It was the Jets....not Sam Darnold?

[StickierBuns]

from r/minnesotavikings

[StickierBuns]

Darnold has very good physical skills. He's 26 years old. KOC had his eye on him for a reason. Now this doesn't mean anything, really....he's not performed to this point. But that doesn't mean he doesn't have some upside and ability for success to some level on the Vikings. He's not Joe Montana, but he's also probably not going to be a pile of crap this year, either. I get some fans just summarily dismiss him with vigor, but I don't know....I don't feel that way. Could be wrong, we'll certainly see.

[purplefaithful]

Relative to draft position he's been a failure and is a turn-over machine...And, and, and...

I suspect this ecosystem and coaching will give him his best shot at a re-set. I do wish him well and hope he can salvage things.

[MaroonBells]

It will be interesting to see if Darnold can lend support to the idea that situation matters almost as much as talent. He's definitely got some tools.



https://twitter.com/keatN34/status/1770833508115591200

[Still Hurtn]

With the talent on offence and a muched improved defence would 3300 yards 23 TD and 12 int be unreasonable?

[AGRforever]

With the talent on offence and a muched improved defence would 3300 yards 23 TD and 12 int be unreasonable?

Probably the 12 lol.

[MaroonBells]

With the talent on offence and a muched improved defence would 3300 yards 23 TD and 12 int be unreasonable?

I'm predicting 200 more yards and 2 more TDs, mostly because of the offense he's in, but more INTs as well. He's a gunslinger somewhere between Mullens and Cousins. 3500 yards, 25 TDs, 14 INTs.

[Montana Tom]

I have no choice but to be optimistic about Darnold. These highlights of Darnold typically only accentuate the positives. Obviously he did not live up to the expectations of a #3 overall pick, which is why he was available in the first place.

But I am a life long Vikings fan. It is my role in life to be optimistic.

Besides, what could it hurt to be optimistic? I can hold that optimism for a few months, and probably into the first month of the regular season.
Honestly, I think Kwesi and KOC did the best possible thing at the time. IMHO, Darnold was probably the best, most underdeveloped of the previously highly ranked QBs available at the time. Will he be serviceable for a part of this season? For all of this season? Will he meet/exceed Cousin's numbers with these highly talented offensive playmakers all healthy to start the season?

So yeah, long term, I think we're in far better shape than we were six months ago. Some difficult personnel moves have opened up a boatload of cap space for next season. We're coming off the best draft (we think) in at least Kwesi's first three years. If we can just suffer through a mediocre season with Darnold, the future starts getting really bright for 2025.

But who knows...will Darnold exceed expectations this season? Weirder things have happened. I remember a couple decades ago a grocery store bag boy came onto the St. Louis Rams roster and became a two-time MVP, won a Super Bowl and was voted into the NFL Hall of Fame. So weird things CAN happen.

[comet52]

The higher the draft position of a guy who's flopped is, the longer people believe fantasies about how he just needs this/that/some other thing to suddenly be the guy that draft position inferred he would be. Unfortunately that's almost never the case.

Here's what you see when you watch Darnold in the NFL: He doesn't usually look past his first read. He's got more than just happy feet, he's literally got a happy body - his whole body not just his feet starts twitching and wiggling as the pressure arrives. And he doesn't handle the pressure. His ability to read under pressure isn't there and the usual result is an ill-advised throw.

He's better now than he was 5 years ago and he does have physical talent. Behind a really good oline (our interior oline is not that) and with good targets he can probably play at a journeyman type level. Similar to Kirk but without the 40 million dollar cap hit. He's not quite as talented as Kirk and doesn't have Kirk's accuracy which is a big part of what minted the dinero for Kirk, and I wouldn't expect the team ceiling with him at the helm to be more than .500 but as a backup type guy he's serviceable.

Even if he somehow plays better than history suggests he will (me <--skeptical) the team's goal is to get JJM's career started sooner rather than later. Bad play by Darnold plus JJM showing progress could easily mean a hook mid-season. We'll see...

[MAD GAINZ]

The higher the draft position of a guy who's flopped is, the longer people believe fantasies about how he just needs this/that/some other thing to suddenly be the guy that draft position inferred he would be.  Unfortunately that's almost never the case.

Here's what you see when you watch Darnold in the NFL:  He doesn't usually look past his first read.  He's got more than just happy feet, he's literally got a happy body - his whole body not just his feet starts twitching and wiggling as the pressure arrives.  And he doesn't handle the pressure.  His ability to read under pressure isn't there and the usual result is an ill-advised throw.

He's better now than he was 5 years ago and he does have physical talent.  Behind a really good oline (our interior oline is not that) and with good targets he can probably play at a journeyman type level.  Similar to Kirk but without the 40 million dollar cap hit.  He's not quite as talented as Kirk and doesn't have Kirk's accuracy which is a big part of what minted the dinero for Kirk, and I wouldn't expect the team ceiling with him at the helm to be more than .500 but as a backup type guy he's serviceable. 

Even if he somehow plays better than history suggests he will (me <--skeptical) the team's goal is to get JJM's career started sooner rather than later.  Bad play by Darnold plus JJM showing progress could easily mean a hook mid-season.    We'll see...

This is kinda where I'm at...  how many former top 3 drafted QB busts have suddenly blossomed into starters down the road?  I mean Mayfield had a better rookie season, then his play declined with Cleveland before he was able to play well again in Tampa Bay.  That's about all I can remember in recent memory without going back to eras long gone.

Darnold does have some physical talent AND he played on some shit teams and under some bad coaches, but the hope should be that he just plays well enough for the Vikings to win some games (maybe ugly) on the back of some big plays by JJ, Addison, Hock, and Jones and the defense.  Ideally enough games to keep the pressure off of starting JJM before he's ready.

I don't really care what that looks like in terms of stats for Darnold but just win enough games so we're "in the hunt" in November and don't have to think about being totally out of it and starting JJM in Week 6.