New York Jets: 5 Big takeaways from win vs. Lions in Week 1

1. Sam Darnold was who we were told he was!

To quote (in a way) the late great Dennis Green, “He is who we though he was!” All off season long we were told about Sam Darnold by the team and the media contingent that was at camp. We were told he made mistakes but didn’t repeat them. We were told he was calm, cool, and collected. We saw it for ourselves in the preseason, but we just didn’t believe it. “Let’s wait till Detroit,” said the skeptics.

Then the game began. Detroit won the toss and deferred to the second half. We got to see the beginning of Sam Darnold’s career. Well, he began 0-for-1 with an interception, and Detroit was up 6-0. That’s not exactly the storybook beginning to a career — a pick-six.

It’s not how you start, but how you finish. He moved the ball efficiently and effectively following the pick-six to the tune of 15-of-0, 2 touchdowns, and zero interceptions. That’s the way you prove your teammates right.

He remained calm and poised just like his teammates said he did all throughout the summer. He proved that one mistake doesn’t faze him and get gets right back up ready to throw haymakers of his own. Darnold has ice water in his veins. The trickle-down effect of Darnold also reverberated through the team, and that was clear. He’s the man we’ve been waiting for.