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Sam Darnold’s New Teammates Believe
By Ted Schwerzler,
1 day ago
The Minnesota Vikings kick off their season against the New York Giants on Sunday . While the purple are favored this week, very few national analysts are giving them much of a chance this season. Most of that is a reflection of their belief in Sam Darnold . The caveat is that no one has ever seen Sam Darnold in this type of situation.
If the Minnesota Vikings end up being competitive, in 2024, it’ll be thanks to Sam Darnold. While there are plenty of Darnold Doubters out there, his current teammates aren’t among them. Kevin Seifert (ESPN) found that out first hand, when he went tapping on Vikings players, to get their initial camp reactions to the Vikings’ new QB1.
Vikings players already showing belief in Sam Darnold
Credit: Photo courtesy of the Minnesota Vikings
Offensive coordinator Wes Phillips said he has “come out and been able to throw the football extremely well.” Defensive coordinator Brian Flores has been impressed as well. Wide receiver Brandon Powell called Darnold a “gunslinger” and said, “He’s got a little zip on that ball.”
Another new Viking, running back Aaron Jones , took his praise of Sam to another level, dubbing him an early candidate for Comeback Player of the Year.
“I feel like he’s going to prove a lot of people wrong and show who he really is as a quarterback with this opportunity. Any of my quarterbacks that I’ve had, they have a clean slate. It’s about proving yourself and what you can do now. It’s not about what you’ve done in the past. It’s about now. So I truly do believe in him. We’ve gotten a chance to work with him, play with him, and he’s a special talent. A lot of people are sleeping on him. Early favorite for comeback [player] of the year.”
Of course, Joe Flacco ruined any real shot for Darnold to win comeback player of the year, but his resurgence could be like that of Baker Mayfield. For the first time in his career, Darnold is in a great spot and can show what his peak ability looks like.
The Vikings defense has been impressed by Sam’s process during training camp. Remember, he’s seeing more exotic schemes and blitz packages every day in practice, facing Brian Flores, than he will on most weekends.
“We give a ton of different looks. And I can see the mental gymnastics that he’s constantly working on, and when he’s upset at himself when he guesses wrong to try to see what we’re in and get his offense the best possible checks. We throw everything we’ve got at him, so just to see him answer that bell, play after play, period after period, practice after practice, has been good. We might get him one play, but he gets us the next. I think that’s been cool to see.”
It will take those outside of the organization seeing it before they will believe. The premise behind Darnold making it work isn’t difficult to get behind. The execution is what every national analyst is looking for, and that all begins on Sunday.
How much better are the Minnesota Vikings for Darnold?
It’s even more jarring when considering what he previously had to work with. Darnold won the first game of his career , despite Jets skill position players being absolutely brutal.
RB Isaiah Crowell
RB Bilal Powell
RB Trenton Cannon
WR Quincy Enunwa
WR Terrelle Pryor
WR Neal Sterling
TE Eric Tomlinson
After flaming out in New York and signing with the Panthers, Darnold won his first game there as well. Coincidentally it came against the Jets. That lineup was better. The organizational structure was just as bad, however.
RB Christian McCaffrey
WR D.J. Moore
WR Robbie Anderson
WR Terrence Marshall Jr.
TE Ian Thomas
Neither of those situations compare to what he has with the Vikings. Darnold himself has also experienced a significant amount of maturity. His growth through those two tumultuous stops is something that has helped him become the player he can be today. The Athletic’s Alec Lewis recently touched on just how much that matters.
“That’s how this would end if it were a Disney movie: with Darnold finally taking a sip of the perfect coaching cocktail, and the whole world understanding the recipe.”
We’ll quickly find out what the Vikings coaching cocktail looks like for Darnold. We’ll also see how much all of the hypotheticals actually matter. If this is a ride Darnold is going to take a Vikings team with belief on, then it should wind up being a fun ride.
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