him getting pile-driven into the turf and it's not sitting well. I also don't agree that Darnold will be ruined psychologically and turn into David Carr Part II if at some point he starts taking a beating, but if it becomes apparent that he can't be protected even halfway decently, I said it earlier in the thread, they better damn well yank him. It'll get me this close to going down there personally and punching someone on staff in the face. Hell, even the ball boy will do I'm not picky.
Yeah, David Carr scenario is the worst worst case scenario, I highly doubt it will happen to Darnold. As a coach, you have to know about those past situations and know its OK not to start Darnold week 1, if you can't protect him. A veteran can check down and make decisions as they are adjusted to the NFL.
Young QBs typically struggle with a weak OL more than vets because they have difficulty identifying the blitz, can't process information quickly enough and can't read what the D is giving them. I would argue that Sam is very advanced in those concepts for a rookie and, combined with his ability to throw on the run, the OL shouldn't be a detractor for him starting. Play action and bootlegs will also be his friend. The other QBs mentioned above (Carr and Harrington) were pocket statues, which, combined with all the other factors, led to their demise. You can't condemn Sam (or anyone else) for the failures of others. The only thing they have in common is being rookie QBs behind a weak OL, but many things make their situations different.
I mean, I want to see Darnold, don't get me wrong; but I don't want to see him until two thirds of the season have been burned through. I doubly don't want to see him at the potential expense of witnessing him being murdered on national TV if the OL looks horrendous all year. Any complaints of delays of his on-field development is nothing in comparison to the unspeakable. You just know Darnold is going to be a playbook and tape-room animal. I've waited so long for a guy like him, what's another year? I'd rather see him with a clipboard in his hand than in traction, but that's just me, I guess. You know how it works with our schizoid fanbase. If Darnold clearly wins the job and the Jets start him Week 1, the first half of Jets fans: "The Jets are idiots! They'll get him killed!" The second half of Jets fans: "Good! He won the job, he should be out there!" Darnold gets roughed up and dinged, the first half of Jets fans: "Told you so! The Jets are idiots! They almost got him killed!" The second half of Jets fans: "Told you so! What a terrible decision to start him! The Jets are idiots! They almost got him killed!" Wait for it. I think discussing starting him in Week 1 is highly premature in the first place, but more so to do with keeping him as unscathed as possible. Let's just see how the rest of the pre-season plays out and keep hope strong that nothing catastrophic happens. I hate to have my mind even go there, but sometimes logic is logic. The Queen has spoken. GO JETS!!!
My bad Cman. That Chargers game in 2012 was a home game. I didn't misremember, I mistyped. We had given our tickets to friends because we had a family obligation (it was right near X-mas). They ate, I watched the game and almost hurled. The Chargers scored a TD on a punt return in the first minute or two of the game, and the boos rained down after cheering McElroy shortly before, lol. What a horrid game. I could't believe McElroy didn't wind up in the hospital. Anyway, the rest of the post stands (post #38).
No, of course not but I don't like seeing those whether he's a rookie or a 10 year veteran. I understand the theory behind a weak offensive line as a rookie, but those hits are gonna come whether his offensive line is great or horrible. That's football
seeing Denver on our schedule so early makes me want to sit Darnold for half a season. this oline is so garbage and he's just waiting to be Wentz'd Mac should be fired for going high qb and doing nothing at oline