Sam Darnold came face-to-face with New York Jets legend, Joe Namath on Friday night, prior to the former’s second straight preseason start.
In the presence of greatness. #1T1G pic.twitter.com/ZVbBCfxQCj
— New York Jets (@nyjets) August 24, 2018
Ghosts of New York Jets past, present, and future met on Friday night, as Joe Namath stopped by to visit the Jets sidelines prior to Friday night’s preseason game against the New York Giants. The Hall-of-Fame quarterback met with the team’s current crop, Sam Darnold, Teddy Bridgewater, and Josh McCown, shaking hands and talking shop before kickoff.
Facing relentless pressure under center, the rookie Darnold was starstruck when he met the MVP of the Jets’ lone Super Bowl title.
Sam Darnold on meeting @RealJoeNamath. #Jets pic.twitter.com/NG9cvN0luG
— Elite Sports NY (@EliteSportsNY) August 25, 2018
“That was the first time I met him, and he’s just a great guy,” Darnold said in video obtained by ESNY’s own Robby Sabo. “He’s very charismatic and obviously there’s a lot of personality … It was awesome to be able to talk with him for a little bit. In the first time meeting him, I was hoping to get some more time with him, but it was cool, still, to meet Broadway Joe and know the history that he has with this franchise. It was awesome to get to meet him.”
Time will tell if Darnold is set to join Namath in the legion of Jets starting quarterbacks. He made his case on Friday night, going 8-for-16 for 86 yards and a touchdown, leading the Jets to 13 points on the evening in a 22-16 preseason loss.
However, Darnold remained humble after the game, even when pressed over the notion that he could be held out of the Jets’ preseason finale, along with other starters, next week.
It would have been so easy for Sam Darnold to say, “Yes, I feel like I have done enough to start.”
But he doesn’t. Instead, he takes on the personality of the head coach and remains that perfect teammate and many years beyond his actual age. #Jets pic.twitter.com/ePfUiSdVIs
— Elite Sports NY (@EliteSportsNY) August 25, 2018
“I think that’s up to the coaches,” Darnold said. “I’m not here to say that I’ve won the job or lost the job. I’m just going to continue to play consistent football … put my best foot forward for the team, continue to be … a good leader for the team and really just be myself.”
The Jets (1-2) will wrap up their preseason slate next week, taking on the defending champion Eagles in Philadelphia (7:00 p.m. ET, WCBS).
