Who's to blame for Jets QB Sam Darnold's early-season regression?
The New York Jets have a lot of issues. It takes a total team effort to go 0-3 for the 10th time in franchise history and get outscored by 57 points while doing so. The defense is abysmal. The offense is ineffective. And the coaching is all of the above.
But one problem stands far above the rest.
Quarterback Sam Darnold is regressing. There was some doubt about Darnoldās standing before Sundayās 36-7 loss to the Colts. But his performance erased it. Darnold threw three interceptions, two of them were returned for touchdowns and the other cost the Jets points in the red zone.
Darnold was supposed to take a step forward in his third NFL season. Instead, he was the biggest reason they lost to the Colts. Thatās the opposite of progress. And thereās no guarantee itās going to get better.
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This is the nightmare scenario, as the Jets are faced with having to start over at quarterback once again. So how did they get here? Hereās a look at the five people who are most to blame for Darnoldās regression.
5. Joe Douglas
When Douglas took over as general manager last year, he made a vow to Darnoldās parents that he would ādo everything in my power to take care of Sam with protection and playmakers.ā Weāre only going to judge Douglas on 2020, after his first full offseason with the team, but itās fair to say he has not delivered fully on that promise, and itās hurting Darnold. As far as protection goes, itās hard to find fault in Douglasā rebuild of the offensive line. He made an effort to improve that group and itās shown, despite injuries. But Darnoldās playmakers are worse this year after Douglas let Robby Anderson leave in free agency and replaced him with Breshad Perriman, who has potential but was never able to consistently produce or stay healthy in his first five seasons. Adding another proven receiver wouldnāt have fixed everything, but it certainly would have made things easier on Darnold.
4. Mike Maccagnan
His years of poor drafting and his inability to construct a solid offensive line had big-time consequences last year, when Darnold spent most of the season running for his life. Maccagnan never found a suitable replacement for Nick Mangold at center, and the line consistently got worse throughout his tenure, in large part because he refused to draft offensive lineman ā he used just three of his 34 picks over five drafts on offensive linemen, and just one in the first four rounds (Chuma Edoga in 2019). And his misses on offensive weapons during the draft ā hello ArDarius Stewart and Chad Hansen ā and free agency are a big reason why the Jets remain thin today.
3. Adam Gase
The Jets hired Gase because they believed he would build an explosive offense that would get the most out of Darnold and help accelerate his progression. Well, the offense is the worst in the league and Darnold has shown nothing to indicate that heās making progress, and now Gaseās job is in jeopardy ā rightfully so. Itās fair to mention that Gase has been dealt a tough hand with injuries and a lack of overall talent. But that doesnāt excuse his inability to design an offense that makes the most out of Darnoldās strengths and maximizes the talent around him. Too often it has looked and felt like Gase is trying to fit Darnold into his mold, limiting his opportunities and freedom to operation instinct and improvisation ā where he thrives the most. Darnold should be looking more comfortable in his second year in Gaseās offense, but he looks worse and thatās a sign that something is very wrong.
2. Christopher Johnson
Johnson is extremely likable and clearly has the best intentions for his team and badly wants them to succeed. But heās ultimately responsible for the key decisions that have been made since 2017, and many of those choices have set this team back and made it more difficult for Darnold to succeed. Johnson has admitted it was a mistake to keep Mike Maccagnan for several months after the 2018 season, and perhaps if he had made a move early it would have given the new GM time to build a better offensive line than the 2019 disaster. The decision to hire Gase not only angered the fan base ā ratcheting up the pressure on everyone within the organization, including Darnold ā but it hasnāt worked. The organizationās top goal after drafting Darnold in 2018 was to give the young player they viewed as the future franchise quarterback all the tools to succeed. They havenāt done that, and from an organizational standpoint, the buck stops at Johnson.
1. Sam Darnold
In the end, it doesnāt matter who the coach is or who the weapons are around him. As a quarterback, itās Darnoldās responsibility to make the throws and decisions that help his team win games. And aside from a stretch late in his rookie season, he hasnāt been able to do that. His footwork, which was a red flag out of college, hasnāt gotten better. He continues to make the same puzzling decisions he made in the first games of his career, but seemingly with more frequency now. Heās in a tough situation, for sure, but heās still had chances to lift his team and he has missed nearly all of them. Sunday was the most glaring example. He overcame a brutal early mistake with a brilliant play in the first quarter, and the Jets were actually in the game. From there, the brilliance stopped and the mistakes continued and the Jets didnāt have a chance. Darnold summed it up best on Sunday: āIām not playing consistent enough to play well in this league.ā And only one person can fix that: Sam Darnold.