The Sam Darnold development no one on Jets saw coming

Adam Gase was already thrilled to be inheriting Sam Darnold, excited to have a young franchise quarterback he could mold as the new Jets coach.

He grew even more enthusiastic when spring workouts began, and he noticed one stark difference in the young signal-caller from what he had seen in two games against him as the Dolphins coach.

“I don’t think I realized how strong his arm was,” Gase said on Monday, following training camp practice.

Throughout camp, it has been apparent. Teammates and coaches have echoed Gase, that Darnold’s ball has more zip and a tighter spiral. Darnold agrees, believing it is a combination of his comfort level in the offense and standing with his teammates along with his preparation.

“A lot of it has to do with knowing where my arm needs to be,” said Darnold, the third overall pick in the draft a year ago out of USC. “In the past going through the draft and combine and all that stuff, I was maybe pushing it a little too much early on, because I had to. I wanted to be at my peak performance for Pro Day.

“Right now, I feel great heading into the year. I’m kind of right where I want to be.”

New running back/wide receiver Ty Montgomery said Darnold has one quality that reminds him of one of the sport’s best quarterbacks, Aaron Rodgers, who he played with for most of his career with the Packers. Like Rodgers, Darnold has a whipping motion that enables him to deliver the ball without his feet being set and yet not lose any velocity on his throw.

“Dude’s got a hell of an arm,” Montgomery said.

And, apparently, it is getting stronger.

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