FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Adam Gase has never seen anything like it.

The Jets coach has worked with one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time in Peyton Manning. He has coached Jay Cutler, a man with some of the best arm talent the NFL has seen in the past two decades. But what Sam Darnold did during the the Jets' preseason matchup against the Falcons was something on which Gase had never laid eyes.

"Yeah, the throw to Quincy (Enunwa) — I don't know that I have seen many that were better in my career," Gase said. "He put it in the one spot, it was a very tight throw and it was very accurate."

The zip on the ball, the deadline accuracy and the quick release are all noticeable. But the throw started with Darnold's footwork, a perceived weakness of his before he entered the NFL.

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The NFL preseason is a lot like "The Matrix" — everything you think you know is an absolute lie. There are many illusions. Christian Hackenberg led a touchdown drive in his first preseason action, after all.

However, even through the illusion, one can still glean some information. While Jets fans are believing Sam Darnold is indeed The One, there's obvious cause for optimism — including that throw.

These are the kinds of throws Darnold is capable of, and you don't have to search hard to find them: a TD toss vs. the Texans in which he stepped up and darted around an offensive lineman before tossing a jump pass to Robby Anderson; an off-balance scrambling throw to Deontay Burnett in Week 17 vs. the Patriots; and, of course, his scrambling, looping, sprinting throw he made to Anderson in the Jets' second matchup vs. the Bills.

The throw against the Falcons that left Gase floored was just the latest example of Darnold's impromptu passing ability.

Jets in a 3x1 singleback set. Enunwa and Crowder are stacked in a reduced split (bottom). They switch stems as the ball is snapped nd Enunwa runs an over vs this cover 1 hole. Darnold fakes the handoff, sells the flat with eyes/hips then fires it into Enunwa with very little room pic.twitter.com/psfA2mpkMp — Joe Blewett (@Joerb31) August 17, 2019

Left tackle Kelvin Beachum is beat by Takk McKinley on the play, sniffing out the play-action immediately. McKinley gets to Darnold quick enough that Darnold doesn't have his feet set on the play. Some of that is also Darnold selling the throw to the flat. Darnold, with his feet almost parallel to the line of scrimmage and no stride, fires a dart to Enunwa. The ball is perfectly placed despite that.

Per NFL Next Gen Stats, Enunwa only had 0.54 yards of separation. It was a great grab, but an even better throw.

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It's not all great. Gase has reiterated Darnold's need to clean up his footwork, especially in a clean pocket, but when you see throws like that, is it that big of a deal? Well, yeah.

Interestingly enough, some scouting reports didn't peg Darnold's play-extending and unorthodox throwing ability as a strength coming out of college:

From NFL.com:

"Too willing to throw from uneven platform."

From Pro Football Weekly:

"Footwork can be sloppy and sketchy — not always square when delivering the ball."

From ESPN:

"There's no question that he developed some bad habits with his footwork (lazy/sloppy with lower-body at times)."

"Sometimes, you just have to let him do his thing a little bit," Gase said. "When he's got a mess inside and he's got to slide and he's not really lined up right and makes a great throw, that's what it is — it's him making a play."

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The California kid, just 22, has not only dazzled his coach, but his teammates in practice — even during his rookie season — with his propensity to make unique, challenging and adventurous throws. Jets players have watched game tape in awe of the throws Darnold makes. To that end, Darnold has room for improvement, mainly in that lower half. He suffered from happy feet in the pocket at times last season, a problem he claims to have rectified with experience and a newfound poise.

"Last year, first year in the NFL, first couple games especially, I was very spastic in the pocket," Darnold said. "I was kind of that way my first few games and, really, the first half of the season. I thought I calmed down a lot the last half of the season and then these first preseason games, I felt like I've been really calm and we've just been kind of driving the ball down the field."

Darnold's preseason went well considering it's his second season, first under a new head coach and first as the undisputed Jets starter. Showcasing improving footwork and some of that signature "magical sloppiness," he finished 17-of-25 passing for 211 yards and two touchdowns in three games this preseason, with no turnovers, an issue that plagued him last season. While he has made some questionable throws that have nearly led to interceptions, that fearlessness is what separates good quarterbacks from great ones.

Through games and practice, Darnold's intelligence and ability to make throws from various platforms have impressed a certain new superstar on One Jets Drive.

"Sam's got a lot of unorthodox things about him," Jets running back Le'Veon Bell said. "He can be looking one way, his feet will be facing one way, but he'll throw it the other way. That's not normal. He's such a special player that he can do that, he can make those plays like that."

(Getty Images) https://images.daznservices.com/di/library/sporting_news/fc/97/sam-darnold-082919-gettyjpg_gs1sqlewisqh1q0rscgav7dou.jpg?t=-574324804&w=500&quality=80

Bell, who played a long time with veteran quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, sees some similarities in their games. He compared Darnold to a young Roethlisberger because of his ability to extend the play and make off-schedule and off-platform throws. Another new fellow running back, Ty Montgomery, has played with someone with similar traits to Darnold: Aaron Rodgers.

"It's very exciting, and to be honest there's a level of comfort for me, right? Coming from Green Bay, playing with a guy like Aaron Rodgers, that was a lot of the bread and butter over there, of extending plays," Montgomery said. "Now, being able to play with Sam, who's also got this mobile ability and this ability to throw as he's moving around, being outside of the pocket, extending plays, that's only going to help us."

While Bell and Montgomery both have fair comparisons to make, Gase provides a different window for Darnold. While Gase has a lot of football in his mind and has coached one of the greatest quarterbacks ever, he has seen something different in Darnold's ability to make something out of nothing.

"I think Peyton (Manning) was outstanding in a phone booth. The world could be collapsing on him and he just could hang in there and find ways to get throws in tight windows," Gase said. "There were some times in 2015 I saw Jay (Cutler) make some unbelievable movements in the pocket, off-balance, throws down the field.

"But as far as his ability to do it consistently, the accuracy, guys don't break stride. (Darnold) could be completely off balance, and somehow he puts the ball out in front of the receiver when he's moving and the guy catches it and can still run."

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As the youngest QB to start an NFL opener since 1970, Darnold finished his rookie campaign with 17 touchdowns but 15 interceptions and a 57.7 completion percentage. Long term, that ratio and that inaccuracy aren't conducive to sustainable positive production, but look for that to change this season. He did, after all, play well down the stretch in 2018.

That level of play is hard to predict or project, but Gase has high hopes for what Darnold has to offer once the regular season gets underway.

"I've been happy with how he's come back from any kind of issues that we've had in practice, whether it be mentally or technique things that we've been working on," Gase said. "I think every day he comes in he tries to do exactly what's asked.

"I think he gets better every day."