Either he's ready or he's not. Look at all the time/'seasoning' Christian Hackenberg got. How 'bout Petty? Yeah. As for the team around him argument Sanchez stunk up the joint from day 1 with a SB caliber team around him. Franchise QBs are born not made. I'll say it again if Darnold's level of play is entirely dependant on his supportong cast he's a JAG system QB not a true franchise QB.
I think everyone here is (or more so should be) more afraid of the Jets OL than Darnold's readiness. That said if you look at their schedule the Lions, fish and Browns aren't exactly top 10 defenses. It's a 3 week schooling for him to get ready for Jax, Denver and Minn D in 3 of the following 4 games. You simply cannot throw him out there against those teams without playing a down in the league. After the Minn game I see 1 possibly 2 games on the rest of the schedule going against tough defenses (Houston and Chicago if you believe Mack and Floyd will form a dynamic duo and get after QB's). Purely looking at the schedule and the need to get him ready for 2019 starting him game 1 is the only move other than waiting until 1/2 way through the season. Bowles hitched his cart to Darnold more so than Mac as Bowles made the decision on who to start and when. If it backfires and Darnold doesn't go out on IR Bowles head will roll, that's a good thing imho.
Yeah we're pretty much in agreement.......this coming off season is HUGE for Mac. I'm not impressed at all with Bowles and his in-game skills. Another 5-11 won't save him. That being said I am expecting 6 or 7 wins. If not Bowles is gone.....
Darnold should play. He has proven to be the Jets best QB on the roster. He will have his share of growing pains but let him get the experience. The Jets will have a lot of cap space to be aggressive in FA next offseason plus the draft to improve the team around Darnold in 2019. With a year of experience he will be that much better and so will the Jets. As an example the Colts started a rookie QB in 1998 named Peyton Manning who threw 28 INT's that year and the team went 3-13 but Peyton learned from it and went on to have a HOF career and the Colts also got a Super Bowl championship as well. Hopefully the same happens for Darnold and the Jets only with more Super Bowl wins.
Yes the 1999 Colts went from 3-13 to 13-3. They lost the first playoff game but had a perennial contender from there on out.......
I totally agree, but it would not surprise me if Bates calls mostly short passes this year and 3 step drops to protect Sam . I disagree with those who say the jets OL is adequate or will be so much better than last year. We have only made a change at center and also hope Winters will be healthier. But few if any guys on the jets current OL would be starting on other teams IMO. And don't get me started on the backups, especially Brent Qualve. I don't think he would make a lot of practice squads around the league, but for some reason Mac and Bowles seem to really like Qualve and lifetime backup Dozier.
The Jets OL has injury issues and lacks depth. The starting five as they are is an average group. Not exactly championship caliber but I don't necessarily see Darnold getting killed behind it. He will take his lumps because he's a rookie and his supporting cast as a whole lacks superb playmakers. Starting him now is the right call. This is all about getting ready for 2019......
Not sure how you can say few if any Jets OL would start for any other team considering three of them started for their team prior to joining Jets. With the state of OLs throughout the NFL I’d also be surprised if Winters wouldn’t start on another team, Vlad Ducasse is a starter for gods sake.
Winters when healthy is decent. Not an all-pro but let's face it no team has an all-pro at every position. If I were the GM I would concentrate on the left side this coming off season. Carpenter will be cut and Beechum could very well be upgraded. By upgrading just a couple of positions the OL as a whole is improved.....
All things equal, I expect(and hope) that a long term answer at LT is plan A for Macc in round 1 next year.
It's gonna be between LT and EDGE I would think...the two biggest problem areas. What Mac is able to do in FA will dictate.....
I was one for letting Sam sit when we first drafted him, but so far this preseason Sam has showed the ability to call plays, change plays at the line, play from under center, and so far read the defenses albeit vanilla defences, & he hasn't missed a beat in absorbing the playbook. So far he has checked all the boxes that he could have in preseason. Now it's time to learn even more in the real game something that only comes with experience. I now am all for playing Sam. As fans we have to realize there will be bumps in the road his first year, and I am willing to take our lumps this year without complaints or questions about CS playing him day 1.
lots of reasons 1) lions don't have a good defense 2) you only learn by playing 3) injuries happen you can't not start a player for fear of injury 4) even if he gets hurt, this is a rebuilding year. the only thing he loses is experience which he wouldn't get sitting anyway. not like he's rodgers and were competing for a SB everything done this season is to build for 2019.
I am sick of these threads. Darnold is good enough to be the starter. Instead of being ecstatic that we found someone this good, I just read and hear people say we need to keep him on the bench to “protect” him. Winters and Beachum are coming back this week. Let’s see our full offense before freaking out. Darnold has the support from the franchise to help him be the best QB he can.
For my part not true as I've posted abundantly that Bowles has failed to play rookies over the Vets eg Stuart and Hansen last year..so it not that there is no pleasing anyone...I just think we can afford to risk McGown with an unproven OL that is NOW ONLY up against the starters series after series as opposed to the wannabes in preseason
