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Why go there?
Joe Namath guaranteed a victory over the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl III. The Colts were 18-point favorites.
Today, at a charity event, Jets owner Christopher Johnson, made a bold guarantee himself, saying this about the drafting of Sam Darnold, “I honestly think (people) are going to look back 20 years from now and say this is the moment the Jets shifted into a new gear, that they became a great team.”
Johnson is a great guy, but why go there?
You are talking about a 20-year-old kid who has never played in an NFL game, and who has a lot to work on. He finished 2017 with 13 interceptions and nine lost fumbles. He had 20 interceptions over last 20 games.
Look, I love the pick, but as Bill Parcells like to say about rookies being praised prematurely, “Don’t put the kid in Canton, fellas.”
I tweeted the Johnson quote today, and after the quote, I put the word, “premature” with a question mark. I got a lot of interesting responses from Jets fans.
I thought the response of a fan name Drew Nestico was particularly well put:
“File this under ‘things I wish weren’t said, out loud, by people that can be quoted and create headlines.’ Think this all you want. Say it to your friends. Tell your GM, while patting him on the back. But for the love of Sam, there is no need for this to pop on everyone’s feed.”
I couldn’t have put it better myself.
A fan named Charles Domino tweeted, “How do you say that?”
The answer is Christopher is a good man, a smart man (I had a long talk with him at the NFL Owner’s Meeting – he’s very bright), but is still finding his sea legs as an NFL owner. Let’s not forget he’s only been at this less than a year.
I totally agree with Mr. Nestico. You can think this all you want. You can say it to your GM, but don’t go public with this so early in the process.
Darnold is already under an enormous amount of pressure, why add to it by saying he is the reason the Jets are going to become a great team, before he has played one game, proven he can be a successful NFL QB, and effectively cut down on his turnovers?
Once again, I want to make it clear, I’m not hating-on the pick. I think it was a great move, but let’s not put the cart before the horse. Give the kid time to grow and develop. Don’t “put him in Canton” before he’s done a darn thing on the NFL level.
And here the thing, if the owner thinks “this is the moment the Jets shifted into a new gear, that they became a great team,” than why not just start him now?
Why?
Because he needs a lot of work – Mike Maccagnan knows this, Todd Bowles knows this and Jeremy Bates knows this.
Christopher shouldn’t have made this statement at this juncture.
Perhaps this is a teachable moment for a well-meaning man who is still learning the why’s and wherefores of being an NFL owner.
May 8, 2018
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