Doug Marrone Has High Praise For Sam Darnold
As the Jacksonville Jaguars prepare for a New York Jets team trying to find their identity after two consecutive losses, Head Coach Doug Marrone is wary of the quarterback they’ll be facing.
Doug Marrone praised New York Jets quarterback Sam Darnold at his weekly press conference on Wednesday ahead of the Week 4 matchup.
“We watched him at USC and he’s a guy that obviously can make all the throws,” Marrone said at the press conference. “He’s has really good feet in the pocket. He can escape and extend. I think he does a really good job with his eyes [and] being able keep it down field and not really look at the rush.”
Darnold, drafted with the third pick in the 2018 NFL Draft this season, won the starting quarterback job in training camp as he impressed New York Jets’ head coach Todd Bowles and others with his maturation and passing prowess.
Sam Darnold, 21, is the youngest quarterback to start an NFL season opener since 1970 and the second youngest to ever start a game.
Doug Marrone, who coached at the college level at Syracuse University, doesn’t see Sam Darnold in a light as others do.
“I know there’s a lot of talk about him being the youngest quarterback to start and things of that nature but I don’t look at him as a rookie back there,” Marrone said. “Maybe (he’s a rookie) technically that way … I really don’t see it that way. I see a guy that can make all the throws, is dangerous and is getting better each week.”
Sam Darnold’s NFL debut didn’t start how any New York Jets fan hopefully forecasted as the former University of Southern Cal alum threw a pick-six on his first play of the game vs the Detroit Lions in Week 1.
Darnold would bounce back after the brutal start, throwing a pair of touchdown passes as the New York Jets dominated the Lions in a 48-17 win at Ford Field.
When asked what he thought about Darnold’s ability to bounce back from a nightmarish start to his NFL career, Marrone expressed it wasn’t something new regarding the young signal caller.
“I think you saw some of that (poise and maturation) in college,” Marrone said. “The quarterback [or] the left tackle gets beat, how does he come back the next play? The cornerback gets beat, how does he come back the next play? Some guys just have the right mindset to put it behind them and move on. Those are the guys that continue to play and if they continue to get better play for a long time.”
A week after facing a rugged and opportunistic Browns defense, Sam Darnold will be faced with the toughest test of his young NFL career vs what many believe is the NFL’s best defense in the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Through the first three weeks of the season, Jacksonville is 4th in the NFL in total defense. They are surrendering 171.0 passing yards per game (3rd in the NFL) and 14.7 PPG (2nd in NFL).
Sam Darnold has thrown for 701 passing yards, completing 60.2 percent of his passes with 3 TDs to 5 INTs and a 72.0 Passer Rating.
What are your thoughts on San Darnold facing the Jacksonville Jaguars defense in Week 4? Leave your comments below!