Sam on throwing mechanics, motions, and footwork:
"I worked on my hips and leading with my hips. If you look at older clips, I get leaned, [leaning forward] lean over the top. I'm not using my posterior lower body at all. I am making sure that I am staying a little bit back, to the extent that I am here [a bit back], but I am upright. When I get filmed, and I'm like right here [leaning too back], then all of a sudden on camera, I can see that I am actually upright, it is getting to that feel where it is coming out super clean, and that way I can use my lower body.
Darnold then said:
"In college, I got in a bad habit [being squared and stationed], looking over there and using all my arm because I can get away with it. The longer you play, the more you can start feeling your arm fatigue and all that. So it's really about longevity and being able to stay healthy. You know what they say, "your best ability is your availability." That is 100% true, especially in our position."
On deep balls:
"When Steph Curry shoots the ball, he looks up at the ball. When I shoot the ball, I like to keep eye contact with the rim the whole time. Like a lot of quarterbacks and me when we throw, we look at the ball, right when we let it go, almost like premature, let it go, and then we look at it. For me? I have to train as much as I can to keep my eye on the receiver as long as I can, because naturally, I want to look at the ball. Even more importantly, like "go balls," "posts," making sure I keep my eye on the receiver as much as possible. When I am throwing it, I keep my chin down, I can stay in the throw, not getting out of it, and I can stay here [in his throwing motion]."
He mentioned as well that he works on core a lot to help with his mechanics, strength, loves to stay level, more accurate in the throw, and availability is key.
