Jump to content

  • Welcome!

    Register and log in easily with Twitter or Google accounts!

    Or simply create a new Huddle account. 

    Members receive fewer ads , access our dark theme, and the ability to join the discussion!

     

Sam Darnold's draft assessment

Zod

By Zod,
in Carolina Panthers

 Share

Recommended Posts

Waldo Grand Master

Waldo

Posted
Posted (edited)

Legitimate question: Is he just dumb? Not Bradshaw dumb but just not a bright guy? 

The projects around the league recently that have made that leap sound pretty smart. Lance last year showed a lot of brains in his interviews that I saw, one reason I was happy to take a flyer on a guy like that. 

I have never heard Sam speak and thought there was much brain power there, kind of an old school jock template if you will. It all just looks more than football awareness issues really.

Edited by Waldo
Link to comment
Share on other sites
LinvilleGorge Grand Master

LinvilleGorge

Posted
Posted
10 minutes ago, Waldo said:

Legitimate question: Is he just dumb? Not Bradshaw dumb but just not a bright guy? 

The projects around the league recently that have made that leap sound pretty smart. Lance last year showed a lot of brains in his interviews that I saw, one reason I was happy to take a flyer on a guy like that. 

I have never heard Sam speak and thought there was much brain power there, kind of an old school jock template if you will. It all just looks more than football awareness issues really.

He lacks QB instincts. Once that ball is snapped, you have to be running on instinct. If you're thinking you're going to be too slow. Darnold is quite obviously thinking out there and that's why it all happens too slowly for him. He looks good when his first read is open because then he can operate without thinking.

It's not an intelligence thing, it's a how your mind works thing. You could be Elon Musk smart and still not have the right mentality to succeed at QB. 

  • Pie 2
  • Beer 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
pantherj Grand Master

pantherj

Posted
Posted

In watching Darnold in his season here I've seen what is the main problem. He often doesn't throw to his first read when they are clearly open. That alone is enough to cause a lot of poor performances. To make matters worse his deep ball is terrible almost always. That's pretty much enough to lock us into 5 - 12ish records so long as he's here.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
CRA Grand Master

CRA

Posted
Posted

Sam was just an all around athlete that ended up at QB in college.   That's not the DNA for a modern day NFL QB.   

Game is too QB centric now and too much played above the shoulders.   If you look at the reps in life Sam has vs a Trevor Lawerence? It's not even in the same ballpark.  Now maybe Trevor will bust too.  But Trevor has been doing nothing but playing QB year round since middle school.    Sam just never had the work put in vs other guys that are coming in to the league. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Waldo Grand Master

Waldo

Posted
Posted
1 minute ago, LinvilleGorge said:

He lacks QB instincts. Once that ball is snapped, you have to be running on instinct. If you're thinking you're going to be too slow. Darnold is quite obviously thinking out there and that's why it all happens too slowly for him. He looks good when his first read is open because then he can operate without thinking.

It's not an intelligence thing, it's a how your mind works thing. You could be Elon Musk smart and still not have the right mentality to succeed at QB. 

I just don't know how to phrase it. It's more than instincts, it's capacity in some fashion. He can't see it and it's apparent his coaches can't coach that up, he is doing the same stuff he did in school. 

Definition of mental ability:
Mental ability has many different definitions, including the power to learn or retain knowledge, the ability to understand the facts and significance of your behavior, possession of the qualities (capacity, ability, power) required to get something done.

He lacks the capacity or ability part I would guess. IDK, it's so hard to quantify but he certainly does not have it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
CRA Grand Master

CRA

Posted
Posted
6 minutes ago, Waldo said:

I just don't know how to phrase it. It's more than instincts, it's capacity in some fashion. He can't see it and it's apparent his coaches can't coach that up, he is doing the same stuff he did in school. 

Definition of mental ability:
Mental ability has many different definitions, including the power to learn or retain knowledge, the ability to understand the facts and significance of your behavior, possession of the qualities (capacity, ability, power) required to get something done.

He lacks the capacity or ability part I would guess. IDK, it's so hard to quantify but he certainly does not have it.

don't forget Sam was recruited initially to play LB at USC. 

and I think he only played one full season as a QB in high school.  

 

  • Beer 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
SmokinwithWilly Grand Master

SmokinwithWilly

Posted
Posted
2 minutes ago, Waldo said:

I just don't know how to phrase it. It's more than instincts, it's capacity in some fashion. He can't see it and it's apparent his coaches can't coach that up, he is doing the same stuff he did in school. 

Definition of mental ability:
Mental ability has many different definitions, including the power to learn or retain knowledge, the ability to understand the facts and significance of your behavior, possession of the qualities (capacity, ability, power) required to get something done.

He lacks the capacity or ability part I would guess. IDK, it's so hard to quantify but he certainly does not have it.

I've said before I wonder if it's how he sees it. I know from personal experience, I was trying to understand how a particular type of valve works and I could not get it no matter what. Everyone around me got it, but I couldn't. Then I stopped trying to understand the valve like everyone else was doing and instead tried to understand how fluid moved through the valve and it clicked. Not only could I understand that valve, I could understand any version of that valve. 

I'm not saying Darnold will ever have one of those moments, it's just watching him never progress it looks like he's stuck much like I was. Of course with Gase and Rhule leading him, he looks worse now than ever. I don't know if he does or doesn't have it, and frankly I don't want to wait anymore to find out. Maybe McAdoo can help him, maybe not. Unless he has dramatic improvement by week 17, it's either cheap backup or hit the pavement. 

  • Beer 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
LinvilleGorge Grand Master

LinvilleGorge

Posted
Posted
9 minutes ago, Waldo said:

I just don't know how to phrase it. It's more than instincts, it's capacity in some fashion. He can't see it and it's apparent his coaches can't coach that up, he is doing the same stuff he did in school. 

Definition of mental ability:
Mental ability has many different definitions, including the power to learn or retain knowledge, the ability to understand the facts and significance of your behavior, possession of the qualities (capacity, ability, power) required to get something done.

He lacks the capacity or ability part I would guess. IDK, it's so hard to quantify but he certainly does not have it.

He can't turn the thinking switch off. You gotta be able to go into autopilot and trust your instincts (and those instincts have to actually be good).

It's why if I'm drafting a QB this year I'm taking Sam Howell. We've seen him play with NFL caliber weapons and we've seen him play behind a terrible OL and with very limited weapons. There's way less questions about his mental makeup on the field than there are most QB prospects. We've seen him in a variety of situations and he's found ways to produce and make his team competitive in all of them.

  • Beer 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • PMH4OWPW7JD2TDGWZKTOYL2T3E.jpg

  • Topics

  • Posts

    • CRA
      Where would the Panthers be if they sat Bryce Young last season?

      By CRA · Posted

      I mean, poster also said Young or Mahomes, it would have made no difference.  If there was way to actually test that hypothetical, I would sell every belonging I have and wager that Mahomes would indeed yield different results.  Mahomes automatically changes the D coverages.  He automatically changes the threats.  He attacks and threatens a field different vastly different.   We have seen good QBs and great QBs play behind horrific OLs in a single season....and they don't default into being the worst team in the NFL.  Frank Reich was old, stubborn and not creative enough to deal with an anomaly QB like Bryce.  The best QB in the NFL wouldn't be handicapping Frank, they would be enhancing Frank.  Starting week 1, Frank didn't even trust Bryce with basics....Frank gave him I what I feel comfortable with you being able to do offense.  Which took throws and plays off the table because Bryce couldn't do early on what a bad vet in Dalton could.  Mahomes would not yield the same results. 
    • strato
      Where would the Panthers be if they sat Bryce Young last season?

      By strato · Posted

      All I have to say to this really, is it sounds nice and downgrades Stroud to make Young look better is more like what this take does. Look at the WR numbers the year before and then the year with Stroud. He made them better, not the other way around. That’s my opinion. I appreciate you designating that it was yours. Many state these things as facts.
    • CRA
      Front office/scouting staff changes

      By CRA · Posted

      but what if.....and here me out....the pro Bryce Young stuff was coming from people under Fitterer.  You know, the people who are employed to feed him that input.  And they happen to all still be employed here.  when Rhule was fired I desperately wanted Fitterer fired.  It set things up for Fitterer to be the sacrificial lamb the next time things went poorly....every time we move on from a disaster, we are retaining a heavy % of the folks who helped bring the disaster we are "moving on from".  Everyone argued Fitterer probably could be great and it was all Rhule.  We are just repeating the same stuff to a degree IMO.   Panthers needed a clean slate post Rhule era.  Needed another post Frank era.  Things were just too bad or too dysfunctional IMO to be salvaging so much.   We keep failing to do that. 
×
×
  • Create New...