In his 15 years in the NFL quarterback Josh McCown has seen a lot of special things. But looking at the future of the New York Jets — the last team McCown played for in his long career — he saw the future in quarterback Sam Darnold. And the future looked, well, “different” — even in a purely physical way.
Our new QB @JoshMcCown12 on the moment he realized Sam Darnold had it pic.twitter.com/LPqFLr0QYf
— Jac Collinsworth (@JacCollinsworth) June 25, 2019
McCown recounts how Darnold called an audible that created a first down in a tough situation against the rival New York Giants, but that was just the mental part of the game — important, but it alone won’t keep a QB in the first rank of performers. It is the special qualities Darnold possesses physically that makes the future look so bright for the Jets offense.
There was one play in particular that stands out in McCown’s memory. Darnold was sprinting hard to his left and threw “a pea about 15 yards on the sideline” across his body — throwing while running left is very tough for right-handed QBs — that made everyone on the sideline just shake their heads. McCown looked at his then-teammates and said “that’s different. That was physically (different).”
