New York Jets rookie quarterback Sam Darnold’s first career pass was a pick-6. Darnold joined Brett Favre and Jameis Winston as quarterbacks who’ve most recently accomplished this feat. Tennessee Titans enthusiasts should remember Winston’s error very well: Winston’s pick-6 came against former Titans cornerback Coty Sensabaugh in a 42-14 victory that featured rookie Marcus Mariota getting the upper hand in what was also his first career NFL game in 2015.
Favre went on to become an NFL Hall of Famer. Winston continues to try to establish himself as Tampa Bay’s franchise quarterback. He began the 2018-19 season via suspension. If Ryan Fitzpatrick continues quarterbacking offensive firework displays such as Tampa Bay’s 48-point Week 1 performance, then Winston may never get another chance to retain that starting job.
How will Darnold fare? His first game ended in the same blowout fashion that Winston endured against Tennessee. The difference? It was Darnold on the winning side of a 48-17 drubbing of the Detroit Lions. Darnold finished 16-of-21 for 198 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. He added six rushing attempts for negative-one yard.
Let’s take a look at Darnold’s first career pass:
Below was my initial reaction of it:
“Sam Darnold” I’ll give the kid credit. That was dumb as hell, but he’s got guts. Not afraid of the moment. I kind of liked it haha. #NFL #Jets
— Joshua Huffman (@TNYooperJoshuaH) September 10, 2018
It’s easy to hate on the New York Jets. Their fans have endured decades of futility. Fifty years separate them between now and their 1968 Super Bowl championship. The franchise has spent that entire time looking for the next Joe Namath who could return them to championship glory. Their last playoff appearance came during the 2010-11 NFL season.
How fitting for their new quarterback, whom the franchise had just traded up from No. 6 to No. 3 this past draft, to begin his career in such erroneous fashion. Skeptics had early fuel-power. This validated their criticism on why he shouldn’t have been drafted so highly. Darnold was a giveaway machine during his last season at USC. He was the next Winston. He was the next Jets flop. It only took one pass to prove it.
Those weren’t my initial feelings. Unlike Winston’s gaffe, Sam Darnold’s first career pass was very Favre-esque. Winston’s was a simple pattern and decision that any quarterback should’ve known better. Darnold threw the football across his body and then vastly under-threw it to a streaking receiver on a wheel route. Lions cornerback Quandre Diggs had an easy pick-and-score.
Don’t get me wrong: that play was dumb. What I took from it was, despite playing his first career NFL game in a tough road environment on Monday Night Football—despite his age of 21 years and 97 days meaning he was the youngest quarterback to start a season-opener during the Super Bowl era—despite having one of the most unappealing and newer supporting casts—Darnold wasn’t afraid of the moment. No fear whatsoever. His competitive spirit was ready from the get-go.
What isn’t debatable? How Darnold responded. The Jets scored 48 of the next 58 points, including 31 unanswered during Quarter 3. Darnold led multiple scoring drives with two of them ending in touchdown passes. His defense and special teams chipped in with their own scores. Darnold looked poised. He displayed precise accuracy with his first career touchdown pass, a 41-yard bomb to Robby Anderson.
It was one game. Darnold must grow out of those gunslinger mistakes. At the same time, sometimes one must take the bad with the good. There was much more good than bad from that performance. Jets fans should remain ecstatic over the lack of fear and amount of poise that was displayed throughout a very challenging season-opener situation. Darnold displayed the physical and mental attributes to become a top-tier quarterback in this league.
A top-tier quarterback with a defensive guru head coach? Even if Darnold doesn’t become Tom Brady, Brady won’t play forever. The Jets have a bright future ahead. Sam Darnold’s first career pass could teach us that positives can be foreshadowed from the dumbest of mistakes.
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Joshua Huffman was born and collegiately edumacated in Middle Tennessee. That said, Huffman spent 13-plus years with the type of Northern Wisconsinites and Yoopers who turn Nashville bars into alcohol wastelands whenever NFC North teams travel to play the Tennessee Titans. This makes him the NoBro of SoBros. He has published content for Yahoo! Sports (via Contributor Network) and Titan Sized, among other venues. At SoBros, he’ll provide Daily Fantasy Sports suggestions and broad sports coverage. Follow him on Twitter
