Let me start by saying I REALLY wanted Mayfield last year but that was mostly because I thought Darnold would absolutely go 1. I think I had even said that I would prefer Mayfield over Darnold because of the gusto and "it" factor. I think both are going to be fantastic, so this isn't a knock or trying to prop Darnold up over Mayfield: Darnold led a comeback on the road against the #1 ranked pass defense in the Buffalo. Also GB allowed the 12th least yards per game through the air, so by the numbers they were almost a top 10 pass defense. First game, I know, but Detroit finished top 10 in passing defense. Indy... not awful. Really the only awful passing defense he played was the Texans.
I love Darnold. I just can't be completely biased in support of him. I think Mayfield will be a great one too.
I try to think about whether or not I'm being biased when I talk about how fantastic Darnold is going to be. I don't THINK I am only because I actually wanted someone other than him and still think that other guy is going to be great QBs for a long time. I think Sam just has the potential to do it better and for longer because of his age, his style and the head on his shoulders.
A better Off-Season thread would be: Who Would You Trade Sam Darnold For? That is a tough question. For me, Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers only. Rodgers is 35 though, so even that would be risky. Might just be Mahomes. That is really high praise for Sam. Brady, Ben, Rivers, and Brees are too old. Wentz gets injured too much. Russell Wilson, maybe?
Easy.. no one. Luck would’ve been the closest for me if not for age and injury. I loved Mahomes as a prospect but I believe Darnold was best QB prospect since Luck.
Despite being the better player without question last year, Mayfields off the field antics still worry me a bit. Like he's not a bad dude or anything, but his whole schtick works well when his team is doing well. It could wear thin if they struggle. Almost reminds me of Rex Ryan in that sense. I'm very happy with what I've seen from Darnold so far, both on and off the field. Hopefully we see a big jump this year. Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk
I don't disagree with any of that. I wasn't necessarily labeling anyone biased. Mostly just saying I can't allow myself to say I wouldn't take Mayfield over Darnold. All that being said, I love both QB's chances to become legit top 10 QBs in the NFL for a long time.
Sam had the best QBR of any QB in the last 4 games of the season. I would definitely keep Sam even though Baker may have a better year but it will be because of OBJ & Landry. Let's not forget Sam is 2 years younger than Baker & has less experience than Baker. That tells me that Sam has more potential than Baker even though Baker had the better season. Baker is more seasoned than Sam NOW....talk to me in a year or two when Sam is 24, the age that Baker is now.
Wow, I'm surprised at the poll results. I expected the majority of posters to answer No, but I didn't think that would be over 95% of the votes. It would be super interesting to pose the exact same question (you're GM of the Jets, you get the opportunity to trade Darnold for Mayfield) to fans of other teams. I also wish I could re-do the poll but make the votes anonymous. See if that would have changed the results.
My prediction would be that among general fans it would be about 60/40 to prefer Mayfield, since he clearly had a better year in 2018, and among Browns fans it would be at least 99/1 to not trade Mayfield for Darnold. None of which is actually unreasonable.
I would not swap Sam for Baker, for one main reason. There is no way to be sure of anything, so I want to be clear that what I’m saying is not definite, or likely, it’s just something we’ve all seen before. Guys like Mayfield ride the wave of emotion much more than guys like Darnold. Mayfield is feisty, and everyone is on board with that right now while he is playing well. However, a guy like Mayfield is much more likely to take criticism or losing badly, based on other outspoken, high energy guys through the history of the league. Again, I’m not saying it will happen with Mayfield, I’m just saying I’ve seen enough of a correlation that I would rather take the more stoic, even keeled player as my leader.
I'm not so sure Mayfield was the most NFL ready. Darnold started day 1, Mayfield had some time to sit and absorb. After Darnold got the chance to sit he excelled with a much weaker supporting cast.
Mayfield stepped in to a sticky situation in Cleveland. I think he did a very good job willing that team to wins. It could have gone totally off the rails. Sam is more subdued at this point...and there's some strong personalities that have been added.
That's a very good point. Darnold seems to bounce back well from mistakes, rather than melting down. He has the same poise whether he just threw a pick or a touchdown. Very professional, and cool, calm, but confident demeanor. Mayfield seems like a loaded cannon that can blow up at any time.
