07-20-2024, 06:50 PM
(This post was last modified: 07-20-2024, 06:53 PM by purplefaithful.)
Why new Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold is still worth believing in
Those who know Darnold are adamant that he can turn things around with the Vikings.
When it comes to veteran quarterback Sam Darnold, respected quarterback guru Jordan Palmer isn’t shy about his biases. They have worked together for much of the past decade, meaning Palmer has seen Darnold go from lightly recruited teenager to college football supernova to high draft pick whose NFL career was seemingly on life support.
All the while, Palmer has never lost his belief in Darnold.
“I’ve been watching him for a while,” Palmer said this spring in 10 minute break-down he posted on his personal YouTube account. “I just don’t see a big difference between what I’ve seen Sam do and what some of the best players in the league are doing. There are also a lot of things where I go, ‘Oh I think Sam is actually better than him at that.’ We just haven’t seen it in a good setting yet.”
That’s precisely why those who have seen Darnold at the peak of his powers in the past wholeheartedly believe he can turn things around with the Vikings. His struggles with the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers don’t even begin to tell the story of how talented Darnold is at his core.
The anecdotes are abundant.
Ask longtime San Clemente High School football coach Jaime Ortiz about Darnold and he’ll reminisce about how ridiculously talented he was as a kid growing up in Southern California.
Ask former USC football coach Clay Helton about Darnold and he’ll rave about his leadership skills before launching into a soliloquy about his otherworldly performance in the Rose Bowl.
Ask current Vikings quarterbacks coach Josh McCown about Darnold and he’ll gush about the friendship they built long ago and how that could help now that they have been reunited in Minnesota.
Now, as Darnold reports for training camp this week at TCO Performance Center in Eagan for his first season with the Vikings, the pieces are in place for him to rewrite the narrative. Though rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy is waiting in the wings to assume the throne after being selected by the Vikings with the No. 10 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Darnold is the starter at the moment, and he doesn’t plan on giving up the job anytime soon.
“I’m excited to see what happens,” Palmer said. “When I look at the list of things that a guy has to have to be great at this position in the league, and then I look at the list of things that Sam can do, those lists look the same to me.”
https://www.twincities.com/2024/07/19/wh...ieving-in/
‘He was going to be something special’
To truly understand Darnold, it’s important to go back to his roots. He grew up in San Clemente, a coastal city located between Los Angeles and San Diego, and while his parents Mike and Chris encouraged him play multiple sports, eventually football started to take precedence.
His arm talent was undeniable from an early age.
“The first time I saw him, he was a 6-year-old kid in our youth camp,” Ortiz said. “You could definitely tell he was going to be something special.”
That proved to be true for Darnold every step of the way.
He was regularly the best player on the field as a freshman in high school regardless of the competition. He made varsity as a sophomore and made an immediate impact despite playing out of position, once catching a slant for a touchdown, then on the very next series intercepting a pass and returning it for a touchdown. He got injured as a junior and his team lost every game without him under center. He returned as a senior, leading San Clemente to a 12-2 record, earning league MVP honors in the process.
There’s a particular game that stands out for Ortiz when thinking back on Darnold’s meteoric rise in the early years. After getting a college commitment from Darnold in the summer to play for Southern Cal, Helton came out to watch him play in the fall. The pressure was on for the matchup between San Clemente and Atascadero.
“You know how sometimes a recruiter comes out and a player tenses up and tries to do too much?” Ortiz said. “Not Sam. He was like 14 for 14 in the first half for close to 300 yards with 4 touchdowns before we ended up taking him out. He balled out that game because that’s what he does.”
‘That’s what a first-round quarterback looks like’
Never mind that former USC head coach Steve Sarkisian had already received a commitment from highly touted quarterback Ricky Town. Nothing was going to stop Helton from taking a look at Darnold.
“I was the offensive coordinator at the time and I asked (Sarkisian) if we could bring him in to evaluate him because I thought he was really special,” Helton said. “He came in and blew all of us away. I remember (Sarkisian) said, ‘That’s what a first-round quarterback looks like.’ We ended up taking a commitment from him, too, and thank goodness we did.”
It wasn’t long after Darnold arrived on campus that he put himself in the conversation to be the starter. Ultimately, the decision came down to experience, and incumbent quarterback Max Browne got the nod. A slow start spurred action, however, and Darnold ended up replacing Browne for a matchup between USC and Utah.
“We thought he was ready and we needed to give him a chance,” Helton said. “He went out there and played brilliantly in a hostile environment, and we lost a heartbreaker.”
In the first start of his collegiate career, Darnold completed 18 of 26 passes for 253 yards, putting USC in position to win the game before Utah scored with 16 seconds left.
“We were 1-3 at that point, and being 1-3 at USC is not very fun,” Helton said. “I remember coming out of that game, though, and being like, ‘Oh, my gosh.’ I was so positive I knew we had something special in Sam. I told the rest of the coaching staff that there wasn’t a game left on the schedule that I didn’t think we could win with him at the helm.”
Sure enough, they ran the table, and Darnold emerged as a household name. He saved his best for last during his breakout season, leading USC to a thrilling 52-49 win over Penn State in the Rose Bowl, completing 33 of 53 passes for 453 yards and 5 touchdowns.
There is a moment from late in that game that still sticks with Helton nearly a decade later. After getting the ball back with 1 minute, 59 seconds left, Helton knew if USC went down and scored a touchdown, he was going to consider going for the win with a 2-point conversion rather than kick the extra point to tie.
“I said, ‘Hey Sam, if we score and it’s late enough, look at me, and I’ll say what we’re going to do,'” Helton recalled. “He goes out and leads us down the field and makes a ridiculous throw for a touchdown. Everybody else is going crazy around him and there’s this 18-year-old kid and the first thing he does is look at me. It blew me away. Just that poise he had.”
That’s what Helton thinks about whenever he’s asked about Darnold. He truly believes that he could still become a star, and he thinks the Vikings could help him reach his full potential.
“I’m so excited to watch him go shock the world,” Helton said. “I really am.”
‘He still has his best football in front of him’
As somebody who tends to keep his cards close to his chest, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell couldn’t bluff his way out of the question in the spring. Asked who the starting quarterback was going to be heading into the summer, O’Connell announced that Darnold would be atop the depth chart when training camp rolled around.
“I would say Sam would be the guy I would look to based upon the spring he’s had and really where he’s at in his quarterback journey,” O’Connell said. “He’s been able to come in and really hit the ground running and really kind of take advantage of a competitive situation.”
This type of opportunity has been a long time coming for Darnold.
He was selected by the Jets with the No. 3 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft and immediately got thrown into the fire with little help around him. His confidence took a major hit and he was written off as a bust early in his NFL career. He got a fresh start via a trade to the Panthers and he parlayed that into a contract with the San Francisco 49ers, where he spent last year as the backup.
Now, after signing a 1-year, $10 million contract with the Vikings as a free agent, Darnold is getting what will likely be his final chance.
“We all sometimes have our greatest growth in moments of failure,” O’Connell said. “The level of that failure at this position tends to be magnified because it’s for all to see and wins or losses tend to get put on that player regardless of circumstance around them.”
The Vikings lineup will be by far the most talent Darnold has had around him. All that’s left for him to do is prove himself.
“I’ve always been a fan of Sam from the time he came out,” O’Connell said. “I think he still has his best football out in front of him.”
He’s not alone in that assessment.
Those who know Darnold are adamant that he can turn things around with the Vikings.
When it comes to veteran quarterback Sam Darnold, respected quarterback guru Jordan Palmer isn’t shy about his biases. They have worked together for much of the past decade, meaning Palmer has seen Darnold go from lightly recruited teenager to college football supernova to high draft pick whose NFL career was seemingly on life support.
All the while, Palmer has never lost his belief in Darnold.
“I’ve been watching him for a while,” Palmer said this spring in 10 minute break-down he posted on his personal YouTube account. “I just don’t see a big difference between what I’ve seen Sam do and what some of the best players in the league are doing. There are also a lot of things where I go, ‘Oh I think Sam is actually better than him at that.’ We just haven’t seen it in a good setting yet.”
That’s precisely why those who have seen Darnold at the peak of his powers in the past wholeheartedly believe he can turn things around with the Vikings. His struggles with the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers don’t even begin to tell the story of how talented Darnold is at his core.
The anecdotes are abundant.
Ask longtime San Clemente High School football coach Jaime Ortiz about Darnold and he’ll reminisce about how ridiculously talented he was as a kid growing up in Southern California.
Ask former USC football coach Clay Helton about Darnold and he’ll rave about his leadership skills before launching into a soliloquy about his otherworldly performance in the Rose Bowl.
Ask current Vikings quarterbacks coach Josh McCown about Darnold and he’ll gush about the friendship they built long ago and how that could help now that they have been reunited in Minnesota.
Now, as Darnold reports for training camp this week at TCO Performance Center in Eagan for his first season with the Vikings, the pieces are in place for him to rewrite the narrative. Though rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy is waiting in the wings to assume the throne after being selected by the Vikings with the No. 10 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Darnold is the starter at the moment, and he doesn’t plan on giving up the job anytime soon.
“I’m excited to see what happens,” Palmer said. “When I look at the list of things that a guy has to have to be great at this position in the league, and then I look at the list of things that Sam can do, those lists look the same to me.”
https://www.twincities.com/2024/07/19/wh...ieving-in/
‘He was going to be something special’
To truly understand Darnold, it’s important to go back to his roots. He grew up in San Clemente, a coastal city located between Los Angeles and San Diego, and while his parents Mike and Chris encouraged him play multiple sports, eventually football started to take precedence.
His arm talent was undeniable from an early age.
“The first time I saw him, he was a 6-year-old kid in our youth camp,” Ortiz said. “You could definitely tell he was going to be something special.”
That proved to be true for Darnold every step of the way.
He was regularly the best player on the field as a freshman in high school regardless of the competition. He made varsity as a sophomore and made an immediate impact despite playing out of position, once catching a slant for a touchdown, then on the very next series intercepting a pass and returning it for a touchdown. He got injured as a junior and his team lost every game without him under center. He returned as a senior, leading San Clemente to a 12-2 record, earning league MVP honors in the process.
There’s a particular game that stands out for Ortiz when thinking back on Darnold’s meteoric rise in the early years. After getting a college commitment from Darnold in the summer to play for Southern Cal, Helton came out to watch him play in the fall. The pressure was on for the matchup between San Clemente and Atascadero.
“You know how sometimes a recruiter comes out and a player tenses up and tries to do too much?” Ortiz said. “Not Sam. He was like 14 for 14 in the first half for close to 300 yards with 4 touchdowns before we ended up taking him out. He balled out that game because that’s what he does.”
‘That’s what a first-round quarterback looks like’
Never mind that former USC head coach Steve Sarkisian had already received a commitment from highly touted quarterback Ricky Town. Nothing was going to stop Helton from taking a look at Darnold.
“I was the offensive coordinator at the time and I asked (Sarkisian) if we could bring him in to evaluate him because I thought he was really special,” Helton said. “He came in and blew all of us away. I remember (Sarkisian) said, ‘That’s what a first-round quarterback looks like.’ We ended up taking a commitment from him, too, and thank goodness we did.”
It wasn’t long after Darnold arrived on campus that he put himself in the conversation to be the starter. Ultimately, the decision came down to experience, and incumbent quarterback Max Browne got the nod. A slow start spurred action, however, and Darnold ended up replacing Browne for a matchup between USC and Utah.
“We thought he was ready and we needed to give him a chance,” Helton said. “He went out there and played brilliantly in a hostile environment, and we lost a heartbreaker.”
In the first start of his collegiate career, Darnold completed 18 of 26 passes for 253 yards, putting USC in position to win the game before Utah scored with 16 seconds left.
“We were 1-3 at that point, and being 1-3 at USC is not very fun,” Helton said. “I remember coming out of that game, though, and being like, ‘Oh, my gosh.’ I was so positive I knew we had something special in Sam. I told the rest of the coaching staff that there wasn’t a game left on the schedule that I didn’t think we could win with him at the helm.”
Sure enough, they ran the table, and Darnold emerged as a household name. He saved his best for last during his breakout season, leading USC to a thrilling 52-49 win over Penn State in the Rose Bowl, completing 33 of 53 passes for 453 yards and 5 touchdowns.
There is a moment from late in that game that still sticks with Helton nearly a decade later. After getting the ball back with 1 minute, 59 seconds left, Helton knew if USC went down and scored a touchdown, he was going to consider going for the win with a 2-point conversion rather than kick the extra point to tie.
“I said, ‘Hey Sam, if we score and it’s late enough, look at me, and I’ll say what we’re going to do,'” Helton recalled. “He goes out and leads us down the field and makes a ridiculous throw for a touchdown. Everybody else is going crazy around him and there’s this 18-year-old kid and the first thing he does is look at me. It blew me away. Just that poise he had.”
That’s what Helton thinks about whenever he’s asked about Darnold. He truly believes that he could still become a star, and he thinks the Vikings could help him reach his full potential.
“I’m so excited to watch him go shock the world,” Helton said. “I really am.”
‘He still has his best football in front of him’
As somebody who tends to keep his cards close to his chest, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell couldn’t bluff his way out of the question in the spring. Asked who the starting quarterback was going to be heading into the summer, O’Connell announced that Darnold would be atop the depth chart when training camp rolled around.
“I would say Sam would be the guy I would look to based upon the spring he’s had and really where he’s at in his quarterback journey,” O’Connell said. “He’s been able to come in and really hit the ground running and really kind of take advantage of a competitive situation.”
This type of opportunity has been a long time coming for Darnold.
He was selected by the Jets with the No. 3 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft and immediately got thrown into the fire with little help around him. His confidence took a major hit and he was written off as a bust early in his NFL career. He got a fresh start via a trade to the Panthers and he parlayed that into a contract with the San Francisco 49ers, where he spent last year as the backup.
Now, after signing a 1-year, $10 million contract with the Vikings as a free agent, Darnold is getting what will likely be his final chance.
“We all sometimes have our greatest growth in moments of failure,” O’Connell said. “The level of that failure at this position tends to be magnified because it’s for all to see and wins or losses tend to get put on that player regardless of circumstance around them.”
The Vikings lineup will be by far the most talent Darnold has had around him. All that’s left for him to do is prove himself.
“I’ve always been a fan of Sam from the time he came out,” O’Connell said. “I think he still has his best football out in front of him.”
He’s not alone in that assessment.
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