Darnold v. Wilson

Darnold v. Wilson

by Mid-Sized Mike

Although my company usually does not get a great return on investment from my employment on your average Wednesday, today is particularly bad. My manager just pushed my 1x1 out 30 minutes, so what better a time to compare the situations given to my two most recent sources of hope and optimism: Sam Darnold and Zach Wilson. Even though I already know just how drastic the difference is between the state of the Jets now and what it was only a few years ago, I think it’ll be funnier when written out. Let’s get into it.

 

Sam Darnold era:

Just a few years ago, there was a massive disconnect between the Jets ownership, general manager, and head coach. Woody Johnson was in the middle of his term serving as ambassador to the UK, and even though he seemed like a really good guy, Christopher Johnson running the show continued to be a disaster. Mike Macagnan made some moves that I Iiked in the short term, but they all were extremely desperate, random, and there seemed to be zero plan from a team building perspective. I don’t remember the exact statistic, but am fairly sure that during his tenure, he only drafted two offensive lineman within the first three rounds (one of which was Brian Winters i.e. rarebreed66 on Instagram who I drunkenly dm’d one time and never got a response from). Macagnan also signed a veteran Leveon Bell to a much larger deal than any team was willing to give him, and made this move for a coach who did not want him – so he could run behind one of the worst offensive lines in the league. Was I pumped when we signed Leveon? Yeah I fucking was. Did I draft him 6th overall in my fantasy league the next year? Guilty as charged. But I’m an optimistic moron of a Jets fan, and not the general manager of a billion dollar enterprise. So I know you get the point by now, but drafting two safeties in the first two rounds of the draft (when you currently have the worst roster in the league), or signing Trumaine Johnson to a mega-deal for him to get benched the last game of the year, are not awesome ways to support a young qb. I think Jermaine Kearse might have been their number 1 around then.

I also think a really important topic to cover regarding a young qb’s development is just timeline and continuity. After a relatively successful end to Darnold’s rookie year, the Jets brass decided to fire Todd Bowles, and throw things into hyperdrive. Yes, we’re talking Mr. Adam Gase. The king of the Deonte Burnett bubble screen. I’ve never seen a head coach of anything (my CYO games included) look so baffled on the sideline. This was certainly one of the biggest organizational fumbles of all time, and gave Darnold absolutely no chance of succeeding whatsoever. Even if they had signed a better coach than Gase, I always hate when teams continue to switch around the coaching staff within the first few years of a QB’s career. There has to be some significant learning curve to any new offense, and even though the Jets gave Darnold what was possibly the most inept coaching staff of all time, just the fact that they changed things at all couldn’t have helped.

So a quick review:

·   Their whole roster was ass (except at Safety and Interior Defensive Line)

·   Their GM was clearly very bad at his job

·   Their coach was accused of being high at his introductory press conference and led one of the worst statistical offenses ever

 

Zach Wilson era:

Compared to the former regime, at the very least, now the Jets front office, ownership, and coaching staff seem to be aligned. There seems to be agreement philosophically in terms of building their roster through the trenches, and targeting the correct players for the scheme they run.

For example, with Joe Douglas’ shrewd, masterful team building skill, he dared do what no other Jets GM would ever consider doing … using a fucking first round pick on an offensive player. No, really. It has been that ridiculous. In the 10 year period from 2009 to 2019, Gang Green selected just two (2) offensive players in the first round. Their names? Mark Sanchez and Sam Darnold. The other 10 picks you ask? Four of them were used on DBs, five on interior defensive lineman (technically Quinton Coples was an edge guy but he was the biggest bust of them all), and Darron Lee. Now, when you sit back and actually look at how ridiculous it is to only draft non-premium defensive players for a whole decade, it’s pretty obvious why the Jets have been this terrible. But that’s why I’ve liked the way the new front-office operates – they have continued to make the obvious, prudent moves that the team has needed to make for awhile. In Douglas first two drafts, he took Mekhi Becton, and Alijah Vera Tucker in the first round of the draft to provide a much needed infrastructure to support the rest of the team. In both drafts, he also drafted a WR in the second round (Denzel Mims and Elijah Moore). After a literal 10 year period of taking the “generational” defensive talent that “fell” to them at whatever top 5 fucking pick they had, the new staff seems to be executing their plan in methodical stages.

Also, back to the continuity thing, I’m glad that the jets hired Saleh and drafted Zach Wilson in the same year. Even if there were many growing pains last year when a rookie coaching staff was leading the youngest team in the league, this coming year will in all likelihood be an improvement because of it. Both Zach and the young coaching staff are a year older and hopefully, a year better this season. Not only are they both growing, but the supporting cast is getting better and better too. Out of absolutely nowhere, the Jets have no holes on the O-line (Fant, Tomlinson, McGovern, AVT, and Becton), one of the more formidable running back committees in the league (Breece Hall, Michael Carter), an extremely respectable receiving core (Wilson, Moore, Davis), and three capable tight ends (CJ, Conklin, Ruckert). When the absolute shit did this happen. Only a few years ago Robbie Anderson was the only offensive weapon at Darnold’s disposal. The O-line featured the likes of Kelvin Beachum and a Center who literally couldn’t snap the ball for a stretch of four games.

If we take a look at the defense (which has traditionally been the Jets strong suit), I think it’s amazing to see the transformation there as well. Not strictly in terms of talent, but there seems to be a major shift in priority: they are putting tons of resources into the pass defense. Instead of continually taking Defensive tackles with top 5 picks, Joe Douglas has prioritized Edge and Corners in recent years. With the additions of Carl Lawson, Jermaine Johnson and John Franklin-Meyers, the pass rush is beginning to see some actual talent and depth. With Sauce, DJ Reed, and a collection of young backups, you’re beginning to see the same thing in the secondary as well. I can’t believe I’m even saying this, but their weak spots defensively are at safety and interior D-line, and I couldn’t be happier about it.

 

So another quick review for the situation surrounding our sweet boy Zach:

·   A much healthier and balanced roster (good o-line, tons of weapons, more explosive pass defense)

·   A competent GM who doesn’t act recklessly, and builds a team the right way

·   A young, respected coaching staff

Only a few years can make a pretty huge difference, and it seems like the Jets are on their way to being at least somewhat decent. Let’s hope so, because although drafting franchise QB’s is my favorite activity, not sure I can handle another historic collapse. Alright, back to work. Happy Wednesday!