With his diagnosis of mononucleosis, the Jets’ Sam Danold has been ruled out indefinitely.
Actually, that’s a good thing.
The Jets need to be absolutely positive that mono has left his body before they put him back under center.
To try to rush him back is ludicrous and can be fatal.
Just ask Matt Simms about having a spleen ruptured on the field. It happened to him as a member of Tampa Bay in 2006, and he nearly went into shock.
Darnold risks the same fate if he get hit with an enlarged spleen.
From the early returns, the Jets appear to have their targets on him returning for the Dallas homegame Oct. 13.
That roughly would be a month and the Jets’ season still can be saved.
Still, don’t put him on the field if he isn’t 100 percent.
The risk to him and the franchise is too big.
This is the franchise quarterback the team has been waiting for since Joe Namath. This also is a 22-year-old with an unbound future.
Remember Ken O’Brien, Richard Todd, Browning Nagle, maybe there are some doubters about him being the savior, but we have seen enough of him to know that Darnold can develop into one of the better quarterbacks in the league.
With their kicking and cornerback situations still in limbo, the Jets can still bring back some respectability with or without Darnold this season.
Le’Veon Bell will have the chance to showcase why he is considered to be one of the premier backs in the league.
Trevor Siemian has started 24 NFL games, and he certain is capable to take over the reins. He has a 13-11 overall career mark as a starter, but he hasn’t played in a regular game since December 2017.
The Jets may go to a ground-and-pound game with Bell, Ty Montgomery, and Bilal Powell to alleaviate some of the pressure on Siemian. It is sure to be a tweaking of the offense with Siemian being a typical pocket passer.
Yes, the Jets once again have been bitten by fate. They also lost wide receiver Quincy Enunwa, who received a big contract in the offseason in anticipation of a breakout season.
But the emphasis here is on Darnold.
Sources stated that he was feeling “better”, but some doctors have suggested that he should sit the season as a precautionary measure.
That’s not the end of the world for the Jets. Don’t rush him back. If the season ends up in the tank, so be it.
The Jets have waited too long for this chance.
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