FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) - The knuckle below Sam Darnold’s freckled right pinkie is still slightly out of place.
It serves as a once-painful reminder that the New York Jets rookie quarterback needs to keep his emotions in check even in the most frustrating of circumstances.
“I feel like I always remain calm,” Darnold said in a sit-down interview with The Associated Press, “just because I learned a hard lesson that day.”
It came on a basketball court, of all places, courtesy of a crushed metal door.
Darnold was a junior in high school when his San Clemente basketball squad was playing league-rival Trabuco Hills on Jan. 17, 2014. Darnold’s Tritons held a 14-point halftime lead and appeared on their way to an easy victory.
Until they blew it.
And then, Darnold completely lost it.
Seething with anger, the Tritons’ leading scorer and rebounder who grew up loving the Los Angeles Lakers and dreaming of being the next Kobe Bryant, stormed off the court after the one-point loss. He did the only thing he thought would help ease the pain.
He put his right fist through his locker.
“At first, I didn’t realize it was broken,” Darnold recalled while lifting his hand and pointing to his knuckle. “You can see it right there. I just punched it because I was so mad and I just sat there (ticked) off. Then, a couple minutes go by and the adrenaline starts to wear off and I’m like, ’Man, my hand really hurts.’ I’m with my parents at the time, and on the car ride home, I was like, ’Guys, I think I might need to go to the hospital.’
“We went and I ended up breaking it.”
Darnold didn’t need surgery, but missed the last seven games of the regular season. He would return for the postseason, but his approach to adversity needed serious repair.
“Ever since that moment,” Darnold said, “in times when things maybe aren’t going the way I would like them to - even in life, not just sports, but life, too - I always try to remain calm.”
The 21-year-old quarterback is the picture of composure and confidence these days, belying his youth and inexperience in the NFL. Darnold’s cool-headed and even-keeled temperament is that of a veteran, something that immediately endeared him to his teammates and coaches in New York.
“He’s got an old soul, but he’s young in age,” coach Todd Bowles said. “But he understands the game very well and he works at it the right way.”
That doesn’t mean Darnold doesn’t get worked up inside when things aren’t going right. He’s as competitive as they come and might shake his fist slightly if he misses a throw, but locker doors are safe.
“I think for me, it’s understanding that I can’t control anything that’s happened in the past,” he said. “Do I get frustrated? Yeah, definitely. But I know that those couple of seconds that I do think about it - and sometimes longer if I’m on the sideline if I throw a pick or something - I can think about it for a minute or two and just let it go after that. That’s really it.”
After a rousing season-opening win at Detroit , the Jets have lost two in a row - including a 21-17 defeat at Cleveland last Thursday night that left many of the players embarrassed and stunned.
The team had the weekend off from practice and meetings before returning to the field Monday, and Darnold tried to clear his head. He checked out the Ed Sheeran concert at MetLife Stadium and hung out with a few buddies, but his mind inevitably wandered to the loss to the Browns.
“Every other couple of hours, I’d think back to one play in the game,” he said. “And the whole weekend, it just kind of dragged on, thoughts about the game.”
Sure, Darnold was happy to get a bit of a break after playing three games in 11 days to start his NFL career. But the youngest quarterback to start an NFL season opener in the Super Bowl era was also fired up to get back to work.
“It wasn’t as crazy as people expected it to be,” Darnold said of the first three weeks. “I was really well prepared going into every game, I thought. Something that killed me was just losing. That’s always something that when it happens, you’ve just got to be able to move on.
“But that’s pretty tough for a competitor like me and, really, a lot of the guys on the team.”
The No. 3 overall pick in April’s draft bears the weight of a frustrated franchise on his young shoulders.
This season marks the 50th anniversary of the Jets’ only Super Bowl appearance. They’ve been searching for the next Joe Namath since his last days with the team in 1976. While some quarterbacks have had success, none has been able to produce sustained winning football.
That’s what the team and its long-suffering fan base hope, wish and pray they have in Darnold. And he doesn’t run from that burden.
“It’s not so much the mindset of not failing or not wanting to fail, but more of wanting to be successful, if that makes sense,” Darnold said. “You just kind of flip it so it’s not a negative.”
It has been an up-and-down start for the rookie, who has thrown three touchdown passes and five interceptions heading into Sunday’s game at Jacksonville.
He has repeatedly spoken about how the last few weeks have been a learning experience, one that could help shape the rest of his career.
“I think it’s definitely something that I’ll be able to look back on,” he said, “especially if something is bothering me or if during the late stages of the season, I’m like, ’Man, this season is really dragging on,’ because everyone says you’ll hit the rookie wall.
“But I think during that time, I’ll look back and be like, ’Man, I played three games in 11 days. I feel like I can do anything.’”
And, be cool, calm and collected while doing it.
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