Here's how the New York Jets have graded, and where they ranked out of all 32 teams, in two broad categories — "receiving" and "pass blocking" — during the three years that Sam Darnold was calling the shots for the offense. These numbers come from our friends over at Pro Football Focus, where you can dive deep into the stats and come away with a ton of useful analysis.
2020: Receiving - 66.3 (No. 30 out of 32) | Pass Blocking - 53.4 (No. 31 out of 32)
2019: Receiving - 72.2 (No. 16 out of 32) | Pass Blocking - 62.8 (No. 28 out of 32)
2018: Receiving - 69.1 (No. 28 out of 32) | Pass Blocking - 70.9 (No. 21 out of 32)
In those two categories, they were in the top half of the league once over the past three years, and it was in the very last slot of the top half, at No. 16. In four of the above figures, they ranked in the bottom five. That's not the most ideal situation to groom a young quarterback, who one day is expected to take over the franchise and lead to playoff berths, postseason wins and Super Bowl rings.
Listen to New York sports talk now on Audacy and shop the latest Jets team gear
So when Darnold was asked by a reporter if he agreed with the analysis that he had neither the playmakers nor the protection to be successful in the NFL... he took the high road and placed the blame upon himself.
"No, I didn't do my job to the best of my ability," Darnold said. "That's really all there is to it."
He gave similar comments to David Newton of ESPN, explaining that he didn't get the most out of the opportunity that the Jets provided.
"I feel like, for me, every opportunity I've found a way to kind of take advantage of," Darnold said. "The Jets was kind of the first time in my life that I got something — and that was taken away from me, for multiple reasons. I definitely didn't play good enouhg in my stint there. And I put it on myself.
"...And that's the end of it. We had a good system in New York. And there were countless plays where I messed up a read or I didn't throw it to the open guy."
So what's the truth? Probably a good combination of both perspectives. To be fair, Darnold ranked lowly on PFF's offensive grading system as well:
2020: 58.4 (No. 37 out of 42 eligible QBs)
2019: 63.6 (No. 31 out of 39 eligible QBs)
2018: 64.7 (No. 29 out of 39 eligible QBs)
Unfortunately, Pro Football Focus doesn't have premium stats and grades on coaches, so that's an argument for a different day.
But that's all in the past now. What matters for him is what he can do for the Carolina Panthers, and his 2021 season — starting with his debut against the Jets on Sunday — might help paint the true picture of what went wrong in New York.
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow Audacy Sports
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
