Sam Darnold Puts a Fly in the Ointment

Every year there are half a dozen QBs drafted and it’s always the same old song and refrain from their coaches.   They vow to start some veteran like Josh McCown, Nate Peterman or some other guy they found in the recycle bin out back. It’s always interesting to see how a career loser of a QB is suddenly considered a wise old savvy veteran who can teach a young kid. This sounds so good in the weeks after the draft and then the plan is scrapped when they realize that the wily old veteran sucks and there is a reason why he has been on six teams in 10 years.

Sam Darnold

Sam Darnold was supposed to be a backup and learn from veteran loser, I mean quarterback, Josh McCown. In case that didn’t work, the Jets brought in Teddy Bridge over troubled knee Waters to compete. Although Teddy was playing well, he was shipped off and Darnold started Monday in a romp of the Lions.   After starting with a pick six, Darnold found his form and looked like a poor man’s version of Bret Favre by shaking off a pick and slinging it around the field. The Bills started Nate J. Peterman last Sunday against the Ravens, because in addition to his career 25.0 QB rating, he is also a clothing designer on the TV show Seinfeld. Josh Allen could learn from this veteran how to avoid a bad play and the languages of the Shinocockee tribes of Tibet. At the end of the game I realized that even at the age of 52 I could play QB in the NFL at least as good as some starters. Nate the Great had a QB rating of 0.00.   Although I’m old, sometimes irregular and the arm isn’t what it used to be, I could get that same rating if I just took a sack on every single play!

Josh Allen

The Bills have now inserted rookie Josh Allen into the lineup and he will start Sunday, most likely based on seeing Darnold’s performance. On Monday, the Bills head coach was saying that Nate the Great would probably start again on Sunday. I think after watching Darnold he figured he had nothing to lose with the rookie. Besides, If Allen has a QB rating of 30.0 it is a huge improvement over 0.00. Besides, a rookie can’t really learn a lot by watching a guy complete 5 of 18 passes for a total of 24 yards to go along with 2 interceptions.   This same scenario will be played out quickly for other teams in my opinion, especially if Darnold impresses again next week. The Good news for J. Peterman is the new line of khaki hiking shorts are coming out soon so he can climb the mountains of the Congo when he is cut in a few weeks

Josh Rosen

Sam Bradford, the $130 million dollar man who keeps getting large deals because he had one good year at Oklahoma, is the starter in Arizona. This guy is the “Cosmo Kramer” of football. He just falls into a pile of money without working and teams just line up to trade picks to get him and back up a brinks truck for his limited services. Every year some team gives this guy $20 million or more so he can either get hurt or be non productive. Last week while training rookie Josh Rosen, he showed Josh how to throw for 153 years and an interception despite having the best running back in football by his side in David Johnson. Maybe if they had George Costanza at flanker he could get to 200 yards passing? The Rams are up next and if Kramer isn’t careful he will get hurt and wind up on disability collecting the 20 million he is owed. Baring a strong showing, Josh Rosen is about to take the field. Don’t worry about Bradford though, he will be signed to another $20 million deal and will create cologne that smells like fresh cut football field grass and make a $100 million more.

Baker Mayfield

Last but not least is Tie-rod Taylor and the Browns. Although the Browns didn’t lose a game for the first time in nearly 2 years, they also didn’t win a game for the first time in nearly 2 years. Tie-rod is not a veteran QB a rookie can really learn from. When Joe Montana was with the Niners, Steve Young learned from the greatest how to manage an offense and throw precision passes. Aaron Rodgers learned watching Brett Favre for three years that sometimes you don’t just throw it up like Brett does and hope for the best. What exactly is Baker Mayfield learning from Tie-rod Taylor? They could just as easily bring Tim Tebow back from the NY Mets practice squad and let him make one read and then run. Taylor isn’t exactly teaching throwing motions or decision making. He drops back to pass and if his receiver is covered he runs.   There will be growing pressure to play Mayfield shortly, especially since he was taken ahead of Darnold. Although the Brownies were happy to tie on Sunday, they have a team that is now 1-31-1 the last 2 years and a number 1 pick on the bench watching a wildcat QB do nothing. The pressure will be on all these teams starting this week.

-BSB