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You can’t ignore this, even if it’s an inconvenient truth.
I know it’s not something some Jets fans or fantasy football players want to hear, but it was a factor.
I’m talking about Sam Darnold being a factor in the limited production of some Jets receivers last year.
Let me start with something ESPN’s Rich Cimini wrote today:
“People around the New York Jets say the frustration was palpable in the wide receiver room last season. Robby Anderson was unhappy because he wanted more targets. Quincy Enunwa was chafed because he felt stereotyped as Mr. Bubble Screen. Jermaine Kearse was befuddled by his lack of involvement, convinced that offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates had it in for him. Not surprisingly, all three players had a down season.”
Cimini is one of the top Jets’ beat writer, so I don’t want to be disrespectful, but I think you have to throw the Darnold-factor into what he wrote above.
I think Darnold is a heck of a prospect with star potential, but he was rushed into action last year, struggled, and was put on ice for a few games. He played better when he came back late in the year, but had a tough season finale in New England which wasn’t one of his finer games.
None of them will admit it, but a big reason for the frustration in the receiver room was playing with a rookie QB who was often fixated on his first read.
I’m not making Bates into Bill Walsh, but there was only so much he could do to make a rookie QB see the field better.
In this day and age of fantasy football being the rage, people are obsessed with receivers and weapons. But weapons can’t make quarterbacks read defenses better; can’t make them see the field better. It doesn’t work that way.
I think Darnold should improve in these areas as he gets more experience.
But let me add something about Anderson. There is all this talk that he will do better with Adam Gase calling the plays. Perhaps this is true, but let’s not leave out something that happened a lot last year which was problematic, and had nothing do with having a rookie QB.
Anderson has world-class speed, and is quick as a cat coming out of his breaks, but he’s not very good on 50-50 balls, in other words contested passes. Often last year, Darnold would try to “throw him open” as they say, but he couldn’t out-muscle defensive backs for the football. Look, it’s not his fault; he’s 175 pounds with a very slender build. It’s like asking a point guard to be a great rebounder.
The Jets should try to avoid throwing Anderson as many 50-50 balls as they did last year. It’s not a good strategy.
In the case of Kearse, who is a free agent, I think his big problem was he was the third-option in the passing game with a rookie QB who didn’t get to his third read very often.
So while some fans don’t want to hear this, one issue last year with the Jets’ passing game was having a rookie QB.
His future certainly looks bright, but 2018 was certainly a trial-by-fire for Darnold.
And impacted the production of the Jets’ receivers to a certain degree.
May 8, 2019
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