Darnold is in a tough phase of his development. The honeymoon is over because he has completed nearly two full seasons, yet he's still not a seasoned quarterback (24 career starts). He's a tweener, and that can cloud the picture when measuring performance against expectations.
Yes, Darnold is still prone to one or two critical mistakes per game, but let's not forget: He doesn't have a true WR1 and he's playing behind a backup offensive line. Despite the challenges, he shows each week he has the talent and instincts to play the position at a high level.
He has to improve his decision-making, a bugaboo that has followed him since his last season at USC. Maybe that's who he is, a gunslinger-type passer, but there's still enough upside to believe in his future. It's on Douglas and Gase to maximize his potential by putting the right pieces around him and coaching him up the right way (in other words, not screwing him up).
"I'm really confident that he's going to be a really good player," Gase said.
3. Slump of the half-century: The Jets have done a lot of losing in their star-crossed history, but never quite like this over an extended period. Wrap your brain around these factoids:
At 5-9, this is their fourth straight losing season -- a first for them in the Super Bowl era (since 1966).
Their next loss will make it four straight years with double-digit losses -- a franchise first.
This is their ninth straight season out of the playoffs -- the second-longest drought in franchise history. They did it 11 straight years from 1970 to 1980, long before free agency brought parity to the sport.
Hard times, indeed.
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Yes, Darnold is still prone to one or two critical mistakes per game, but let's not forget: He doesn't have a true WR1 and he's playing behind a backup offensive line. Despite the challenges, he shows each week he has the talent and instincts to play the position at a high level.
He has to improve his decision-making, a bugaboo that has followed him since his last season at USC. Maybe that's who he is, a gunslinger-type passer, but there's still enough upside to believe in his future. It's on Douglas and Gase to maximize his potential by putting the right pieces around him and coaching him up the right way (in other words, not screwing him up).
"I'm really confident that he's going to be a really good player," Gase said.
3. Slump of the half-century: The Jets have done a lot of losing in their star-crossed history, but never quite like this over an extended period. Wrap your brain around these factoids:
At 5-9, this is their fourth straight losing season -- a first for them in the Super Bowl era (since 1966).
Their next loss will make it four straight years with double-digit losses -- a franchise first.
This is their ninth straight season out of the playoffs -- the second-longest drought in franchise history. They did it 11 straight years from 1970 to 1980, long before free agency brought parity to the sport.
Hard times, indeed.
Early look at roster overhaul that awaits talent-starved Jets
General manager Joe Douglas will have his hands full this offseason as he attempts to clean up the mess (four straight losing seasons) he inherited.
