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I agree. In truth, I think starting from the beginning actually hurts most qb's. A few can overcome it, more cannot.

You are right. And it doesn’t speak well of them.

You know it's bad when Bryce would consider you a little guy

It’s both.

If you think Geno Smith is an upgrade over Bryce Young, you don’t know ball.

Even smaller than Kyler, Bryce (204 lbs) and Russell. PF SN

If we had kept Darnold and signed him to a longer contract, half the fanbase would have howled. And would likely not accept him until he won a Superbowl or two.

It is the topic we have put off talking about-for obvious reasons. Since I try to throw stuff out there to discuss (mainly to pick your brains to see if my thinking is way off base or on point) I decided to talk about free agents on our roster and decide whether we should try to re-sign them or not. First, Rozeboom is 28 years of age (in his prime). He had his best year at Carolina in 2025--for that reason, he might be inclined to stay if we give him an offer. Will he want a starter's contract? His PFF score was a 47. That could be the rub. He probably feels that he should be rewarded based on his 2025 performance (I think he is credited with 122 tackles, 2 sacks, a forced fumble, etc) I figured his asking price for a new contract would be around $6m per, but one source said $3m. I noticed this about his play when observing. He is often the last person to take a step after the snap. That could mean that his coaches were correcting a habit like taking a false step. No step is better than a false step. However, Luke was stepping before the snap on many occasions, and the difference is not really the number of tackles, but where (in relation to the LOS) they took place. I think Wallace and Rozeboom (if we can get him for $4m or under) would be adequate depth. I think we need a free agent to add to the room, a player like KC's Leo Chanel. KC is in cap hell, and Chanel was not a 3-down LB. Here, he would get paid, join an ascending team, and start. Our LBs with Chanel (PFF SCORE 75 on 440 snaps) would be Chanel, Rozeboom, Wallace, Cherelus, and Martin-Scott. I am guessing the cost of free agency would be about $10-12m for Chanel and Rozeboom. If we did this, we might be OK at ILB, although I really like some in the draft. Personally, I think we need a stud starter, but Chanel is 25 and could be that person.

If Darnold is limited, then the vast majority of NFL quarterbacks are limited. I personally don't think he is that limited. Strong arm, decent mobility and accuracy. His problem was that he would play great but then make one or two boneheaded mistakes that would cost the team the game. He seems to have mostly eliminated that issue, but it took a while.

Interest in Geno will be very low. Low ceiling, low floor, bad teammate. And yes, I don't know whether it's funny or sad that he still is probably better than Bryce.

Well any way, to continue to highlight how bad the pro bowl is, Shedeur Sanders just got in as a replacement for Drake Maye. He only played 8 games this season and has a 18.9 QBR rating.

Yeah, I didn't want to trade for Darnold and wasn't sad to see him go but at the same time, he won me over as a person during his time here. Seems like a legit good dude. Not sad to see him playing well and doing well.

From a design perspective... the favored teams would be in the forefront to catch the eye. Barkley, Purdy, Burrow, Mahomes, Watt... the usual suspects. Those way, way off in the distance, closest to the trophy, would be the ones that at the beginning of the season they would have been writing off as no chancers, so they get the wee teeny-tiny images in the picture. There ain't no fix, just people manufacturing clicks.

I said back in the day on this board we were making a mistake. That one game against the Vikings when we were getting killed and Sam just came out, put the team on his shoulders and then just started playing way above his pay grade and going off script and running for first downs showed there was more to him than anyone around here believed. We lost the game and for a lot of folks, that was the coda before he should have been tossed in the trash. I said back then he's see a Super Bowl before we did. We were a trash team with trash coaching and he was the butt of it all. Didn't deserve what we gave him, didn't deserve what the Jets did to him. Spent some time rehabbing with great coaching and organization in San Fran, then went to Minnesota and saved their season, then got spun out to preserve their top draft pick guy and found a home in Seattle where they knew how to use him. Good for Sam, the guy deserves it for all the crap he's been through and for not giving up. And maybe he makes a note that our hot takes version of sports is bullshit sometimes.

Truth.

The limitations aren't the same. Sam Darnold can absolutely make every throw in the book. You just have to keep him on schedule and have to beat it into his head that if it's not there just throw it away and live to play another down. Crucial back breaking turnovers has always been his Achilles' heel. Bryce's Achilles' heel is that he simply physically cannot make a lot of plays that most other NFL QBs can. That's an entirely different limitation to try to manage.

proves alot of what ive told people. The OC should take alot more blame than players. Coaching and system play a big part. Cant fit a square peg through a circle hole. Our OC have been incompetent for a while.

He’s a great example of building a good team around a limited QB. Something we can definitely do.

I'm sure its been said but the Vikings have to feel worse. Darnold played great for them, and they let him walk for JJ McCarthy.

For everyone saying "Oh, he wouldn't have ever been that here," Is that supposed to be a justification for letting him get away? No, it's an indictment on...well ownership. It doesn't make me feel any better, it just makes me reflective about development timelines, patience, team building and the like. And, for those saying that he is the same QB, well... that's laughable. He's obviously well-coached, confident and experienced. He's led two teams to consecutive 14-win seasons and is in the Super Bowl (and will probably become a champion). Coping doesn't have a home here. The Panthers fvcked up in so many ways.

I don’t really much watch the Super Bowl anymore. Especially when the same team is always in it. Sometimes. But for all those reasons that tie in with that generally obscenely overproduced halftime show, I care less and less. We have had some good contests. But with all that stuff and Taylor Swift and the whole thing I barely paid attention to it last year. So often it is about the commercials and the halftime show and the game is just meh. The conference championship weekend, generally, is where the real Super Bowl is played. At least as often as not. I think that the Rams Seattle game had the two best teams in it.

My uneducated eye saw him as close after Wilks got him back in. Wilks was very protective of him I thought, didn’t rush him and didn’t ask too much from him at first. I thought he let him get his feet under him. I will bet you Reich could really have helped him. Instead of making that trade and putting Sam out, we should have stayed with him with a real NFL coach. Reich was a good QB coach. You can call his offenses bland but he knew QBs. I have been so angry with the team.. mainly Tepper I guess, for forcing this unnecessary hardship on us.

And timing is everything. You don't build the roof of a house before you build the foundation. Teams that draft #1 overall tend to go for QBs and put them in impossible situations. Our coach sucked. Our OL sucked (even when Cam was here, but he could overshadow that deficiency), etc. They seem to have the idea down (Morgan?) but when Bryce gets paid, you can't have $100m going to the OL and $50m to the QB and still have WRs and a Defense. We have to develop our talent and be prepared to let them walk and retool. I am still a bit upset by the Horn CB deal. Look at the salary we have locked up at OG and CB....Yikes. If it were not for MJackson and Coker, we would have been in deep poopie. I am still fairly optimistic, and I have accepted the fact that Bryce will be our CB for at least another season. He is improving, but I do not like the fact that he needs so much investment in the OL and WRs to be average--before his mega deal. I am hoping we draft an QB with potential to develop on day 3 and see what we can do with him. Long shot, but some of the top names in 2024 are going to be taken late this draft. Like Purdy (I wanted him around round 5 or 6), or Ewers from last season. I like several QBs who may not even be drafted, like the kid from Vanderbilt. I also like Mateer from Oklahoma. Raw, but a year on the bench could help.

We've still fuged up in the past going "BPA". We drafted Butler at DT and Shaq at LB when DT and LB were some of our biggest strengths of the roster. Butler was a flat out bust and Shaq was basically a JAG starter at LB. I know that triggers some folks, but sorry that's just the truth. We overdrafted him then doubled down on that and overpaid him.

We had two shots at #1. Hell, we had them on the roster at the same time. Darnold and Mayfield both.