Joe Flacco can help the New York Jets and aid Sam Darnold's development
It wasn’t an exciting move, but the New York Jets signing of Joe Flacco on Friday might prove to be as valuable on the field as it is off of it. Flacco brings a quiet and steadying presence to the quarterback room, providing possible cover and experience.
Sam Darnold, taken by the Jets with the third pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, is the present and the future of this organization. In Darnold, the Jets quite possibly have the best quarterback in the AFC East, something that hasn’t been connected to this team in two decades. Darnold is a building block for the next 10 years and as the last half of the 2019 season showed, he has progressed to the point where he can lead his team to wins.
But as last year also showed, the roster isn’t at the point where it can win many if any games without him.
When Darnold was absent last year and missed three games starting with Week 2 following a diagnosis of mononucleosis, an already dour offense turned downright morbid.
They lost all three games without Darnold.
They were outscored 84-23.
They had just 28 first downs on offense.
Flacco brings experience and a strong record with him, especially from his time with the Baltimore Ravens. And while more of his career is in the rearview mirror then that which lies on the road ahead, Flacco can still play.
In fact, his 65.3% completion percentage was the highest of his career. His quarterback rating of 85.1 was also higher than his career average (84.1). Not numbers that jump off the page, but certainly the signs of someone who can and will capably back up Darnold if need be.
With Flacco on the roster, the Jets needn’t kiss the season goodbye if Darnold is unable to play.
For his career, he is 98-73 in the regular season and yet his value to this team is clearly off the field and in the quarterbacks room. What stands out is the playoffs when analyzing Flacco’s career, where he is 10-5. He has 3,223 passing yards across all of his playoff games with 25 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Numbers that show a clutch quarterback who can show Darnold how to take his game to the next level and carry a team.
While he’s pointing out those things to the third-year Darnold, maybe the young quarterback will notice Flacco’s ring from Super Bowl XLVII where he was also named the MVP.
Herein lies the value for Darnold and the Jets. Not only does Flacco bring experience and ability, but he is a quarterback who has played in and won big games. He is capable of stepping in and starting right away if the Jets needed him to. But he is more than capable of taking on the even more important role of mentoring a young quarterback who grew and matured over the last season.
