This point is so spot on. He has all the tools, but he is a rookie growing into the NFL game. Even today, in which he made a ton of good throws l, he looked awful at times and will continue to do so throughout the year. This season was never playoffs or bust. It’s all about growth and showing signs of competency for the staff.
When you say he "looked awful" I assume you're referring to some of his throws, not his reads. Not saying he was perfect on that either, but he looks like he's reading the field really well. Given that he's shown that he can make all the throws, it's just a matter of time and reps before it all comes together for him. He's the real deal IMO.
Also he changed his mechanics this offseason to stop dropping his throwing hand so low. That's why I think he was underthrowing a lot of balls early on. Including a couple balls where he was trying to throw it away and his receiver ended up catching it.
Six of Darnold's 7 touchdowns on the year are over 20 yards (2 vs Detroit, 1 vs Miami, 3 vs Denver today) but lets ignore the facts because DaRnOlD cAnT tHrOw A dEeP bAlL
With all due respect, anyone who thinks Sam has a noodle arm, doesn't know the meaning of the term. Next topic. The strength of his arm is the least of our concerns.
Just a quick question because my memory is failing me. Did either Sanchez or Smith made the throws that Darnold did today? I can’t seem to recall, but it don’t remember either completing shots like the two long Anderson TDs. At least not multiple times a game. Or did they?
Sanchez had some good deep ones to Braylon Edwards but he had amazing run game and could throw off the play action. I know our run game was amazing today but I doubt that’s the case every week.
Shoutout to Brandon Shell. Darnold had all day to make things happen downfield. Anyone even remember that the Broncos had Von Miller and Bradley Chubb?
Sanchez made some nice throws, but his teammates were way better than Darnold's. When his teammates got worse, he collapsed. Smith also made some nice throws and with teammates about as good as Darnold's, but he was super inconsistent and made more bad throws than good ones. Darnold is better than both of them, but that's a very low bar for him to clear. If he's going to be our franchise guy, he has to do more than outplay two busts.
So Sam's COmp. % wasn't that good - 10/22; 198 yards - BUT...this is the kind of game Namath used to produce. Now I'm not saying he's exactly like Joe Willie, but Namath often had games where he missed receivers or they failed to catch the ball, but when it counted, he delivered. I see a similarity there with Darnold. Even if some people doubt him, he doesn't doubt himself. When your QB can strike like lightening, you don't need to have a great completion percentage. I really do believe Sam is the heir to Namath after all these years.
Comp % will come. Give him time. Drew Brees started his rookie campaign at 55%. He became what he is only after he left SD.
Calling Darnold a “noodle arm” just exposes you as a “know nothing” Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
The most impressive thing that I saw from Darnold yesterday was when he snapped the ball quickly to catch the defense with 12 men on the field and take the 5 yard penalty. That, right there, is the definition of "growing". That impressed the shit out of me.
Darnold had some great throws to Robby, but I think the most impressive one was the throw to Kearse on 3rd and 12 ... that was like a 10-12 yard out-route. Extremely tight window.
Best throw of the entire game and likely his best throw of the season, so far. Not only was it an extremely tight window, but it was across the field. An incredibly difficult throw. Like I said, give this kid time with a good offensive line, and he can be lethal
