Brett Favre and Kurt Warner each came to the defense of New York Jets quarterback Sam Darnold after he admitted to seeing ghosts.
Monday night’s defeat at the hands of the New England Patriots was brutal in more ways than one for the New York Jets. In addition to taking a 33-0 loss that somehow felt more lopsided than that, Sam Darnold‘s admission that he was “seeing ghosts” was aired by ESPN during the broadcast.
Jets head coach Adam Gase was not happy that the comment was aired, while running back Le’Veon Bell took to Twitter to say that the NFL “screwed Sammy over.” While the comments have been dissected, two Hall of Fame quarterbacks have said it’s nothing to be concerned about.
Brett Favre spoke on SiriusXM Radio about how it isn’t a new term. He revealed that he heard the term from his coaches when he was new in the league and it’s something that young quarterbacks experience as a result of playing better competition than they did in college.
#Jets QB Sam Darnold said on the broadcast last night that he was seeing ghosts against the Patriots.
HOF QB @BrettFavre reacts and explains what that means…
?MUST LISTEN? pic.twitter.com/oqdcYgRx80
— SiriusXM NFL Radio (@SiriusXMNFL) October 22, 2019
“That’s a term that Mike Holmgren would say to me quite often, my first one, two, three years with the Packers,” Favre said. “It’s not a new term. Quite frankly, I’m not surprised. A young player – the quarterback, especially – will have a tendency to see ‘ghosts.’ You know, you hear the term a lot, ‘It’s slowing down for him,’ and that is kind of the opposite of seeing ghosts.”
Favre was known as a gunslinger who specialized in making things happen off schedule. From being a young player adjusting to the NFL to leading the Green Bay Packers to a Super Bowl, he went through it all. He went on to praise Darnold’s ability.
“I don’t know Sam Darnold. I feel like, just my interpretation of what I see, I think he’s going to be really good, if he can survive the onslaught. Seeing ghosts is, ‘I thought the guy was blitzing,’ or, ‘I saw the safety back up into deep coverage,’ and then you watch the film and that’s not the case,” Favre added. “It’s really nothing other than being a young player, being exposed to a lot of stuff, and really not so much thrown to the wolves – I don’t think Adam Gase did anything wrong. You’ve got to go in and play. You’ve got to go with all your guns blazing, and if he makes mistakes, he makes mistakes. The key is that you learn from them, and you’re going to make more.”
The former Jet quarterback isn’t worried about Darnold’s future, and he isn’t worried about any long-term effects from this beatdown. Additionally, Kurt Warner took to Twitter to share his thoughts.
Can we quit making a big deal of #SamDarnolds “Seeing Ghosts” reference – if you have ever played the position at NFL level you have been in a situation where u have seen “ghosts” – even the great @TomBrady! It happens & u have to fight against allowing it to affect you!
— Kurt Warner (@kurt13warner) October 22, 2019
Warner said that it isn’t a big deal and that everybody who’s played in the NFL, including legends like Tom Brady, have experienced it. Warner went on to add that “[you] have to fight against allowing it to affect you.”
With the lack of concern being shown by two quarterback legends, fans shouldn’t be too worried either. Darnold will be just fine despite a brutal showing.
