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Sam Darnold's one cool customer and that's a big reason he's the Jets' Week 1 starter

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — He has a terrific arm, a high football IQ, excellent footwork and terrific mobility. But there’s something else about Sam Darnold that sets him apart as a quarterback — something that will serve him well as he begins his NFL journey as the Jets’ starter.

It’s his sense of calmness.

Spend any time around Darnold, and you will sense it. In practice. In the locker room. In casual conversation. There is a level-headedness about him, a sense of composure and poise that you don’t always find around professional athletes. Especially quarterbacks.

But when you do find it, you understand that it is one of his greatest assets.