The Young Sam Darnold has positioned himself nicely across the last three months to win his dream job and make the Jets his team.
Now comes the moment of truth for Young Sam Darnold.
The preseason games.
Starting Friday night with his audition against the Falcons at MetLife Stadium, Darnold can take a huge step toward winning the starting job over Josh McCown and Teddy Bridgewater if he shows himself as Boy Wonder in a heavily weighted measuring stick that often separates the men from the boys.
Darnold was asked if it might be a challenge to contain or control his emotions.
“I’ve never really had a problem with that, so I don’t think so, but I mean, first NFL game you never know,” he said. “But at the same time, I’ve always been able to kinda control those emotions. I’m just gonna go out there and play my game.
“But I think feeling those emotions is a good thing — being able to go out there first real NFL game, even though it is preseason … being really emotional — I think that’s something that I’m looking forward to. But at the same time I realize that I have to be smart in all of my decisions and sound with everything.
“Yeah, I’m probably gonna be a little emotional — not emotional as in crying or anything like that. But it’s definitely gonna be awesome to be out there first NFL game, but I’m also gonna be aware of every situation, everything that’s going on.”
Todd Bowles saying it is possible for him to wait to announce his QB starter until after the fourth preseason game makes you wonder whether he is giving Darnold every last chance to win the job.
“I love practicing, even in the humidity like today. … It’s awesome just to be able to come out here every single day and play football,” Darnold said.
I asked Bridgewater what he recalled about his first NFL preseason game with the Vikings.
“I think we played the Oakland Raiders … everything happened so fast,” he said, and chuckled. “You go from college where you’re playing on a wider field, the hashes are wider, then you get in a preseason game and it’s like, ‘Man, you’re really here!’ It kinda slows down for you, but at the same time it’s faster ‘cause it’s your first game. That’s the biggest thing I remember, just the speed of the game.”
“You better relay that to Sam,” I said to him.
“Sam’s gonna be just fine,” Bridgewater said, and smiled.
“Why do you say Sam’s gonna just fine?”
“Ah man, that guy, he’s cool … he’s a cool guy,” Bridgewater said. “Seems like a guy who you can’t break, and that’s what you want as a quarterback. … He’s even keel, and I just watched him make throws, and it’s like, ‘Man, this guy, he’s the real deal.’ ”
Darnold, who got 56 reps during Monday’s marathon 2-hour, 50-minute practice, is all caught up after missing three practices because of the contract stalemate. He processes information quickly. There was a play Monday when Darnold had his first read covered, his second read covered, his third read covered … and justlikethat, found Trenton Cannon in the flat for the touchdown.
“It was awesome to be able to feel that kind of pocket around me and be able to find Trent there late as really kinda my fourth or fifth option,” Darnold said.
Darnold is dedicated and committed the way you need your quarterback to be, all ball and no Page Six, mature beyond his 21 years.
And he can spin it.
And he can extend plays with his legs.
But you win the job under fire.
You win it by convincing your teammates, your locker room, to believe in you. Because your teammates don’t care if you’re 21 like Young Sam Darnold, or 41 like Tom Brady.
I asked McCown what he recalls about his first NFL preseason game back in 2002.
“I was just trying to take it all in,” McCown said. “I just thought it was awesome. Jake Plummer came back and hit David Boston on a pump route for like a 60-yard touchdown to start the game. I was, ‘Man this is gonna be fun. It’s gonna be easy.’
“And I got in there, and that first series it felt like they had 15 guys on defense. I wasn’t processing very good at that moment at all. You settle in, you get a completion. … All the information that you had in the classroom all of a sudden starts to come clear again.”
Darnold was 18-for-26 for 253 yards and 44 rushing yards and a TD in his first game as a USC freshman, a 31-27 loss at Utah.
“Right now it’s Josh 1, Teddy 2, me 3,” Darnold said, “but with that being said, I’m excited to come out here and compete every single day.”
Moment of truth for The Boy Wonder looking to be The Man.
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