Can Sam Darnold be the next Rich Gannon?

[MaroonBells]

Ran across some stats on another board this morning... even worse than I realized and I already realize how bad Darnold is:

Since Darnold entered the league out of 38 QBs with 35+ starts he is:
Dead last in passer rating
Dead last in completion percentage
34th in TD%
36th lowest in int %
37th in YPA
34th in total game winning drives
34th in 4th quarter comebacks
37th in success %

Of any QB who has started a single game or more since 2018, only 11 QBs have a worse passer rating-- out of 81 QBs he is 70th.

I don't think there's anyone who isn't roughly aware of how bad he's been. The hope, and I think it's a legitimate one, is that his god-awful supporting casts had at least something to do with that. Going from crap like Jamison Crowder and Josh (don't call me Ralph) Bellamy to Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison will help him a lot. 

Enough for a career year? Probably. Enough to mark a career changing season and the contract that goes with it? Probably not, but it's certainly possible.

[Kentis]

   
You gotta believe…! 

[comet52]

I don't think there's anyone who isn't roughly aware of how bad he's been. The hope, and I think it's a legitimate one, is that his god-awful supporting casts had at least something to do with that. Going from crap like Jamison Crowder and Josh (don't call me Ralph) Bellamy to Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison will help him a lot. 

Enough for a career year? Probably. Enough to mark a career changing season and the contract that goes with it? Probably not, but it's certainly possible.

Maybe. I'm not holding my breath. The only reason he's around for year 7 is where he was drafted which was a Laquon Treadwell-style mistake imho. But good on him for getting paid despite the futility!

[MaroonBells]

How good is KOC's offense? Pretty good. And why even Sam Darnold can be successful in it...

Janik Eckardt@JanikEckardt
Most games with 390+ passing yards in 2023:

1. Nick Mullens (2)
2. six QBs (1)

[StickierBuns]

How good is KOC's offense? Pretty good. And why even Sam Darnold can be successful in it...

Janik Eckardt@JanikEckardt
Most games with 390+ passing yards in 2023:

1. Nick Mullens (2)
2. six QBs (1)

Mullens has a Brett Favre mentality, with half the arm strength. A gunslinger. Feisty. Entertaining but he'll set you up to lose as much as he'll set you up to win. 390 yards passing but 4 INTs: that stat line says it all.

Guys are going to be open, will Darnold find them? Will the O-line give him time? Will the running game help him? Will Darnold reduce the brain farts that have caused INTs and bad throws in his past? Probably can be said for any QB, those questions, but......

[comet52]

Mullens has a Brett Favre mentality, with half the arm strength. A gunslinger. Feisty. Entertaining but he'll set you up to lose as much as he'll set you up to win. 390 yards passing but 4 INTs: that stat line says it all.

Guys are going to be open, will Darnold find them? Will the O-line give him time? Will the running game help him? Will Darnold reduce the brain farts that have caused INTs and bad throws in his past? Probably can be said for any QB, those questions, but......

Mullens has the distinction of having done something I'd never seen in a football game before: sitting on his ass he threw a pick to a dlineman next to him who was also sitting on his ass. He's the scream-coaster amusement park ride of NFL backups.

If KOC can build an offense where the QB doesn't have to handle pressure and process the field in front of him, Sam Darnold will finally be the superstar that Colin Cowherd has been dreaming he is for the past 6 years.

Oughta be easy....