New York Jets Coach Adam Gase Needs To Show More Trust In Sam Darnold

If you consider the offensive gameplan for an NFL team as the menu for a quarterback, it’s easy to see that New York Jets quarterback Sam Darnold was dining at the kiddie table last Sunday against San Francisco. 

Instead of offering Darnold his choice of seared salmon with balsamic glaze and braised pork with red wine, head coach and playcaller Adam Gase was proffering the gridiron equivalent of mac and cheese and chicken fingers for the third-year quarterback. 

The results were predictable. Although Darnold had an impressive 90.5 passer rating, thanks mostly to a lack of turnovers, he averaged a woeful 5.6 yards per attempt. The Jets (0-2) didn’t score a touchdown until a brilliant improvisational play by Darnold for a touchdown pass in garbage time during the eventual 31-13 loss.  

Jets offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains told reporters on Thursday, “I thought Sam did a real good job of doing exactly what we asked him to do.” 

And therein lies the problem. 

Gase and Loggains asked him to do so little. Granted, Darnold’s limitations, especially in terms of his inability to quickly go through his reads on passing plays, have been discussed at length in this space. But giving him few chances to throw deep and stretch the field means opposing defenders will crowd his receivers and take away the short routes, which is what happened against San Francisco. 

Gameplans such as those are destined to result in few points and fewer victories in the NFL.

Moreover, it makes you wonder what the Jets’ braintrust really thinks of Darnold’s abilities. Loggains, Gase’s trusted lieutenant, said in training camp that Darnold had “more command” of the offense than last year. But thus far, Gase’s actions don’t support those words. 

For instance, it emerged after the game that Darnold was forbidden to audibilize on a crucial fourth-and-1 play in the second quarter, and that he only has leeway to change some of Gase’s calls. If he could have altered the play call to a quarterback sneak, a first down was well within reach. Instead, Gase’s play call was stuffed. If Darnold has such “command” of the offense in his second year in the system, why doesn’t he have the freedom to change any play? 

Also on Sunday, Gase chose to lifelessly run the ball on third-and-18 from the San Francisco 26 in the first quarter to position a field goal, and chose to kick another field goal trailing by 21 points late in the third quarter. In that case, he eschewed trying to convert fourth-and-goal from the 7 despite the huge deficit. 

His reasoning? “There’s not a ton of great plays on fourth-and-7 when you’re playing that (San Francisco) defense.” But again, if you believe in your young quarterback, you give him a chance. 

If you don’t, then maybe you should start somebody else.  

Granted, the Jets have been hit by a rash of injuries at the skill positions, and are missing starting running back Le’Veon Bell (hamstring), starting wide receivers Jamison Crowder (hamstring) and Breshad Perriman (ankle) for Sunday’s game at Indianapolis. Both Bell and Crowder sat out the loss to the 49ers. Perriman was hurt during the game, and Gase used that afterward as an excuse for not dialing up more deep throws.  

Yes, Perriman has blazing speed, but backup Josh Malone, a Cincinnati Bengals castoff who was a fourth-round draft pick in 2018, ran a 4.4 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine that year. For comparison, former Jet Robby Anderson, formerly one of Darnold’s favorite targets and a good deep receiver, ran a 4.36 at Temple’s Pro Day in 2016. Malone was signed from the practice squad this week and could start Sunday.  

“It’s not going to faze us,” Darnold told reporters Thursday when asked about the injuries. “It’s a next-man-up mentality and that’s how we look at it. I think we were moving the ball well (against the 49ers). We’ve just got to find a way to put the ball in the end zone. Explosive plays are going to find themselves, whether it’s a broken tackle or you do get a deep shot.” 

It is imperative that Gase and the Jets find out this season what they have in Darnold. By next May, they will have to make a decision on whether to pick up the option for his fifth season, which would mean an investment somewhere in the $25 million range for the 2022 season. If he isn’t The Guy, general manager Joe Douglas needs to know by the end of this season, because the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft is scheduled for April 29, 2021. Of course, Clemson star quarterback Trevor Lawrence will be available.

Although Gase acknowledged the severity of the injury situation Thursday, he still seemed upbeat. 

“We’re down to whoever’s available,” he said when asked if 6-5 undrafted free agent wide receiver Lawrence Cager would be called up from the practice squad for Sunday’s game. “Whoever’s got a pulse. … We’re ready to go.” 

Whatever the caliber and experience level of the skill-position players surrounding him, the Jets will not find out about Darnold by feeding him mac and cheese. He needs to be seated at the adult table immediately.