Sam Darnold is Finally in Position to Succeed

Let’s make one thing clear: There are still those doubters out there that STILL decide to argue with me on Sam Darnold as recent as last week.

So for your reading pleasure here’s the reason WHY Sam is going to be the franchise QB he was destined to become but instead of it being the Jets, it’s the Carolina Panthers.

Quality receivers can elevate the play of a decent quarterback. Which teams put their quarterback in the best position to win? Tampa Bay boasts an elite mix of playmakers and one of the best defenses in football. That’s exactly what drew Brady to the team in the first place. A supporting cast. A quarterback’s supporting cast, or ecosystem, is crucial for success, especially when it comes to extracting top-notch production out of non-elite quarterbacks. Perhaps more than ever, passing production is dependent on playmakers, blockers and play callers as the NFL has made passing easier than ever.

The league is filled with mid-tier quarterbacks who may only be separated by their supporting casts. For example, The Bills have done a great job of building their offense over the last two years, adding numerous pieces along the offensive line and at the skill positions. Last season, the additions of wide receivers John Brown and Cole Beasley worked wonders for Allen’s production on throws up to 20 yards, as they combined for 1,838 yards while Brown’s speed had to be respected as a downfield threat. The addition of WR Stefon Diggs gives the Bills a trio with fantastic route running at all levels of the field and perhaps the best top three wide receivers in the league. Then there is the opposite with Sam Darnold. While the other teams have added plenty of offensive talent over the last two years, the Jets still have plenty of question marks at both the skill positions and up front. The Jets patched together an offensive line a year ago, but they failed to support Darnold with quality players at TE and WR. Yes they had Bell, but Gase was the real reason that was not successful. A good coach gets the best out of its players regardless of talent. A bad coach gets zero. Everyone who follows football understands talent is extremely important. Likewise, all observers of the sport realize that when two teams have equal talent, the team with the better coaching will usually wins. Darnold is smart, talented and has good presence on the field and in the huddle. He’s now surrounded by WRs and an elite RB.

Joe Brady has some of the same play schemes that Sam did at USC and w/Bates his first year. As long as he showcases Sam’s strengths he’s gonna be fine. All Gase did was highlight his weakness and took away his chance at audibling. Gase also never made any transitions. Gil Brandt, who is an NFL analyst, said that Sam Darnold and DJ are a top 4 new QB and WR duo this season. This is what he said “Robby Anderson will ease new quarterback Sam Darnold’s transition to Carolina, given that Anderson was a favored target of Darnold’s in 2018 and ’19, when both players were with the Jets. And you couldn’t ask for a better pass-catching option coming out of the backfield than a newly healthy Christian McCaffrey, who twice set a single-season record for receptions by a running back (in 2018 and again in 2019) before losing much of 2020 to injury.”

Darnold has a great chance to build a great relationship with D.J. Moore, who is coming off a second straight 1,000-yard season. Moore figures to be a key deep threat for Darnold, given that he ranked third in the NFL in yards on deep targets (440) in 2020, finishing third in yards per deep target (18.3) and catch rate above expectation on deep targets (+16.9%) among those with 20-plus such targets, per Next Gen Stats” And let’s not forget about Anderson too.

He’s never had a Christian McCaffrey. He’s never had an elite receiver, he’s never had depth at wide receiver. Heck the Jets still have these issues this season. Bottom line, even with the improvements the Jets have made on the offensive side of the ball, it’s still impossible to ignore the holes that remain. Mix in an unproven rookie quarterback—upside aside—and their offense could struggle consistently in 2021. (And folks STILL think Sam Darnold was the problem.)

Here’s the main reason why Sam will succeed: experience. He’s got the experience, he’s only 24years-old, he’s battled through it all.