Darnold mea culpa

Sam Darnold was the third pick of the 2018 NFL draft and three years later dangles on a tightrope mixed with underwhelming NFL starters and guys on the cusp of the unemployment line.

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He is getting a second chance, now in Carolina, to prove that the perpetually messy Jets caused him more harm than he brought to them.

So why should Giants fans care about Sam Darnold, other than to hope that he never dons a Big Blue uniform? Because his story bears some resemblance to that of another New York quarterback.

Full disclosure: I spent a few thousand words trying to convince folks that the Giants should have chosen Darnold with the second pick of the 2018 draft. If they didn’t take Darnold, I suggested, then they had to go with the unrefined signal-caller out of the University of Wyoming, Josh Allen, who has turned out quite well for the Buffalo Bills. But I, like many others, was big on Darnold, still am to an extent.

Darnold faced repeated challenges in New York, mostly caused by a franchise that seems to take special pride in consistently doing the wrong thing. Darnold was expected to succeed amid unstable offensive lines, no running game, mediocre receivers and two different head coaches and offensive systems.

What a surprise that he left town with a 1325 record as a starter.