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Hue Jackson: New York Jets have good QB in Sam Darnold, Cleveland Browns have one in Baker Mayfield

Cleveland Browns coach Hue Jackson understands the New York Jets have a good quarterback in Sam Darnold, but is confident his team does too in Baker Mayfield.
Credit: Matt Florjancic, WKYC Digital Sports
Cleveland Browns coach Hue Jackson looks on at a drill during Monday's practice at the Berea training facility.

CLEVELAND -- The Cleveland Browns were the subject of plenty of discussion when it came to quarterbacks and the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, and tonight, they will get a first-hand look at one of the signal-callers they passed on with the first selection.

The Browns (0-1-1) welcome Sam Darnold and the New York Jets (1-1) to FirstEnergy Stadium for a Thursday Night Football matchup, and despite seeing the former USC quarterback have some success, Coach Hue Jackson is comfortable with the decision made in April, even though Baker Mayfield has yet to see the field in the regular season.

“We did a good job as an organization of really working through all of the guys from top to bottom to be very honest with you,” Jackson said Tuesday.

“We spent time with him and his family, and obviously, every quarterback. We feel very comfortable with the guy that we selected in Baker, and I am sure they do with him. He is a fine prospect and is going to be a fine player. I think they got a good one, but we feel we have a really good one, too.”

Credit: Robert Deutsch
New York Jets quarterback Sam Darnold (14) throws a pass in the first quarter against the Miami Dolphins at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Despite taking five sacks in the first two games of the regular season, Darnold completed 41 of his 62 attempts (66.1 percent) for 532 yards, an average of 8.6 yards per pass, with three touchdowns against three interceptions.

After throwing an interception on his first attempt in Week 1, Darnold went on to complete 16 of his final 20 throws for 198 yards with two touchdowns against the one turnover. Darnold averaged 9.4 yards per pass in a 48-17 win over the Detroit Lions at Ford Field in Detroit.

“Talented quarterback,” Jackson said. “He has thrown for a lot of yards in two weeks. He has turned the ball over a little bit, like most young guys will, but he is playing well for them. He is playing within their system. Obviously, they trust him. They are throwing the ball a lot with him.

“He is able to make plays outside of the pocket with his legs. He has some good guys to throw it to. He is making progress, I am sure, in their system. I am sure that they feel very comfortable with him being their quarterback. He is 1-1 right now. He has an opportunity to come in here Thursday night and make it a tough night for us.”

Credit: Noah K. Murray
New York Jets quarterback Sam Darnold (14) makes a pass against Miami Dolphins linebacker Raekwon McMillan (52) during first quarter at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

In two years as a starter at the University of Southern California, the 6-foot-4, 220-pound Darnold completed 549 of his 846 attempts (64.9 percent) for 7,229 yards and 57 touchdowns against 22 interceptions.

Additionally, Darnold fumbled 21 times in just 27 games as a starter, and lost 14 of those miscues.

Jackson and the Browns plan to use their pre-draft evaluations of Darnold in order to game plan for tonight.

“We are going to use every piece of information we can,” Jackson said. “You can believe it.

“We have an idea of who we are playing, there is no doubt. He is a tough, competitive young man. He is not going to shy away from anything. He is going to stand there and try to make plays if need be. He doesn’t get rattled much. We will use all of the information we have to our advantage.”

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