The biggest area Sam Darnold must work on this offseason

As quarterback Sam Darnold prepares for his transition into the NFL, there is one big area he must work on this offseason with the New York Jets. It’s all about aggressive confidence.

Sooner than later, it will be the beginning of the Sam Darnold era on the New York Jets. It’ll arrive once the young quarterback is 100 percent ready to take over and is fully developed to begin his career in the pros. It won’t be easy as he’ll have his work cut out for him but in the grand scheme of things, there is one big area he must work on immediately this offseason before that era begins.

Confidence breeds success, especially when one is aggressive to achieve perfection. I like to call it aggressive confidence when it comes to the situation Darnold is entering with the Jets. It’s not to say that Darnold needs to be perfect in order to be successful but it’s all about his mindset. As Darnold is groomed by the Jets to be their next franchise quarterback, it’s all on him to step up and take control of the situation he’s in.

In other words, he must be aggressive when it comes to the opportunities he receives from the Jets to seize the moment and in doing so, earn that starting quarterback spot on the team. It’s an open quarterback competition yet again with Josh McCown heading into training camp as the starter but that could change depending on how Darnold plays and how deep in development he gets.

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When running positional drills and especially in offense vs. defense plays in training camp, it’s imperative that Darnold takes that opportunity by the horns and runs with it. Being aggressive and commanding in the huddle while making his presence known is key here. Leaders are those that can bring people together and accomplish great things, which is exactly what the Jets want to see Darnold take control of when he’s in a huddle.

Once he gets that down pat, he can be everything the Jets need him to be and then some. Darnold did it before in college at USC but at the pro level, it’s a whole different ballgame. Even though he’ll be a young rookie likely asking veterans a plethora of questions, it’s all leading to something special down the road that will hopefully elevate him to greatness.

When all is set and done and in a perfect world, Darnold will be able to lead everyone around him towards winning a lot of football games. Before that, however, he must have his teammates completely bought in but earn the respect of those around him. This will eventually be his team and make no mistake about it, his team for a very long time if he can master aggressive confidence.