Curtis Martin gives advice to Sam Darnold

As rookie quarterback Sam Darnold prepares for his transition into the pros, former New York Jets running back Curtis Martin has some great advice for him as he begins his pro career.

Whenever a new quarterback is in town, they’re always going to get grilled and asked a plethora of questions when it comes to everything and anything about their standing with a franchise. Such is the case with newly drafted quarterback Sam Darnold and the New York Jets.

Even during rookie minicamp, Darnold was the center of attention and was making all the headlines for every pass, fumble, and interviews for his transition into the pros. Ideally, Darnold will be given lots of advice from the coaching staff, veterans, and of course, former legends of the gridiron.

If you grew up a Jets fan, you know exactly who #28 was and everything he brought to the table during his legendary career. Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Curtis Martin recently chimed his thoughts on what Darnold should do in order to stay focused on his early yet crucial development in his rookie season.

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In an article written by TMZ Sports, here is what Martin believes will tremendously help Darnold succeed in the toughest sports market in the world:

“Don’t believe too much, good or bad, what you read in the papers,” Martin told Darnold through TMZ Sports. “When I played here, I didn’t read it. Whether it was good or bad, I didn’t read it.”

Martin is 100 percent right here since at the end of the day, Darnold is only going to get more exposure as he settles into his role with the Jets. Every little thing he says and does will be under such a microscope that it’s easy to see how one could be demoralized when the going gets tough. At the same time, should he find major success early on in his career, Darnold can’t let it get to his head.

It’s great to see Martin give such sound advice here since he undoubtedly saw all the ups and downs in his own career with the Jets as it’s important to stay focused and level-headed in the grand scheme of things. Darnold seems to have a calm, cool, and collective approach in how he handles the media so here’s to hoping that whether he’s coming off a game where he threw four touchdowns or a loss in which he committed two turnovers, he continues to stay true to himself.