Time for the New York Jets to Let Sam Darnold Loose and Play

This wasn’t the start that the New York Jets had in mind, at least in terms of how they’ve played. Winless through the NFL season’s opening two weeks, the Jets are nearing a point of crisis.

Now is the time for the Jets to become Sam Darnold’s team.

This wasn’t an accident that the Jets are 0-2, a tough opening two games to the season against the Buffalo Bills (the favorites to win the AFC East) and the San Francisco 49ers (the defending NFC champions). But the way the Jets lost those games, coming out slow and physically getting pushed around on both sides of the ball is most discouraging.

This isn’t winless through two games but playing well. This is zero and terrible and looking 0-16 directly in the eyes. Right now, the Jets aren’t a good team.

They are what their record says there are, that’s for sure.

And while the Jets aren’t so bad that they will go without a win this season – though they may not do much better than that – it is still a rough way to begin 2020. And for Darnold, who has been neatly cuckolded in an offense lacking playmakers and bland in design, the time is now to take off the gloves.

Here can be Darnold’s moment, where he becomes the Jets franchise quarterback on and off the field.

Looking at these Jets, it can’t get much worse. Week 3, against the rather decent but not overly dangerous Indianapolis Colts, provides a chance to bounce back. But with a third straight defeat looming, this season quickly turns from playoff ambitions to developing for next year.

And seeing what the Jets have in Darnold.

All offseason, there was talk about this being the year of Darnold. He was ready to step up. He knew the playbook intimately and could correct head coach Adam Gase on calls and reads. Physically, he was stronger.

Confidence-wise, he was improved after the Jets won six of their final eight games in 2019 with Darnold throwing 13 touchdowns and just four interceptions in that stretch.

But through two games, Darnold has been decidedly average in an offense that is playing not to make mistakes. It isn’t his fault, but the Jets simply aren’t utilizing a supposed franchise quarterback in a way befitting of where they think Darnold can grow and develop.

“He’s doing some good stuff, we’ve just got to find a way to get the ball in the end zone when we’re in the red zone,” Gase said on Monday in his virtual press conference.

“That’s the number one thing, and that’s something that we’ll keep working on, we’ll keep making that a point of emphasis. It was good to see us being able to keep him in third-and-manageable, and then him getting conversions. I thought there was some really good throws that he made, and we’ve just got to keep building off of the positive things that we did.”

Three years ago, the Jets moved up in the NFL Draft to take a quarterback. That quarterback ended up being Darnold and there is still every reason to believe that he can be their future franchise quarterback.

He is not going to get there by being emasculated under center, a eunuch in the pocket who can’t call his own audibles. This falls on Gase and in Week 3, that has to be changed.

For sure, the Jets are lacking weapons but they still have the proven Chris Hogan and the flashy Braxton Berrios to work with. There is talent at tight end that isn’t being used but needs to be.

“I think for us right now, we need to do less talking and more acting,” Darnold said. “We need to have good practices, we need to be in the meeting room, be attentive, you know just understand our job on every single play because all it comes down to is doing our job, every play. That’s all it comes down to and we need to do a better job of that on Sunday.”

Here and now, the Jets need to see what they have in Darnold, here they have to ask him to step up and not shackle him to some timid offense where he can’t take shots down the field. Not making the playoffs is fine in a year that is still about rebuilding the roster.

Taking a step back record-wise is fine too if it has a purpose. Right now, though, by keeping Darnold from being his own playmaker and limiting his effectiveness, the Jets aren’t using this season to serve a purpose.

It is a team without an identity and it is killing Darnold’s development.

There is no better time than the present to see if Darnold can carry a team. It isn’t much of a team, but he might prove to be much of a quarterback.

And the Jets won’t know if they don’t let him try.