Content available exclusively for subscribers
I don’t agree with this premise.
New York Post headline – “Bad news for Jets vet: It’s not Hackenberg chasing him now.”
This headline was about quarterback Josh McCown now having Sam Darnold behind him instead of Christian Hackenberg.
While I don’t wholeheartedly agree with the premise, I will say that Darnold is a much bigger threat to McCown in one regard – Todd Bowles flat-out refused to play Hackenberg. So when a coach refuses to play somebody at a certain position, the starter of that position certainly can feel secure.
Bowles wouldn’t play Hackenberg, even at the end of last season when the Jets were out of it. And even after McCown got hurt. Bryce Petty wasn’t a threat to McCown. He only played because McCown got hurt, and Bowles refused to play Hackenberg.
But I digress.
Back to my original point – I don’t think Darnold chasing McCown should be bad news for the veteran.
Yes, I think Darnold is a better prospect than Hackenberg. There are a few reasons, but a big one is that he’s more accurate. Being accurate as an NFL QB is SO important. You look at guys like Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees – they are always around 65 percent completion percentage.
But while I think he’s a better prospect than Hackenberg, I don’t think McCown should be nervous about Darnold.
First off, keep in mind that McCown is playing on a one-year deal for $10 million.
So he’s making good money, and secondly, he’s not guaranteed anything beyond the year.
I think McCown is going to start the season, and probably play until the Jets are out of playoff contention, or if he unfortunately getting hurt.
The Jets have missed the playoffs seven years in a row. They are coming off back-to-back 5-11 seasons. They need to be a playoff contender this year, at least in my worldview, and it should be Todd Bowles worldview as well. Forget about the contract extension, do you think he can survive three losing seasons in a row?
Let’s say the Jets go 5-11 again. Can a head coach survive three 5-11 seasons in a row? Probably not.
And if the Jets have another losing season, I could see the powers-that-be saying, “We need to bring in an offensive guru to be head coach to make sure we get the most out of Darnold.” Kind of what happened with Los Angeles Rams last year, and the Chicago Bears this year.
I could be wrong, but reading the tea leaves, I get the sense the Maccagnan might be allowed to pick his own coach if the Jets moved on from Bowles. I’m not saying the Jets are thinking of moving on from Bowles, but I think if the did, Maccagnan would survive.
So while Darnold is a better prospect than Hackenberg, in 2018, and I’m just talking about 2018, I don’t think Darnold is more of a threat to McCown.
Darnold has a lot of work on – like reading defenses and ball security.
July 17, 2018
Premium will return by 9:30 pm on Wednesday.