Many forces stand in the way of a Jets victory against the Vikings on Sunday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.
The first of those forces is the Jets themselves. Considering how clumsy the Jets were in their own way (did anyone say the word rhythm?) in their 10-9 home loss to the Broncos last Sunday.
A close second on that list is Vikings reclamation project quarterback Sam Darnold. He's a familiar face, having been drafted third overall by the Jets in 2018.
By all accounts (except perhaps Darnold himself), the Jets have failed in Darnold's three seasons.
They never put enough talent around him. The offensive coordinator was replaced. They changed head coaches. Darnold's three years with them were so chaotic that Darnold had little chance to succeed on the greens.
Mark Sanchez, a close friend of Darnold's and someone who has walked in Darnold's shoes (and vice versa), knows turmoil because he went through it during his five years as a Jet. Sanchez, currently an NFL analyst for Fox, was selected by the team with the fifth overall pick in 2009, nine years before Darnold.
Sanchez and Darnold grew up near each other in South L.A. and live a few houses apart in the same neighborhood. So close that Sanchez joked to Darnold this week, “I'm going to roll toilet paper over the big tree on my property.” Halloween.
The bond between the two is a strange one. They both went to USC. Both were drafted by the Jets in the first round. When Sanchez welcomed her son, Daniel, into the world, she attended a parenting class hosted by Darnold's grandfather.
Kevin O'Connell, Darnold's head coach at Minnesota, served as a groomsman at Sanchez's wedding to actress Perry Mattfeld. O'Connell was Sanchez's backup quarterback with the Jets in 2011.
Sanchez called the pairing of Darnold and O'Connell “a great marriage.”
“He's a very humble, very warm-hearted kid, so someone had to bring out that dog in him, because it's there,” Sanchez told the Post this week. “He's a competitor and he wants to win, but he needs to kindle that fire a little bit. I think O'Connell did it the right way because they have similar personalities.”
To his credit, Darnold survived and is now the leading candidate for league MVP for his play in Minnesota, leading the NFL with 11 touchdown passes and a passer rating of 118.9.
Darnold was traded to Carolina in 2021 when Robert Saleh was hired, and the Jets drafted QB Zach Wilson with the second overall pick.
Darnold spent last season with the 49ers as a backup and signed with the Vikings this offseason, presumably to back up first-round draft pick JJ McCarthy, who lost the season with a knee injury in training camp. Probably.
Everyone needs a little luck.
Darnold's wealth comes from the quarterbacking education he received from 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan last season and now from O'Connell. Those two coaches represented everything Darnold didn't have with the Jets or Panthers.
“He went from the raucous environment of the Jets to the Panthers in Carolina, which was a circus. Then he spent a year with Kyle Shanahan, saw a really good player in Brock Purdy, and ultimately is a system that has principles that will help him and a system that has a foundation that will help him wherever he goes next,” Sanchez said. “He's no longer playing pickup basketball in the park, and now he's playing in an organized system with a long-time basketball coach and good players around him.”
For the first time, Darnold has players around him that are built to win. He has one of the best receivers in the game in Justin Jefferson, as well as a strong offensive line, running game, and solid defense.
“He's been shooting BB guns for a while now, and now he has all the accessories, sights, night vision, spotters, everything,” Sanchez said. “This is the first time he's had a full weapon. He's not shooting at cans in the backyard anymore.”
Sanchez recalled a production meeting he had with Darnold at a Cincinnati hotel in November 2022 before broadcasting Darnold's Panthers loss to the Bengals. Dissatisfied with his current professional situation, Darnold made his wishes known to Sanchez.
Darnold told Sanchez, “I just want to be in a situation where I have a chance, I'm valued, I'm encouraged, I'm coached hard and the team knows I'm the best player.”
Sanchez's message to a friend: “Hey, keep up the good work. Opportunities will come in good circumstances.”
Naturally, Darnold finally got that “opportunity” in that “good situation” and is thriving.
Sanchez said he believes his difficult times with the Jets “helped him because he's stubborn, he's hard-nosed, he's experienced.”
“He had to go to a place where someone reminded him, 'Hey, you still have a lot of runway left, big guy.' “There's a reason why I was nominated for it,” Sanchez said. , someone you're with accepts you and reminds you that you're beautiful. I love you. Let's think about it together. ” ”
Finally, Darnold seems to have figured it out. And that may not be good news for his former team in England on Sunday.
