Sam

[Jac]

Sounds like most QBs not named Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes to me.

Jalen Hurts? Matt Stafford? Nick Foles? Russell Wilson? Joe Flacco? Eli Manning? Even Peyton Manning's 2015 win was carried by the defense. So yes, unless you can find a once in every 25 year generational player at QB, it is very likely you are going to need an elite defense and running game to succeed.



Did defenses change their approach or did we change our approach? In those same games we averaged 140 YPG rushing - 125+ in 7 games and the Colts game the outlier with just 50 rushing yards.

We went from averaging 3.6 YPC in our first 8 games (only the Raiders have been worse this season) to 4.6 YPC in our final 9.

Also in that spell we went 8-1.

So yeah if defenses have adjusted to Darnold it came at a massive cost - turning us into a rushing juggernaut.

Ha, we practically posted the same thing at the same time in different words...

 

[Dolomight12]

See that Charbs interview? Everyone is sick of it.

I missed it. Know where I can find it?

 

[Atradees]

I missed it. Know where I can find it?

I will look around be right back. Got one. He got hit coming off the feild too.

 

[Atradees]

Source: Facebook https://share.google/eyWIGd1WiAXJtlEWg

 

[JPatera76]

See that Charbs interview? Everyone is sick of it.

think this has also brought the team together like a "you mess with him and doubt him, your messing with us all and doubting all of us."

 

[Atradees]

think this has also brought the team together like a "you mess with him and doubt him, your messing with us all and doubting all of us."

I felt like Charbs had a great game. He didn't get to talk about that.

 

[Jac]

It's interesting that the likely MVP and one of the few remaining "elite" QBs (Stafford) only finished with 659 more yards than Darnold (39 yards/game). He was obviously far more proficient finishing drives with TD throws which is why he'll win the award with that 46/8 ratio, but it just seemed like the yard differential would have been more. And while I'm comparing them here...for the record, I'm not if you know what I mean.

 

[Sperrydogg]

his "record" of not winning a big game was 2. 2 games. Total

Narrative has been greatly overblown

He's not perfect, but we can win with him and he's tough. Glad we have him too

Right imagine if his two HUGE LOSSES came his rookie year… everyone would say watch out for sam

 

[SoulfishHawk]

Yet, we have someone on here who flat out REFUSES to say one good thing about Sam. Hilarious.

 

[keasley45]

Sounds like most QBs not named Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes to me.

Jalen Hurts? Matt Stafford? Nick Foles? Russell Wilson? Joe Flacco? Eli Manning? Even Peyton Manning's 2015 win was carried by the defense. So yes, unless you can find a once in every 25 year generational player at QB, it is very likely you are going to need an elite defense and running game to succeed.



Did defenses change their approach or did we change our approach? In those same games we averaged 140 YPG rushing - 125+ in 7 games and the Colts game the outlier with just 50 rushing yards.

We went from averaging 3.6 YPC in our first 8 games (only the Raiders have been worse this season) to 4.6 YPC in our final 9.

Also in that spell we went 8-1.

So yeah if defenses have adjusted to Darnold it came at a massive cost - turning us into a rushing juggernaut.

He. Has. 20. TOs...

On one of the most all around gifted teams in the league.

To claim his errors are only the type that are avoidable by the likes of the uber-elite is a stretch.

There is an issue when the opposing team knows that your weakness is your QB, and can scheme to basically nullify his effectiveness through TOs and mostly stalled drives.

If you are happy with his play that's cool.

I, and most other football fans not in the hardcore Sam fan club see a player that is gifted and flawed, and who's flaws are predictable and have come fairly consistently to the degree opposing teams effectively scheme against them... And they cost us. The only reason they haven't cost more Ls is because of our defense.

 

[hawkfan68]

He. Has. 20. TOs...

On one of the most all around gifted teams in the league.

To claim his errors are only the type that are avoidable by the likes of the uber-elite is a stretch.

There is an issue when the opposing team knows that your weakness is your QB, and can scheme to basically nullify his effectiveness through TOs and mostly stalled drives.

If you are happy with his play that's cool.

I, and most other football fans not in the hardcore Sam fan club see a player that is gifted and flawed, and who's flaws are predictable and have come fairly consistently to the degree opposing teams effectively scheme against them... And they cost us. The only reason they haven't cost more Ls is because of our defense.

Whatever Sam may be, he's still an upgrade over what we witnessed from his precedessor the past couple of seasons. Sam's deficiences are fixable and that he seems to be a person who takes to coaching. Hopefully, he wil keep improving.

 

[Chukarhawk]

You're hilarious, Darnold is Geno with red hair and freckles. Only thing keeping the Hawks where they are is the D and the kicker.

Darnold was 14-2 last year, how did he do under pressure in the playoffs?

If Darnold wins a playoff game I will, give him props. But until then he is still a backup QB that chokes under pressure.

And don't label tonight's game as a "pressure game" Darnold was never under pressure the D kept him on the field and still only managed 1 TD and 2 FGs.

 

[Jac]

He. Has. 20. TOs...

On one of the most all around gifted teams in the league.

To claim his errors are only the type that are avoidable by the likes of the uber-elite is a stretch.

There is an issue when the opposing team knows that your weakness is your QB, and can scheme to basically nullify his effectiveness through TOs and mostly stalled drives.

If you are happy with his play that's cool.

I, and most other football fans not in the hardcore Sam fan club see a player that is gifted and flawed, and who's flaws are predictable and have come fairly consistently to the degree opposing teams effectively scheme against them... And they cost us. The only reason they haven't cost more Ls is because of our defense.

I'm not sure anybody really disagrees with you. Turnovers are his Achilles heel, and turnovers can obviously be backbreakers. But Darnold is what passes for a "close to or at" franchise QB these days. Upgrading on him would be very difficult. However, JS needs to do exactly that in this and future offseasons and continue to build out our QB pipeline through the draft (maybe not this year with Milroe on the roster and limited draft capital).

 

[SoulfishHawk]

Again, 14-3, 1 seed, and people STILL whining about Sam, who played a hell of a game.
No matter WHAT he does, it will never be good enough. Just man up and admit it. People complain, and justified, that he turns it over too much, he absolutely does. He plays a game with ZERO turnovers, and you're still whining. FFS.

Only on Dot Net.............

 

[Ozzy]

The turnovers are slightly overstated. We dissected every single turnover of Geno's in an attempt to remove blame but the same people are claiming every single turnover is all Sam's fault and now we have zero nuance? Keasley45 you gotta be consistent on this. I know for a fact at least 3 of the fumbles were not Darnolds fault, especially if we're using your standard that you used for Geno. We also went back and forth on every interception for Geno, Why not the same approach here? I know of a few that weren't his fault.

But like Geno, Darnold has to find a way to limit turnovers which is what he did against the Niners in a massive game. If he can continue to do that I think Seattle can and will beat anyone.

 

[hox]

Our running game has needed to be what it has been over the last few weeks for us to have won. Thats what i was referring to. 180 yards combined, 160 plus yards combined. If Walker doesnt have the game he had against the Rams, do we win it? I dont think so. If we dont grind out the clock and just punish the Panthers, is that game in jeopardy? If not, its not because our passing game was great. Its because of the defense. We ran for 180 yrds against the 9ers. Its rare to do that and lose.

When you are on the goal line with 1st and goal and miss a wide open TD (actually stare at it and decide NOT to throw...)... and two plays later, you have your TE coming wide open across the field on 4th and goal to go up 7 in a tight game... thats not reliable. We were playing a terrible D and missed easy plays for points twice on the same drive. The passing game isnt something we can lean on reliably when you miss plays that easy.

And before the Darnolites come out in defense of their guy and call me a ho-hummer, malcontent, hater, I am just calling it the way it is. You cannot miss gimme plays like that when the opposition is better. And thats to say nothing for the throw on the slant to Shaheed that was a PI... thankfully. The ball was behind him. Had there been no PI, that might be an INT... similar to the one he threw on the slant in the 2nd Rams game.

The identity of this team has shifted to the run game and defense and it needs to stay there and hope that Sam can work through these mistakes that pop up every game. The concern isnt hype or fabrication. These are plays you simply cannot expect to get away with when the opposing team can also control the clock and score points. And if we dont have the D and run game that has popped up over the last few weeks, we dont have the 1 seed. Simple as that.

I mean you can literally nitpick any QB though, even the elite ones, and find bad plays. If you are expecting perfection from Sam, like how he played in that Commanders game, where he was literally perfect that night, then you are setting yourself up for disappointment.

I agree, lean on the run game and defense. But don't over correct and completely neuter the offense Pete ball style either. Need some explosives that we've been missing since the Titans game. Deep ball accuracy is actually one Sam's strengths. No Horton, then we need to see something from Rasheed or even Dareke Young, or Arroyo when he comes back.

 

[SoulfishHawk]

Yep. Geno got endless excuses after turnovers. Including full on threads downplaying just about every one.
Some of Sams are on tipped balls, or the O Line not blocking and forcing a fumble. Imagine that.... a QB fumbling when the O Line doesn't block. Shocker.
But somehow, ALL are his fault

And for the record, he absolutely DOES make me nervous. But he isn't the horrible QB he is made out to be.

 

[Jegpeg]

There are two ways to get a number 1 seed.

• Have an all great QB and a good enough team surrounding him
• Have a good enough QB and a great team in other positions.

Darnold is only one of two QBs to have had successive 14-3 seasons. He is no Tom Brady, but he has been good enough to not waste our opportunity with the rest of the team that we have. Every "good enough" quarterback has strengths and weaknesses, Sam's weakness has been ball security, he managed to avoid a TO agaist the 49ers (but the fumbled hand off to Zach easily could have been), he threw two interceptions against the Rams but we were able to win despite that.

Small things, often related to Darnold's performance can change the whole story, if the backward pass that led to Zach's two point conversion had been ruled an incompletion or ruled "out of bounds" as in the Panthers Buccs game and we were sitting on the 6th seed opinions of Darnold would be a lot more muted than they are now.

 

[Ozzy]

https://x.com/firsttake/status/2008210276454142354?s=46

 

[Chukarhawk]

There are two ways to get a number 1 seed.

• Have an all great QB and a good enough team surrounding him
• Have a good enough QB and a great team in other positions.

Darnold is only one of two QBs to have had successive 14-3 seasons. He is no Tom Brady, but he has been good enough to not waste our opportunity with the rest of the team that we have. Every "good enough" quarterback has strengths and weaknesses, Sam's weakness has been ball security, he managed to avoid a TO agaist the 49ers (but the fumbled hand off to Zach easily could have been), he threw two interceptions against the Rams but we were able to win despite that.

Small things, often related to Darnold's performance can change the whole story, if the backward pass that led to Zach's two point conversion had been ruled an incompletion or ruled "out of bounds" as in the Panthers Buccs game and we were sitting on the 6th seed opinions of Darnold would be a lot more muted than they are now.

if ifs and buts were candy and nuts......