By WFAN.com
Dan Marino is no stranger to seeing extended action as a rookie quarterback in the NFL.
Marino was selected with the 27th overall selection in the 1983 NFL Draft. He did not receive his first start until Week 6 against the Buffalo Bills, but hit the ground running once being named the Dolphins' starting quarterback. The Hall of Famer's rookie year accolades included being named NFL Rookie of the Year, a Second-Team All-Pro, and receiving his first Pro Bowl nomination.
The 2018 NFL Draft saw five quarterbacks get selected in the first round. While four of the five are set to begin the year on the bench, the Jets have already named Sam Darnold the team's starting quarterback for their Week 1 matchup against the Detroit Lions.
Marino joined Mike's On Wednesday and had some words of advice for New York's rookie signal caller heading into his NFL debut.
"Thinking about this whole thing- I mean he's young, I was a little older than he is now. I think for him, he has to come in and the coaches have to understand they have to be patient with him," Marino told Mike Francesa. "He has to be patient, not to force things right away and feel like 'I have to be the best player in the NFL right away, today, this first game...' Let the players around you make plays for you. Be patient with it. But at the same time, know and understand that as time goes on, you're going to have to be the guy that steps up and does things."
Marino is not the only Hall of Fame quarterback to comment on Darnold's upcoming rookie campaign.
Joe Namath said recently that Darnold will have to "command the room" in order to have success this season. While Marino agrees that plays a role in a rookie QB's success, he told Francesa that nothing builds a team's confidence around a young quarterback than performing on the field.
"I think it's a part of it. I think you command the room, especially when you're young, by it's not experience they look at, but it's productivity," Marino said on WFAN Wednesday evening. "If he can come in and produce, win some games for them, show that he's a guy that as time goes on, he's going to develop into something special... I think that's what the Jets are feeling with him because they drafted him so high.
"Commanding a room is fine. Be a guy that can communicate and understand, and being able to communicate how you feel to the other players- all of that is important. But it's about performance. If you perform, guys are going to follow you."
Darnold and the Jets kick off the 2018 season in Detroit against the Lions on Monday Night Football.
