Even After Loss, Jets Should Have No Regrets Choosing Wilson Over Darnold
I fully understand that anyone can post on the internet, at any time, on any subject, whether or not they’re qualified to render an intelligent opinion. Heck, I’m still amazed that I was granted a forum on a major New York media outlet for nine years.
Most of the nonsense can be ignored by simply scrolling past it. Others, like COVID-19 misinformation, are so dangerous that they warrant a loud response.
In that vein, though on not nearly as vital a matter as the global pandemic, I was stupefied to read the following headline on my Safari home news page:
“The Jets Should Trade For Sam Darnold Right Now.”
I’m not going to glorify the site or author, but this ridiculous take deserves a smackdown, since I recognize that there will be some who view Carolina’s 19-14 victory over the visiting Jets on Sunday as a referendum on Gang Green’s decision this past offseason to move on from quarterback Darnold, their 3rd overall selection in the 2018 NFL Draft, so that they could start over with Zach Wilson, this year’s No. 2 overall pick.
Darnold was dealt to the Panthers in exchange for 2022 picks in the second-and-fourth rounds plus a 2021 sixth-rounder that was moved around in other draft-day trades so that the Jets could eventually take cornerback Jason Pinnock and defensive lineman Jonathan Marshall.
It was more than a fair price considering the Jets were not prepared to commit to Darnold’s fifth-year option of approximately $19 million for next season, rendering him a lame duck pending free agent. Not with Wilson on the table to reset the rookie QB contract. The Panthers exercised the option on April 30, setting up the Opening Day matchup as the perfect payback opportunity.
Except that the idea that anyone would look at one game, Wilson’s professional debut, no less.. well, let’s review this game anyway.
I’ll start out by saying that Darnold did fine. He managed a game his team won. He made a big play when called upon, hitting wide receiver Robby Anderson, another former Jet, for a 57-yard touchdown on the first snap after the Jets failed on a fourth-and-one on an ill-advised, slow-developing handoff to running back Tevin Coleman.
That Darnold pass, though, was hardly a Pat Mahomes-style missile. Anderson had blown past safety Sheldrick Redwine, who was only signed to the Jets roster last week and was forced into action when Lamarcus Joyner went down in the first half, so all Darnold had to do was get the ball there. He did, making the 45 air yards Darnold’s longest completion of his career, according to ESPN.
Guess how many other passes Darnold completed on Sunday that traveled at least 10 yards downfield. The correct answer, according to ProFootballFocus.com, is two, in 11 total attempts. Hardly a statement game for Darnold.
Instead, he rode running back Christian McCaffrey to the tune of 187 yards from scrimmage, with 124 of those yards in a first half that ended with Carolina up, 16-0, thanks to Gang Green’s offensive ineptitude.
In reality, the Jets were very fortunate they weren’t down 28-0 at the break, because Darnold left points on the field during two red zone trips with flat-out misses to open receivers in the end zone. The Panthers settled for a field goal on one possession and the other? That ended when Darnold bumped into his upback on a fourth-and-one and fumbled.
Yeah, been there. The Jets scored a touchdown on just 42% of their red zone trips last season, the worst rate in the league, with Darnold completing just 11-of-30 passes, per pro-football-reference.com. That kind of efficiency will get you far in today’s NFL, huh?
If you think the Panthers coaching staff wasn’t concerned, on their possession after the Jets trimmed their deficit to 16-8 in the third quarter, you could tell that Carolina’s mission was to set up a field goal. When they got back down inside the Jets 20-yard line, there was no way they were letting Darnold throw the ball into the end zone and risk a momentum-swinging turnover.
It worked, but let’s not gloss over the fact that Darnold’s offense scored a mere 19 points against a rather trash Jets defense with more than a third of their unit comprised of rookies and glorified practice squad players.
Wait until Darnold has to face the Bucs or the Saints and then come back to tell me you’re fine with him in the long run.
I’d rather have Wilson, and it isn’t close. Yes, he’ll make mistakes as all rookies do, and his development will be stunted, as Darnold’s was, by a lousy supporting cast, including backwards-thinking coaches. However, this kid didn’t see “ghosts” when confronted with an all-out assault by Carolina’s defense marauding through New York’s inept offensive line. To the contrary, Wilson peeled himself off the turf and ended up throwing a pair of touchdown darts in the second half to make the final score look respectable.
When the few thousands of Jets fans exited Bank of America Stadium to jeers from the home partisans, a part of me wanted to tell some of them, “Congrats on your upcoming 6-win season and good luck when you’re in the Jets’ shoes two years from now.”
Instead, my better judgement was to ignore them, like I should have with that idiotic headline.