New York Jets young quarterback Sam Darnold is officially back in the building and Adam Gase touches on the Trumaine Johnson situation.
FLORHAM PARK, NJ—The kid is back. Sam Darnold entered New York Jets headquarters on Wednesday morning to the delight of all involved. Doctors have officially cleared him enough to rejoin the squad.
Among the topics covered was the prognosis of Darnold’s return. Week 5 against the Philadelphia Eagles after the bye is something the kid is confident in as the target return date.
Sam Darnold: “I have full confidence I’ll be back for the Eagles game.” #TakeFlight pic.twitter.com/1cSApy0Kxq
— Robby Sabo (@RobbySabo) September 18, 2019
“I have full confidence that I’ll be ready for the Eagles game,” Darnold proclaimed. “I’m not going to promise everything, because I don’t know where exactly this mono thing is going. But hopefully, that’s the goal. That’s the goal that the doctors have set, that’s the goal that I have set, the game to be back for.”
Darnold looked good up close, but the tricky part remains his spleen. According to many healthcare professionals, it’s tough to gauge exactly when an enlarged spleen is healthy enough to take contact. If not ready, something severe could unfold.
“I’m not exactly sure on everything,” Darnold admitted. “I know the spleen is the main issue and I know it’s enlarged right now, and I know it needs to get a little bit smaller for me to play.”
A smart betting man would throw a few bucks on Darnold making his return after the bye.
Adam Gase Talks Culture, Trumaine Johnson Says The Right Things
One of the greatest topics of conversation coming from the Jets 23-3 loss on Monday Night Football remains the benching of Trumaine Johnson.
Surprisingly, Nate Hairston started for the veteran and played in a secondary aside Darryl Roberts on the other side and Brian Poole in the slot. More speed on the field allowed Gregg Williams to play a ton of man-to-man coverage with effectiveness.
Johnson spoke with the media on Wednesday and said all the right things, claiming it’s about the team and not him, personally.
“It’s not about me,” Johnson said after practice. “We lost the game.
“(I can only) control what I can control and get better every day.”
Adam Gase remained bold, stating his carefree attitude pertaining to Johnson’s mega-contract.
The size of a player’s contract is “irrelevant to me,” Gase said Wednesday. “I don’t care how much money you make.”
Jamal Adams Torches the NFL
Jamal Adams is not too pleased with the NFL over a 21K fine levied for hitting Baker Mayfield outside of the pocket, the very same hit that drew a 15-yard penalty. He made it known on Wednesday night.
This league is a damn joke! I just got fined $21k for this hit, I signed up to play football not two hand touch. Bullshit! I don’t give a damn about these soft rules protecting QBs. Im gonna play MY brand of football everytime I step on the field. SMH pic.twitter.com/SKlTmBBMf0
— Jamal Adams (@Prez) September 19, 2019
Adams is absolutely correct. The hit did not deserve a fine. Remember, Mayfield is running and is outside of the pocket, which makes it look entire worse than it was.
I can understand it much more if Baker Mayfield was still INSIDE the pocket. Remember, he's on-the-run when he's hit, making it look much worse.
Still, it's asking way too much from defenders to fine a guy for a clean, hard hit like this. @TheAdamsEra has to keep playing. #Jets pic.twitter.com/6Bx8noQq4U
— Jets X-Factor (@jetsxfactor) September 19, 2019
On the other side of the token, perhaps Adams should shy away from social media for a bit. The “unfollow-remove Jets from bio” controversy earlier in the week wasn’t a good look and this one, while justified, won’t provide any positives for the third-year stud.
Other News & Notes
- The Jets signed quarterback David Fales to backup now-starter Luke Falk for the New England Patriots game this coming Sunday. Fales has experience in Gase’s offense, having spent the 2017 season in Miami with the Dolphins.
- Wide receiver Demaryius Thomas did not practice on Wednesday. Neither did C.J. Mosley, Quinnen Williams, Jordan Jenkins, Josh Bellamy, Trenton Cannon and, of course, Darnold.
- Players limited in practice were Kelvin Beachum, Steve McLendon, Rontez Miles and Brian Winters.
