New York Jets quarterback Sam Darnold isn’t letting the coronavirus derail his offseason program with Jordan Palmer.
New York Jets quarterback Sam Darnold has worked with quarterback guru Jordan Palmer for years. It’s how he met Kyle Allen and Josh Allen. Palmer’s offseason workout was part of the reason the three of them were so close during the quarantine.
They were all able to get work in despite being quarantined in California. That hasn’t stopped now that quarantine has been lifted. Palmer put a video on Instagram of Darnold and Kyle Allen taking some reps on the field. Darnold looked especially impressive in one throw.
Sam Darnold getting some reps in. ??? #TakeFlight (? via jordanpalmer/IG) pic.twitter.com/ydqpgt35td
— ESNY (@EliteSportsNY) June 9, 2020
Darnold rolls left and throws a dot to his receiver with room to run upfield. Escaping the pocket and throwing on the run are major parts of Darnold’s game, so it’s encouraging to see him working on it even further.
His motion is quicker and his footwork looks much better than in 2019. Of course, this is without any pass rushers. Darnold’s numbers take a tumble when he’s blitzed. His passer rating dropped from 94.3 against a three- or four-man rush all the way down to a 65.5 against the blitz in 2019. That’s unacceptable.
Hopefully, working on his footwork and ability to throw on the run will help Darnold beat blitzes. He needs to figure something out because he’s one of the best quarterbacks in football with a clean pocket.
But when that pocket collapses, he becomes the single worst quarterback in football. If he’s going to take the next step and become a franchise quarterback, it’s going to start by beating the blitz.