The big day finally arrived
http://www.buffalobillsteamonline.com/lesean-mccoy-jersey , and Sam Darnold had the perfect plan for celebrating his 21st birthday.
"Playing football," the New York Jets rookie quarterback said with a huge grin.
The birthday boy is now officially of the legal drinking age, but Darnold wasn't expecting to toast the milestone Tuesday night.
"Probably not," he said, smiling. "I'll probably just stay in and go to sleep early, like I have been every single night."
Partying is not high on the list for Darnold, who's the youngest player on the Jets' roster ??and the fresh-faced future of the franchise.
The No. 3 overall draft pick out of USC has taken a businesslike approach to his introduction to life in the NFL. Eat, sleep and dream football.
Those are Darnold's days. Every day.
"I'm making a ton of strides, but at the same time, I'm not exactly where I want to be," Darnold said. "But I know it's going to take time and it's a
process. I'm aware of that and it's exciting, though, to understand the playbook
the way I am and the strides I'm making. I'm really excited about where I'm
going right now."
Darnold will compete with veterans Josh McCown and Teddy Bridgewater this summer for the starting job, and he's giving Todd Bowles and his coaching staff
plenty to consider early in this offseason.
The youngster looked predictably shaky in his first practice of organized team activities two weeks ago, but has appeared increasingly more poised in the
sessions open to the media since.
"He's just more comfortable with the playbook and obviously seeing things a couple of times will make you more comfortable," Bowles said. "He's just
hard-working. Everything we thought coming in. He's going to work every day,
wants to be good
Ito Smith Jersey Elite , understands the mistakes he makes, works at them night and day, and watches film and asks questions.
"At this time of year, that's what you're supposed to be doing."
#Jets birthday boy Sam Darnold turns 21, feels he?? making ?? ton of strides??but knows he?? got plenty of work to do.
s://t.co/XPUJv3HYja pic.qgQAZKp2Kt
??Dennis Waszak Jr. (@DWAZ73) June 6, 2018
During Tuesday's practice, Darnold tossed a badly underthrown pass that safety Jamal Adams, last year's first-rounder, easily intercepted.
For a guy who was celebrating his birthday, it was certainly a gift ??but for the defense.
"Yeah, I just made a bad read on it," Darnold said. "I should've just dumped it down to the back, but I tried to force one in there."
Rookie mistake.
"He retains things when you tell him," Bowles said. "He makes mistakes, but doesn't make the same one twice, so he's very good from that standpoint as far
as retaining information."
Late in practice, though
Adidas Daniel Sedin Jersey , Darnold had perhaps his prettiest play as a pro. He zipped a deep pass down the sideline that dropped over the reach of
safety Kacy Rodgers II and right into Chad Hansen's hands. It was a terrific
throw and a reminder of why so many labeled Darnold as "special" in the months
leading up to the draft.
But such is the up-and-down life of a rookie quarterback that Darnold overthrew his final pass of practice on a deep toss to a wide-open Jordan
Leggett. There's no doubt Darnold would be spending part of his birthday night
breaking that down in the film room.
Darnold's development has included lots of rewinding and fast-forwarding through plays, and dissecting every move. He's got that type of time now,
because football is the only thing that matters these days.
"I don't have class, so I'm spending every single day in the film room or on the practice field," he said. "So in regards to that, just being able to spend
time watching football and playing football is awesome. To be able to come in
here every single day and do it for a living, that's pretty sweet."
Darnold also recognizes the value of working with McCown and Bridgewater on and off the field.
"What makes it really cool is that they're really good players," Darnold said. "They've experienced ball and they understand what's going on on the field
all the time, at all times. It's amazing to be able to learn from them. After
that play with Jamal, to be able to talk about it with them is something that is
really cool, to be able to do that right after the play and get that
feedback."
Darnold has had to make several adjustments since coming to the Jets, including calling plays in the huddle ??something he hadn't done much of at USC.
He also says the increased pace of the game is evident, even in practice.
"It's faster, which is what I thought it would be, so it's been awesome," he said. "It's just been a learning experience, just learning every single day and
getting used to it has been awesome."
Darnold says "awesome" a lot and sounds like a kid who's happy to be doing what he loves.
"You know
Aaron Rodgers Jersey Youth , no, I don't feel any different," a smiling Darnold said of his milestone birthday. "It's cool to be 21, but at the same
time, I'm just coming here every single day ready for practice. Nothing's
changing for me."
??Kansas City has agreed to trade quarterback Alex Smith to Washington, a move that spells the end of Kirk Cousins’ time with the Redskins
and hands the Chiefs’ job to Patrick Mahomes.Two people with direct knowledge of
the deal confirmed the move to The Associated Press on Tuesday night on
condition of anonymity because the transaction can’t be completed until the
start of the new league year in March. One person told the AP the Redskins had
agreed to a four-year extension with Smith, who had one year left on his
contract.Smith, who turns 34 in May, spent the past five seasons with the
Chiefs, leading them to the playoffs four times while throwing for 102
touchdowns and 33 interceptions. He carries a $17 million salary-cap hit for
2018.Kansas City saves cap space and can turn to Mahomes, the 10th pick in last
year’s draft out of Texas Tech, as its new starter.Smith becomes Washington’s
new franchise quarterback after throwing for 31,888 yards and 183 touchdowns in
12 NFL seasons with the San Francisco 49ers and Chiefs.Smith is “one of the best
competitors and teammates I’ve ever been around,” Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce
posted on . “Someone who I owe a lot of my success to, and a guy that’s been a
class act through all the ups n downs.”The Redskins acquired Smith and signed
him to the kind of long-term deal they balked at with Cousins, who became the
first QB to play back-to-back seasons on the franchise tag. Cousins can become a
free agent next month at age 29.“Nothing really surprises me anymore,” Redskins
tight end Niles Paul tweeted . Former Redskins QB Robert Griffin III tweeted :
“Some how…Some way…they will blame this on me. No doubt.”Cousins
http://www.patriotsauthorizedshop.com/authentic-trent-brown-jersey , drafted by the Redskins in the fourth round out of Michigan State in 2012 ??the
same year they traded up to Griffin with the No 2 pick ??likely leaves
Washington with the fourth-most passing yards in franchise history, more than
16,000.Under coach Jay Gruden, Cousins became the first Redskins QB to start all
16 games for three consecutive seasons. He threw for at least 4,000 yards in
each, while totaling 81 touchdowns and 36 interceptions. But Washington only
played in one playoff game during that span, going 9-7, 8-7-1 and, most
recently, 7-9 in Cousins’ time as a starter.Cousins has been the biggest
question hovering over Washington’s offseason ??and, indeed, hovering over the
whole organization for a couple of years as the team failed to sign him to a
long-term deal.According to ESPN, Washington is sending a third-round draft pick
and cornerback Kendall Fuller to Kansas City in the trade, which cannot be
finalized until March 14. The Kansas City Star first reported the deal.This is
the second time a team coached by Andy Reid has traded a 33-year-old QB to the
Redskins. Reid’s Philadelphia Eagles dealt Donovan McNabb to Washington in 2010
for second- and third-round picks.AP Sports Writer Dave Skretta and Pro Football
Writer Howard Fendrich contributed to this report..
