Darnold Signs with Seattle

[Donn Beach]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOr5QrQ0sGk

What about this tape says Sam Darnold is a "game manager" ??? lol

Well, they are playing SEA, and SEA always makes opposing QBs look good. But he's in SEA now, so he likely won't have much time to throw. Just a guess, but he'll probably spend most of his time here running for his life.

Amazing analysis. You should write for ESPN.

Why can't people take 5 fucking minutes to research shit? No "game manager" has ever thrown for 34 touchdowns. Minnesota's offensive line was on par if not slightly worse than Seattle's in allowing pressure.

Yeah, don't think they view him as a game manager

Darnold fits many of the attributes that the Seahawks clearly prefer in their quarterbacks - most notably among them an aggressive streak. Seattle got a front-row seat for it when Darnold led a comeback win for the Minnesota Vikings on their own field this past season.

[Seattle or Bust]

The Seahawks were top ten in passing because that's pretty much all they did. If you throw enough passes you can reach a level like that but it doesn't make it a successful strategy. Passing the ball in the first place is becoming less popular these days. Last season saw the highest rushing yardage per game average in ten years. Rushing the ball is cool again. The Seahawks need to get with it, it's not some dinosaur strategy these days

Exactly. Sam Howell in '23 is living proof of that.

Geno only threw for 4k yards cause in 12 of the games we trailed and they just decided to huck it up while teams played prevent.

[Michael K.]

The Seahawks were top ten in passing because that's pretty much all they did. If you throw enough passes you can reach a level like that but it doesn't make it a successful strategy. Passing the ball in the first place is becoming less popular these days. Last season saw the highest rushing yardage per game average in ten years. Rushing the ball is cool again. The Seahawks need to get with it, it's not some dinosaur strategy these days

Which is why I said that would be cherry picking.

[Donn Beach]

Okay, so how about giving MM a second year to see if they can create a more balanced offense

[Sibelius Hindemith]

I can't wait to see how they're going to become a run-heavy offense with an offensive line that is now almost sure to be subpar once again. I mean, you can somewhat mitigate bad O line play in the passing game with scheme, but if you can't run block there's not a whole lot you can do other than to run less.

[Donn Beach]

They don't need to become run heavy, they need to be more balanced. Far as I know that would be the answer. The thing about pass blocking is it's passive, your retreating trying to protect the QB. Run blocking on the other hand let's you hit somebody, be aggressive. Maybe that's what they need more of

[Michael K.]

Okay, so how about giving MM a second year to see if they can create a more balanced offense

Hilarious. I never should he shouldn't, but I also never said we should have fired the Offensive Coaches and brought in 17 others to coach O Line and Run Game. Why isn't what is good for one good for the other? MM was over matched at times last year. Hence, four play 80 yard game losing TD drive by the Rams and three play 75 yard game losing TD drive by the Vikings. Mr Defense, who is bringing back the LOB. No one mentions this, because yet another time the GM and Defensive Minded coach gave us all a shiny object to look at by scapegoating the Offense.

Again, look at the DCs that go and work for young offensive minded coaches. And look at the OCs that gravitate towards defense first guys. You win with Defense, no on is saying you don't, but the best DCs either become HCs, or go coach for Offense first guys.

[Michael K.]

They don't need to become run heavy, they need to be more balanced. Far as I know that would be the answer. The thing about pass blocking is it's passive, your retreating trying to protect the QB. Run blocking on the other hand let's you hit somebody, be aggressive. Maybe that's what they need more of

They didn't get rid of the OC, QB and WR and replace him with what they have because they plan on being balanced. It's going to be run heavy. Defense gets to sit on the sidelines and rest. That is complementary football. You never hear about the Defense giving up fast scoring drives and that isn't complementary. Complementary is what Defensive guys use to bitch about pass heavy offenses.

[douche]

'Game manager' is an interesting term. Who/what is a game manager? By definition, it's a guy who, 'is able to manage and win games despite having below average or poor personal statistics. They typically depend on a strong defense and/or running game on offense to win games while the QB simply manages the game well enough to win. A "game manager" quarterback is not an elite, play-making quarterback and will not win a Super Bowl single-handed. Their career statistics show consistent mediocrity.'

But there are anomalies. Some would argue that Jeff Garcia was a game manager, but he played on some pretty strong 49er teams. Is Delhomme a game manager? Perhaps, but he also had talent around him. Yet Garcia had two seasons where he threw for 31 and 32 touchdowns. Delhomme had two seasons where he threw for 29 and 21 touchdowns.

So where does Darnold sit? Is he a legit QB, or is he a 'game manager' who had one good season? Did he throw 35 TDs because he's that good? Did he throw 35 TDs because MIN was pass heavy? Or did he throw 35 TDs because the talent was around him? Likely all three.

It's a good move for SEA, they get younger at the position and save some money. And Darnold's ceiling is yet to be determined. It will be interesting to see how they utilize him.

https://www.si.com/nfl/seahawks/seahawk ... s-add-more

"I'm super happy for Sam Darnold, ecstatic for Sam Darnold," ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky said. "You're going to a very different situation, and that's my thing for Seattle is, don't get Sam Darnold and pay him this money and think you're not going to have to add some pretty significant pieces in the next six weeks or so, and you're going to get the same results. Sam went from arguably the best situation, quarterback-wise, in the NFL, outside of maybe Philly, to one that is dire right now in Seattle. And Minnesota's offensive line was top five, top seven in the NFL, specifically when it came to pass protection, that is not Seattle's offensive line."

It's easy to see where Orlovsky is coming from. Smith-Njigba is a great No. 1 option and newcomer Marquez Valdez-Scantling should be a solid supporting option, but Seattle's receiving corps is definitely not on the same level as Minnesota's. Orlovsky is probably overrating the Vikings offensive line as they allowed 48 sacks last season, but he's absolutely right about it being better than the Seahawks.

[douche]

Another interesting take from SI:

"But while Darnold might have more long-term upside than Smith, his struggles in the Vikings' final two games -- including an 11-sack debacle in their wild-card playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams -- might have provided a look at his ceiling. And without a track record of sustained success, there's a risk he could end up being a one-year wonder now that he has left the only NFL setting in which he has excelled."

1. How much was Kevin O'Connell responsible for Darnold's breakout year?

The biggest difference between Seattle's situation compared to Minnesota's is on the sidelines. Mike Madonald is an undeniable whiz at defensive playcalling, but that's only going to help Darnold in that he'll be practicing against a tough defensive mind every day. By comparison, Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell got his job because he's one of the game's best offensive playcallers - recently ranking fourth in the entire NFL. If Darnold has issues adjusting to not having O'Connell calling the plays, we might see a significantly different version of Darnold in 2025 than we did this past season in Minnesota.

2. Can Darnold handle going from a good offensive line to a bad one?

Another big change that Darnold would have to adjust to involves a pretty gnarly change to the personnel in front of him. With the Vikings he had a strong pass-protection unit helping him, ranking second in ESPN's pass block win rate in 2024. By comparison, the Seahawks ranked 21st in that stat. Unless they manage to sign some serious updgrades inside, there's a good chance Darnold will face the same major issue that kept a low lid on Geno Smith's ceiling as Seattle's QB1. Intense and sudden interior pressure is the quickest and most sure way to shut down a modern NFL passing attack - and if Darnold's off-script playmaking ability can't transcend that he won't be much of an upgrade at all.

3. How much will Darnold miss Justin Jefferson?

There's no one true shining superstar in Seattle's receiver room, either. At least nobody who's near the level of Vikings stud Justin Jefferson, who's easily the best at his position in the NFC. In five seasons Jefferson has already totaled nearly 500 catches, almost 7,500 yards and 40 touchdowns. Jaxon Smith-Njigba is an awesome and capable receiver, but he isn't touching that kind of production.