Adam Gase Admits He Hasn't Developed Sam Darnold, Entire Sports World Nods in Agreement
As a head coach, Adam Gase is little better than a walking corpse at this point. No one expects him to remain with the New York Jets after this season. Chief among the reasons for his impending firing has been his inability to develop young quarterback Sam Darnold. Gase admitted as much on Thursday, as the entire sports world nodded in agreement.
Gase said part of the reason he went to New York was to help develop Darnold and said he's failed to do so:
Revealing quote from Gase on Darnold: “I came here to help him, help him develop his career, and we haven’t been able to do that. That’s why every game is so important. Keep trying to help him grow ...” #Jets
— Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) December 3, 2020
More Gase on Darnold: “We need to do things well around him, but at the same time, it’s on me to get him to play better than what he’s played. I haven’t done a good enough job.” #Jets
— Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) December 3, 2020
Hey Adam? No sh*t.
I will say this might be the first time in his two years with the Jets that Gase has taken an ounce of responsibility for anything. He was supposed to improve New York's offense and harness Darnold's considerable talent to create a new power in the NFC East. He has flopped spectacularly.
The Jets have inexplicably kept Gase around as they've sunk to 0-11 in the worst season in franchise history. Darnold has, if anything, regressed. He came out of USC in 2018 looking like he had the most upside of anyone in his quarterback class. In college, Darnold was a gunslinging playmaker in the mold of a young Aaron Rodgers. The Jets snagged him with the third pick and that was the high point of his time with the franchise.
The Jets have absolutely refused to surround their young quarterback with the talent needed to succeed. The team's offensive line is awful and their depth at the skill positions is even worse. In 2020, Darnold has played in seven games and is completing 58.7 percent of his passes for 1,241 yards, with three touchdowns and eight interceptions.
Darnold undoubtedly has talent, but there's a high likelihood he'll have to prove it with another organization next season. The Jets in line for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, which likely means they'll select a new franchise quarterback (Trevor Lawrence, anyone?).
It would be best for Darnold to get out of New York anyway and go somewhere with a coach who can actually develop him. He's still absurdly young at 23 and his career can absolutely be salvaged in the right situation. He just needs to get the hell away from Adam Gase.