Sam Darnold took the brunt of the blame for his struggles with the Jets, but there were others to blame.
No one would blame Sam Darnold if he ripped the Jets for the lack of support they provided him throughout his tenure with the team, but the quarterback doesn’t want to go down that road.
New York never surrounded Darnold with a proper supporting cast during his three years in the Big Apple. His offensive line was an abomination of a unit that had him running for his life at the snap of the ball more often than not. His wide receivers — other than Robby Anderson, who was never used properly by Adam Gase, and Jamison Crowder — were not much better.
And the ground game? That was essentially non-existent with a shell of Le’Veon Bell and the far-past-his-prime Frank Gore taking the bulk of the carries.
Darnold has every right to bash his former team now that he is with the Panthers. The Jets picked Darnold with the hope of him one day developing into their next franchise quarterback, only to fail him miserably every time he set foot in Florham Park. It was an impossible situation for a young passer trying to find his footing in the professional ranks.
Instead, he’s taking accountability for his own shortcomings while donning Gotham Green.
“I didn’t do my job to the best of my ability,” Darnold said Thursday. “I think that’s really all there is to it.”
It’s no secret that Darnold didn’t help himself while in New York. He struggled with his accuracy, consistency and ability to read defenses. No elite stable of wide receivers or top-notch offensive line could have made up for some of the decisions Darnold made on a weekly basis.
The accountability Darnold displayed Thursday is a big reason why so many thought he would ultimately work out with the Jets, though. Darnold never complained or made excuses during his time with New York. Nobody would have batted an eye if he did considering the circumstances, but the California kid always took responsibility for his own mistakes and never put anything on his teammates, coaches, or the front office executives who built the team.
That’s an admirable trait for any quarterback, nonetheless one who spent the last three years hearing his name tarnished by those who were convinced he could not play at a high level.
Darnold might never reach the lofty expectations that followed him into the NFL out of USC, but he is in a much better position to do so now that he is with the Panthers. Even if he would have been a fit in Mike LaFleur’s offense and a much-improved player working with the likes of Corey Davis, Elijah Moore and Keelan Cole, it was time for Darnold to begin a new journey in his football career.
There is no telling how his time in Carolina is going to play out, but the Panthers can already count on one thing from Darnold. If he does struggle, he won’t waste a second blaming those around him or making excuses for his poor performance.
He already passed up the opportunity to do just that during a time when it would have been more than justified.
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