The football gods gave the Jets the most precious gift of all Thursday night with this message: Sometimes NOT sucking has its privileges.
Less than a year after the Suck for Sam movement was born, this star-crossed franchise lucked into USC quarterback Sam Darnold with the third pick of the NFL draft. It was a Festivus Miracle for Gang Green, a stroke of great fortune typically reserved for others, a watershed moment for legions of tormented fans conditioned to feel unexplainable pain.
When the smokescreens cleared, the lies disappeared and the white noise that cluttered everyone's brains was reduced to a whisper, there was the best quarterback in this draft class staring Mike Maccagnan in the face.
Talk about the luck of the Irish. Only Maccagnan isn't Irish. So, go figure.
The Jets were operating under the belief for some time that the Browns would select Darnold with the No. 1 overall pick before GM John Dorsey pulled the ol' switch-a-roo by grabbing Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield with the top selection. The Giants drafted Penn State running back Saquon Barkley at No. 2 to set the stage for the Jets to make the smartest and safest move.
Gang Green's internal debate between Josh Rosen and Mayfield became moot. Darnold always made the most sense.
The California cool kid instantly becomes the new face of the franchise, but will he be able to deliver the brass ring?
Maccagnan hitched his star to the grandson of the Marlboro Man's wagon two years after whiffing on Christian Hackenberg. Saddle up, Jets fans. It's going to be a wild ride.
Time will reveal Darnold as a savior or a bust, the solution or just another part of a seemingly interminable problem for this organization, but I have a great feeling that the Jets struck gold at a time when they needed it the most.
Will the 20-year-old with an even-keeled disposition exorcise five decades of demons? Will the steady leader with a scary-good skill-set breathe life into a dormant organization and their suffering followers?
Does the most complete signal caller in this draft class have the ability to infuse Todd Bowles' team with a belief that anything is possible?
Here's what you won't see: Crotch-grabbing, flag-planting histrionics.
Here's what you will see: A quarterback who can beat you with his brain, arm and feet.
"Darnold is the one," an NFC general manager recently told me. "He fits any scheme."
The 6-3, 220-pound Darnold's innate ability to sense and escape pressure to extend plays is his strongest asset. He can _ and will _ torment opponents in multiple ways. He's clutch, mobile, athletic and durable. He can improvise. He'll scrambles out of the pocket with the intent of beating you through the air. He throws with anticipation.
He's destined to wake up opposing defensive coordinators in a cold sweat as he continues to evolve as a player.
"He's got a little Brett Favre in him," NFL draft analyst Mike Mayock said.
In playground parlance, Darnold has an unquantifiable "it" factor that shows up on tape time and time again. His high school hoops days _ he could have been a Division I recruit _ have served him well too.
"He grew up playing basketball and has that feel in his movement in the pocket," one respected scout recently told me. "Those type of guys that can create shots for themselves. He has that ability to move around and buy time. He's got 'it.' In this day and age with how NFL pressure creates problems for guys, just standing in the pocket isn't good enough. He's not one of those statues."
Darnold, like every other top quarterback prospect, isn't perfect. His funky wind-up won't be on instructional videos anytime soon, but he has enough zip on his passes to negate the elongated motion.
His nation-high 22 turnovers, including nine lost fumbles, last season were maddening. He committed multiple turnovers in eight of 14 games, but the ball-security issues, believe it or not, are correctable. (History lesson: Matt Ryan also had 22 turnovers in his final college season before becoming the No. 3 pick in the 2008 draft).
"I feel like I let myself down and my teammates down during this last season when I turned it over so much," Darnold said at the Combine. "So that's something that I need to continue to work on... I'm doing things to work on it. I'm doing things to keep two hands on the ball in the pocket. I'm working on decision-making, watching my film from last year, watching all the turnovers from last year and the year before that. I'm working hard at trying to improve myself every day."
Darnold is a coach's dream in so many different ways: hard-working, clean on and off the field, dependable and plenty of room to grow.
His ability to win in and outside of the pocket makes him an ideal match for new offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates' West Coast scheme. He'll be an assassin on designed rollouts. His winning pedigree _ 20-4 as a starter in two seasons _ is important too. Darnold's USC teammates swear by him. The quarterback flew back from a private workout with the Browns just to throw during teammate Ronald Jones' personal pro day (after a hamstring injury prevented him from showing off his skills at USC Pro Day).
Although Darnold didn't live up to the Heisman hype that trailed him after a breakout 2016 campaign (31 touchdowns, nine interceptions and an epic Rose Bowl performance), he acquitted himself well despite a patchwork offensive line and dubious offensive system last season. He finished his college career with a 64.9 completion rate.
USC quarterbacks don't exactly have great track records in the NFL (see: Mark Sanchez, Matt Leinert, Todd Marinovich et al), which indicates exactly nothing about Darnold's future. He's going to be a difference maker.
Maccagnan woke up to a dream scenario Thursday.
The Jets might have finally found their star.
