Sam Darnold says 'ghost' trolling had no impact: 'I was just playing bad because I did'
The “I’m seeing ghosts,” clip could not have come at a worse time for Sam Darnold. The New York Jets quarterback uttered the phrase nine days before Halloween, and in Jacksonville on Sunday the Jaguars faithful ran with the spirited situation.
There was a mascot in costume, a pre-game sky writing and a few “BOO!” chants in the works. The stadium even played the “Ghostbusters” theme song at the two-minute warning while airing his three interceptions in the 29-15 loss.
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Darnold kept his cool after the game as he did in the aftermath while the Jets were up in arms about any player being mic’d up in the future. The second-year player was quite frank when addressing the ghosts in Jacksonville. Via the New York Post:
“It is what it is. It didn’t affect me,” Darnold said. “It’s just a silly thing for social media and fans to be able to try to use it against you. But for me, I was just playing bad because I did. I just wasn’t executing out there, I wasn’t putting the balls where they needed to be and — it wasn’t about that, though.”
Darnold, 22, missed a golden opportunity to lean into the situation with the “I blame myself” reference.
He has seven interceptions and two fumbles over the past two games against the Jaguars and New England Patriots, telling reporters it was “two of my worst games ever.” Though the issues lie on the Jets more than Darnold.
The team’s lone victory is against the Dallas Cowboys, in which Darnold threw for 338 yards, two touchdowns and one interception after returning from mononucleosis and its complications. He was sacked only twice that game, a stark comparison to the eight times he was taken down by the Jacksonville defense. He was also hit 13 times by the Jags.
To make matters worse, head coach Adam Gase told reporters after the game his quarterback sprained his thumb. It’s becoming a mighty long, frustrating saga for New York City.
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