New York Jets: 3 Things to watch for in Preseason Week 1
1. How has Sam Darnold progressed during training camp?
There was a lot of praise for Sam Darnold during the draft process, and even by the coaches during the early OTAs. There were two major concerns for him coming out of USC, though — the fumbles and the throwing motion.
Let’s get the latter out of the way first. He may be successful with an elongated motion, and it also may not be fixable due to muscle memory, but if it is, and he fixes it, great. If he doesn’t fix it, and he’s successful, then so be it.
The fumbles, though, are correctable. Let’s take a look shall we. He was carless with the football when moving outside the pocket, and he gave defenses ample opportunity to make plays at the ball. He also had a dreadful offensive line which allowed a lot of pressure that forced him out of the pocket in the first place.
NFL 2018: Biggest camp battle for each team. dark. Next
If the coaches and teammates were accurate in that he doesn’t make the same mistake twice. Then, we are in for something against the Falcons. It may be against third stringers and lower, but it’s just the first step. You have to crawl before you can walk. So if Darnold can eliminate the fumbles, he’s in good shape to start early in 2018.