Former NFL tight end and current New York Jets preseason color commentator, Anthony Becht, joined Boy Green on the latest episode of The Jets Zone. What is he expecting from Sam Darnold in D.C.?
If the hype train for New York Jets rookie quarterback Sam Darnold wasn’t in full gear, it certainly is now. Following the teams’ first preseason game against the Atlanta Falcons, to put it bluntly: Darnold looked exceptional.
He didn’t seem fazed by the moment. He made numerous NFL-caliber throws and proved that he truly belongs in the National Football League. Of course, taking all of those positives, you must consider that was all based on one preseason game.
The next step in Darnold’s development is playing against starters and that is expected to happen Thursday night on the road against the Washington Redskins. Although this won’t be his first time encountering the team that resides in the NFC East. He’s been practicing against them for the past three days and didn’t throw one interception. Is he even a rookie? Washington Redskins’ Pro Bowl cornerback Josh Norman isn’t so sure.
“It’s like, dang,” Josh Norman said via ESPN. “You get rookies in here, and you try to mess them with a little bit and bait them a little bit into thinking they’re throwing a route, and you can make a play and he’s not having it. It’s so crazy to see that at an early age. Dak [Prescott] has that; Carson [Wentz] has that. So it’s like, man, they must come in here not wanting to screw it up, and he’s so far impressed me and I didn’t want him to. I wanted to break all rookies. He’s been doing a great job.”
?: Josh Norman has high praise for #Jets rookie QB Sam Darnold: “This little kid’s not making mistakes!” #Redskins pic.twitter.com/Um52NaMJud
— Kimberley A. Martin (@ByKimberleyA) August 14, 2018
Wow ...
But that wasn’t the only praise we’ve heard for Darnold this week. The latest may be the most well regarded and that’s via New York Jets preseason color commentator and former player Anthony Becht. He joined The Jets Zone this week to talk about his new gig, players he’s watching out for, and what specifically he’s looking for from the former USC Trojan passer in the second preseason game.
“I hope we get to see Sam Darnold get situational opportunities. Obviously, the game will dictate how many of those he’ll get. For example, third-and-long situations, third-and-eight range, red zone opportunities (which he excelled in last week). And of course, when the blitzing is dialed up can he continue to have a plan when things go awry.
“At one point in the game, the Falcons sent an A-gap snub-dub backers with the outside end coming, he was able to quickly go through his progressions, get off his primary read and throw a first down on third-and-six to the tight end. You want him to get into as many of those situations as you possibly can because you can try and manufacture that in practice but there’s a certain extra juice added when live bullets are flying.
“I also want to see continued accuracy. Now, I’m not expecting him to go 8-for-9 or 7-for-9. You just want to make sure where he’s throwing the ball, it’s a clean release, and he puts it in a position where his receivers can catch it and make plays. The more reps he gets the better he’ll be.”
If you’d like to hear the full interview you can below. The Jets Zone is a weekly (every Wednesday) New York Jets podcast hosted by Paul ‘Boy Green’ Esden. Like The Jets Zone Facebook page here and follow The Jets Zone Twitter page here.
Best episode ever? Quite possibly. @nyjets preseason color commentator @Anthony_Becht joined @BoyGreen25 on 'The Jets Zone': #SamDarnold development + break down #NYJvsWAS + @NathanDShepherd being an impact player in 2018. @EliteSportsNY #Jets #JetsCamphttps://t.co/plLo0h0IRu
— The Jets Zone (@TheJets_Zone) August 15, 2018
