Sam Darnold showed the special skills that will turn him into a star sooner than later in the Jets preseason opener against the Giants Thursday night. Gang Green's second-year quarterback quickly carved up his cross-town rivals, giving everyone a glimpse of what could be a special season for him.
Adam Gase, who hasn't seen a proper quarterback since Peyton Manning was on his side, was likely doing cartwheels of joy in his head.
Darnold, who had been solid in camp, engineered a 7-play, 75-yard touchdown drive in his lone series before exiting stage left. He went 4 for 5 for 68 yards in a quick-strike possession that lasted just three minutes, seven seconds, providing further evidence that he is indeed the real deal.
The Jets were trailing 7-6 with 1:23 left in the first quarter when the game was delayed for 59 minutes due to severe weather.
Truth be told, Jets fans would have been fine if the game were cancelled. They'd seen what they wanted to see from their franchise quarterback in this new offense.
Darnold, who worked out the shotgun for six of seven snaps, was terrific after his first pass intended for Quincy Enunwa was nearly intercepted by Jabril Peppers. He caught fire after nearly getting picked off.
On third and 6, Darnold eluded pressure from a collapsing pocket, stepped up and fired a 32-yard completion to Chris Herndon to keep the drive alive. The Jets, playing without Le'Veon Bell (rest), will miss Herndon, who will serve a four-game suspension to start the season.
Darnold was just getting started. On the next play, he hooked up with Jamison Crowder for a 28-yard catch-and-run to get to the Giants 11. Crowder is expected to be a security blanket from the slot in Gase's offense.
The Giants, looking to repair an anemic defense from a year ago, didn't stand a chance against Darnold, whose dump-off to Ty Montgomery, who started for Bell, put Gang Green on the doorstep of a score.
After a short run by Montgomery, Darnold punctuated the drive by sprinting right on a designed rollout and firing a bullet to Crowder for a 3-yard touchdown.
One year after the Jets were one of the most inefficient offenses on third downs (32.2 percent, ranked 29th), Darnold and Co. converted on both third downs during the opening drive to take an early lead.
"It's about going out there and ... doing what I can to put the ball in the end zone," Darnold said in the run-up to the game. "My job doesn't change just because it's a preseason game. I'm going to go out there and do the best that I can to find the end zone."
It was enough for Gang Green faithful, including owner Woody Johnson, to feel downright giddy about what lies ahead for the star-crossed franchise.
It's no secret that Darnold's rate of development will determine whether the Jets have any chance of breaking their eight-year playoff drought. Recent history suggests that a significant leap in his second season is possible. (See: Carson Wentz, Patrick Mahomes, Mitch Trubisky, etc.)
Darnold entered camp with a streamlined body and proper mindset. He's playing with more confidence and zip on his passes. Gase has attributed the extra juice on his young quarterback's passes to proper offseason rest after a hectic pre-draft schedule last year. Darnold believes the extra velocity can be traced to his additional confidence and comfort level with his surroundings.
Whatever the reason, the difference is noticeable.
This is Darnold's team.
It'll be incumbent upon Gase, who was hired primarily because of the brain trust's belief that he was best man to maximize the signal caller's prodigious gifts, to guide the centerpiece of the franchise in the right direction.
Darnold gave everyone a taste of what Gase's offense might look like this season. Sure, the Giants didn't build a specific gameplan for the Jets, but it was an encouraging start for the Darnold-Gase duo.
"It'll be fun to watch our guys be able to go fully at somebody else," Gase said this week about seeing how his team plays against someone wearing something other than green-and-white. "You want to go against somebody else. Different defense, different looks, different bodies. I think it's fun for us as coaches to watch."
It was definitely fun watching Darnold, even if it was only for one drive.
