Sam Darnold, going into his second year with the New York Jets, gives a piece of advice for New York Giants rookie quarterback Daniel Jones.
New York Jets quarterback Sam Darnold had a promising rookie year in 2018. He completed 57.7% of his throws with 2,865 yards, 17 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions. Darnold was the starting quarterback from Week 1, which is always a tough going as a rookie.
This year, the New York Giants now have their fair share of a rookie, first-round quarterback. Daniel Jones will be entering his debut season as the eventual successor to Eli Manning. Many fans weren’t happy with the Giants selecting Jones, as many even booed Jones during his appearance at Yankee Stadium.
As far as the early criticism (Jones hasn’t even played a single game yet), Darnold has a significant piece of advice for the young Big Blue quarterback.
“If I were to say anything to Daniel, I’d just say, ‘Keep your head down and work, and be yourself, because if you do that, no one’s gonna say anything about you, and if you don’t make headlines, you’ll be all right,” Darnold said in a Q&A with Steve Serby of the New York Post.
Unlike Darnold, Jones most likely won’t play right away. Manning will keep his starting job with Jones sitting on the bench learning behind him. Barring injury to Manning or a bad start by the Giants, don’t expect to see Jones much during his rookie season.
If anything, Jones will have a better shot to get the starting job in 2020. But, then again, who knows how things will pan out at this point.
