The Elephant in the Room

[StickierBuns]

I disagree...to a degree. Is he going to replicate what he's doing for us for any team that signs him? Obviously not. But I think even in a different offense with lesser weapons, he'll be a better QB than he was for Carolina and New York. I think KOC and McNown have coached a few things out of him...and into him.

Darnold is not fixed, he is playing better. More season to play and playoffs to either crown him or not.

[pattersaur]

Darnold is playing like you'd "hope" JJ McCarthy could play. So do you switch out the guy who's proven it for a guy that's proven nothing and hope he can play up to the standard of the guy you are letting walk? Darnold is still young and could play quarterback here for conceivably another ten
years. The flip side though is you've seen organizations, like the Giants and Daniel Jones, reward guys off one year of production only to have it bite them in the ass the very next season. That to me is the worry with Darnold. You'd like to see a longer pattern of production throughout a career before you pony up on a big contract.

Good comp with Daniel Jones but the difference is we do still have McCarthy.

So let's say we do pay Sam a bunch of money based off one good year. If he straight sucks next year, then we're in the position the Falcons are in right now. If the WORST case scenario is we're a middling team in a bad but not insurmountable short term cap situation because of Darnold's dead money, that's crummy but not crippling.

Best case scenario is-- like someone else mentioned earlier-- he takes a step up in year 2 of this system. And the most likely scenario is in the middle where he keeps playing well and McCarthy gets another year to learn.

The more I think about this, I think my favorite option is extend Sam, and I'd do it today if possible because I believe he is "fixed" and will continue to play well. Option 2 is the franchise tag while still trying to extend. Option 3 and the one I really hate is let him walk out the door for nothing and take some of our braintrust with him.

[purplefaithful]

Darnold is not fixed, he is playing better. More season to play and playoffs to either crown him or not.

Yah, the remaining schedule isnt a cake-walk by any means

[AGRforever]

Do you guys realize Sammy is set to out preform Randall Cunningham (although in more games) in the '98 season?

Cunningham: 3704 yards, 34TD, 10INts 106 Rating
The Darnold: YTD 3299 yards, 28TD, 10INts 108.1 Rating
Darnold projected: 4313 yards, 36Td, 13Ints

Darnold in 15 games (What Cunningham played in 98): 3806 yards, 32Tds, 11.5Ints

For fun, Daunte Culpepper 2004: 4717yards, 39TD, 11 Ints, 110.9rating. Probably the greatest season ever in the history of Vikings QB'ing. Sammy will end up just short. He was supposed to be a stopgap who won 6.5 games.

[MaroonBells]

Darnold is not fixed, he is playing better. More season to play and playoffs to either crown him or not.

40% weapons, 40% scheme, 20% coaching. That's what it is and any argument to the contrary is just wrong. 

[pattersaur]

Do you guys realize Sammy is set to out preform Randall Cunningham (although in more games) in the '98 season?

Cunningham:        3704 yards, 34TD, 10INts 106 Rating
The Darnold: YTD  3299 yards, 28TD, 10INts 108.1 Rating
Darnold projected: 4313 yards, 36Td, 13Ints

Darnold in 15 games (What Cunningham played in 98): 3806 yards, 32Tds, 11.5Ints

For fun, Daunte Culpepper 2004: 4717yards, 39TD, 11 Ints, 110.9rating.  Probably the greatest season ever in the history of Vikings QB'ing.  Sammy will end up just short.  He was supposed to be a stopgap who won 6.5 games.

Yeah it seems like people are still expecting the bottom to fall out at any moment. I don't think that will happen.

M-V-P!

[purplefaithful]

Yeah it seems like people are still expecting the bottom to fall out at any moment. I don't think that will happen.

M-V-P!

Still 4 weeks to go, but that 6 td performance from Allen makes him a serious top contender. 

Goff has to be a top 3-4 consideration and then you have Barkley who's eyeing the record that Dickerson has held forever.

[MaroonBells]

Yeah it seems like people are still expecting the bottom to fall out at any moment. I don't think that will happen.

M-V-P!

I've been saying that since week 5. What is making Darnold so good is coaching, scheme and weapons. None of those are going anywhere. Now, does that mean he's not going to throw up a stinker every now and then? Of course not. He will, just like Goff and Mahomes and Love and everyone else. But it's time to get rid of the Good Sam, Bad Sam thing. Bad Sam is dead. Long live the Goddamn Ginger Jesus.

[AGRforever]

Yeah it seems like people are still expecting the bottom to fall out at any moment. I don't think that will happen.

M-V-P!

I loved me some Keenum so its quite possible I just have very shaded purple glasses.  What I don't see from Sammy that I did see from Keenum was the chuck it and pray passes.  Sammy looks to be much more accurate.  He also seems to have gotten rid of those at a minimum one per game boneheaded mistakes that defined his career prior to MN and followed him the first 8 games. 

He had a bad game vs the Jags but I think that hit to the ribs early is what caused it that week.

[purplefaithful]

I've been saying that since week 5. What is making Darnold so good is coaching, scheme and weapons. None of those are going anywhere. Now, does that mean he's not going to throw up a stinker every now and then? Of course not. He will, just like Goff and Mahomes and Love and everyone else. But it's time to get rid of the Good Sam, Bad Sam thing. Bad Sam is dead. Long live the Goddamn Ginger Jesus.

Could be right...I'd like to see more though myself. 

The one thing Darnold doesnt get enough credit for is being a stone cold killer...Ice in the veins. 

I normally reserve that for Reichard, but Sammy's got that in his make-up and it separates him from Cousins in a big way.