A month ago, New York Jets quarterback Sam Darnold’s mentality was under fire after being caught talking about “seeing ghosts” against the New England Patriots’ defense. Things have changed since then.
After following up a dreadful showing against the Patriots with a three-interception performance against Jacksonville, Darnold turned his season around. In his last three games, he has thrown seven touchdowns and just one pick in three Jet wins.
Count coach Adam Gase as one of those impressed by Darnold’s mental fortitude amid the adversity.
“This is the first time I’ve been through a rough spell like that with a really young quarterback,” Gase said Wednesday, via Rich Cimini of ESPN. “I thought he handled it really well, considering that was one of those games you want to burn the tape. You want that thing eliminated from your resume.
“The fact that he handled it as well as he did, I’m sure it wasn’t easy. He never said anything to me. He did a good job of putting his head down, but I’m sure that wasn’t an easy thing for him to do.”
It certainly would have been easy for Darnold to react badly to the trolling that came with that two-game stretch and see his performance slip as he put pressure on himself. He hasn’t done that, and it bodes quite well for the Jets’ future.
