NEW YORK -- Joe Namath is bullish on the 2019 New York Jets.

More than 50 years after he led the franchise to its only Super Bowl title, Namath can't hide his excitement that the team is headed in the right direction.

"The guys that we add ... it's exciting," Namath said Tuesday night in midtown Manhattan at the United Way of New York City's Gridiron Gala.

"We've got a couple of leaders and outstanding talent."

It all starts with quarterback Sam Darnold, who turns 22 next month and is entering his second season. Darnold showed signs of promise late in his first season, throwing seven touchdowns and one interception in his final four games.

But Namath knows first hand that things can get tougher in Year 2.

"Second season from college, or whatever, high school -- they call it a sophomore jinx," Namath said. "And you don't go in playing scared and I hope he's not ever thinking about that sophomore jinx coming in."

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Namath threw 19 touchdowns and 27 interceptions in 1966, a year after a solid 18-touchdown, 15-interception rookie year.

"Personally, '66 to me, or that second season wasn't as good as I wanted it to be," Namath said. "The enthusiasm, getting things going that first year, and you can put too much pressure on yourself [in the second year] to a degree."

But Namath doesn't think Darnold will have the same issues he had.

"I think he's going to handle it better," Namath said of Darnold. "I think he'll handle it well, depending, of course. ... He's smart. You know, I wasn't too bright. He's bright, he has a good head on his shoulders and he's going to be fine. We need everybody to step up."

Namath thinks the Jets' first-round draft pick will help the defense immensely.

"First, thank the good lord that Quinnen Williams is on [Darnold's] side, too," said Namath, who played at Alabama, just like the defensive tackle drafted by the Jets 54 years later.

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And while many fans and pundits may be hand-wringing about Le'Veon Bell's decision to skip voluntary workouts during the offseason program, Namath doesn't seem to be worried about the new star running back fitting in.

Namath nearly shouted in excitement when he was asked about Bell, who was widely regarded as the most explosive offensive player available during free agency.

"Woo! Oh!," Namath said. "You know, all this other stuff going on, Le'Veon, come on, this is a great addition. Yes. It's sensational. [C.J.] Mosley [is] coming over, too. And the guys that we add, and I know the draft we didn't have a lot of picks like that, but it's exciting."

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