A former Jets player, who had a brief stint with the team, thinks the Jets’ offense held back QB Sam Darnold.
Center Ryan Kalil played for the Jets in 2019, but appeared in just seven games due to injuries. He feels that Adam Gase’s offensive system hindered Darnold.
“It was a system that didn’t allow a lot of individual freedom. It was very, ‘You do it this way and that’s it,'” Kalil told The Athletic. “A lot of the scheme was pre-determined (plays) based on what they thought they were seeing from the sideline. It didn’t give Sam a lot of room to grow, in my opinion, to make decisions on the fly. It worked in some instances, but it handicapped him in the long run. It wasn’t a system that allowed him to evolve and make decisions on his own. I think that was the hardest thing. And I think that’s why ultimately the Jets made some (coaching) changes, too.”
That last sentence begs the question – If the Jets made the coaching change because of this, why didn’t they keep Darnold with a new staff?
And you could make an argument that one problem Darnold had in 2019 was having a center thrust on him in training camp, and then that center having issues staying healthy. Darnold had good chemistry with the center from the prior year, who just got a nice signing bonus from the New York Giants.
But the bottom line about his whole debate, is it should be settled after a couple of years of Darnold playing with Carolina in Joe Brady’s system.
If Darnold thrives down there, the argument Kalil, and many others, are making, will have a lot of merit.
If Darnold doesn’t play well under Brady in Carolina, then perhaps the system wasn’t the main issue with the Jets.
We will find out in time.
You don’t want to miss the monthly Jets Confidential Magazine, a must-read for Jets fans, with SO much stuff about Gang Green you won’t ready anywhere else. To subscribe, click below, or call 1-800-932-4557 (M-F, 12-4). A JC subscription makes a great gift for a Jets fan!
