Sam Darnold’s opinion of the New England Patriots hasn’t changed despite the exit of the face of their franchise.
Tom Brady dominated the New York Jets and the rest of the AFC East for the past 20 years. This upcoming season will be the first time the Patriots are without Brady this century. However, even with Brady now in Tampa Bay and out of the fold, Darnold still sees New England as a legitimate threat.
“He’s one of the greatest players, if not the greatest player of all-time,” Darnold said on ESPN Radio’s ‘The Michael Kay Show’. “Obviously, and we know this, we understand that every game is a challenge in itself. But I think Bill and those guys in New England are gonna be ready to go, no matter what. Obviously, it’s a big change, it made some headlines, but we’re definitely not gonna take them any more lightly than we did before. We know whenever we play those guys, we got our hands full, no matter what.”
Until another team in the AFC East dethrones the Patriots, the division is theirs to defend. No other team has won the AFC East since 2008 when the Dolphins did it.
Obviously, it’s going to be difficult for New England without Brady. But you can never count out Bill Belichick. He’s too good of coach to just throw in the towel because Brady is gone.
As for the Jets, they should be glad that Brady is out of the division. He’s won against the Jets more than any other team in the league other than the Bills. But the Jets still have many issues of their own. Darnold is no sure thing at quarterback yet, while Adam Gase has yet to prove he can be a good NFL coach. Meanwhile, there are still questions surrounding the offensive line, wide receivers, pass rush and secondary.
So Darnold’s stance on the Patriots is 100 percent correct. Until the Jets prove they can beat them consistently, they shouldn’t be looking past the New England just because Brady is gone.
