A lot of time has passed. I would say at least 25%. You have to remember that keeping Darnold meant trading down for more picks. So it wasn't Zach vs Sam, it was Zach vs Sam plus picks. The math is much different when you factor in the value of the number two overall pick vs the second rounder we got for Sam (who cost us # 6 overall plus a whopping three second rounders to trade up to # 3).
Oh I remember. San Fran gave a haul to Miami to move up for Trey Lance. Douglas got a call for #2, but declined.
It was too late then. Sam hasn't developed in 3 years, and he had to move on. Now, JD was a big reason why Sam didn't develop (with Perriman as WR1, no TE and garbage OL no one could), but at that time he had to reset the QB clock in what was considered at the time a good QB draft. His major fuck up was that he did not give Sam a bare minimum to develop and properly evaluate him a year before.
The organization didn’t help him. No OL no playmakers … he seems to have grown out of all of that now. Who knows what the Jets could have done the last 2-3 years with a more mature Darnold at the helm. They would of broken the playoff slide or at the very least made the match couple of Decembers watchable…. Let’s just hope this DM/AG gets it right this time…pick the right guy and more importantly develop him.
I’m as big a proponent of the “we should’ve kept Sam” narrative as there is, because I think he had the tools (“put some weapons around this guy . . . . “) but you really have to wonder after the Vikes let him walk after a career year.
Sam's trajectory was looking up after the second year. He did improve from the rookie season. Not unlike Josh Alen really. Even their passer rating and QBR were almost identical in year 2 (84 passer, 46 qbr). Sam had some really nice games in the second half of the year. That was the time to put more weapons around him and protect him. And Josh Allen got that, while JD took away from Sam what little he already had, like Anderson. So, in the 3d year Sam was the worst starter in NFL. 73 passer rating, 33 QBR - you don't keep a guy like that when you can draft one with #2 overall in what was viewed as a great QB draft. But it could have been different if JD gave Sam some help in year 3 to at least give him an opportunity.
this is true but damn man the team is loaddd up and ready and he goes out and gets himself mono from partying every night. It didn’t matter who the offensive line was when he’s out like that he was very unfocused as a Jet maybe they shouldn’t have counted on him like they did but FFS it’s time to grow up, 3rd overall draft pick
Josh Allen worked his ass off to improve. Darnold didn’t. Let’s give Allen the credit he deserves. It was hard work that set the two apart
How do you know for a fact how hard each worked? I do know for a fact that Hopkins (edit Diggs) in his prime may be perhaps a tad better than Perriman though, amongst other garbage Sam had to work with.
We will never know but I think what should of happened - JD trades the #2 pick and gets a bounty. Sam improves - shows enough in ‘21 to stay around and allows Jets to shore up other areas - they pick the same players or at least some of them. In ‘22 with that defense and Sam at QB they make the playoffs. No A Rod. Who knows what the last 2 years would have brought? It’s 50/50 if he would have continued to ascend to the Jets liking or if the Jets replaced him by now ….
neither QB played with Hopkins. Not a clue what you are talking about Perriman was here for 12 games, Darnold was active for 38 here. Pick a new whipping boy
Also may I remind you who was his starting TE then in 2020: Chris Herndon. He was 24 at the time. He had total 40 yards for the rest of his career. Not in 1 game, in his entire career after that season. Perriman who was his WR1 and also not old at 27, had 250 yards for the rest of his career since. These were his top WR and TE weapons. Add garbage OL, awful RB room led by washed Frank Gore who retired after that year, and it is fair to say that JD set him up for failure that year.
I meant Diggs. I am talking 2020, going into 3d season. Diggs was top 3 WR in the NFL for Josh. Perriman was garbage and #1 WR for Sam. Herndon TE1 for Sam. Washed up Gore RB1 for Sam. Combined after that year they got 300 total yards for the rest of their careers. The level of garbage Sam had in 2020 is remarkable. Don't compare that to Diggs please.
the difference is Allen had already shown himself to be a solid, emerging (and reliably in the building) QB by the time they acquired Diggs. Darnold had not besides Diggs isn’t Hopkins. Diggs is a talented pain in the ass, who parties too much himself. Darnold and Diggs woulda been a Hindenburg disaster. Let’s give Allen some credit
Sam looked pretty good for the Vikings. Let's not talk smack about the guy's work ethic unless we have evidence to support the claim.
