Subscribe
Follow Us
The New York Jets have officially entered a new era with Joe Douglas. The team's new general manager initially turned the team down, but they reportedly wouldn't take ‘no' for an answer. The Jets upped their offer and got Adam Gase's preferred candidate.
It will be a little while before we can fully judge the Douglas-Gase partnership, but there will be immediate pressure to win. The Jets' fanbase and New York media aren't exactly the most patient people in the world, and they'll have high expectations for 2019.
Fortunately for them, they'll inherit a promising young quarterback, a luxury many new coaches and general manager's don't get. Following Douglas' introductory press conference, Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.com said the following.
It’s clear that the presence of franchise QB Sam Darnold was a huge selling point for new Jets GM Joe Douglas. He said “there’s a sense of urgency” to win “right now” when a team has a young, star QB.
— Ralph Vacchiano (@RalphVacchiano) June 11, 2019
Douglas also apparently acknowledged that “there’s a sense of urgency” to win “right now” when a team has someone like Darnold under center, per Vacchiano. Many decision-makers like to set expectations low so that things don't get out of control, so this was a bold move by Douglas.
That being said, he's not wrong. Darnold looked like a future star during his rookie year last season, and he was incredibly young. With another full NFL offseason under his belt, Darnold should look even better in 2019.
If he doesn't for some reason, Gase will take much of the blame. Gase has been hailed as a quarterback guru, so every step of Darnold's development will be put under a microscope. Since Gase more or less hired Douglas, their futures will always be tied together. Douglas is realistic if nothing else, and the Jets will be one of the more fascinating teams to watch this upcoming season.
