Sam Darnold mitigation project

[BuDG123]

Darnold has sucked against split safeties when trying to force it to Jefferson but has over 2x the success when Jefferson goes against single high this year. All 3 picks against Jacksonville came when he tried to force a ball to Jefferson when Jacksonville had the safeties split on Jefferson.

[Slap Shot]

JAX surprisingly ranks 9th best for Y/C allowed, but yeah 3.9 isn't going to help your QB nor your offense.

[Tmoney]

https://x.com/danorlovsky7/status/1857095822292168897

Dan does a 3 minute break down of his 3 picks last Sunday.

Video proof of what we have been saying. Holding the ball, than forcing it to Jefferson way to late.

[Nico]

https://x.com/danorlovsky7/status/1857095822292168897

Dan does a 3 minute break down of his 3 picks last Sunday.

Video proof of what we have been saying. Holding the ball, than forcing it to Jefferson way to late.

Well, at least he didn’t throw five bonehead pics like Jared Goff. Haha

[Norn_Iron]

https://x.com/danorlovsky7/status/1857095822292168897

Dan does a 3 minute break down of his 3 picks last Sunday.

Video proof of what we have been saying. Holding the ball, than forcing it to Jefferson way to late.

Thanks for sharing

Those were 3 terrible throws.

The 2nd in particular for me. The WR had separation running to the corner and he threw it behind him.

The 1st one was bad because he stared JJ down so much that it was the LB on the other side of the field that was able to come across and make the interception

And the third needed to be to the back of the endzone. It was asking to be picked off where he put it. Could also be on JJ if he ran the route wrong, but I doubt he did and it was just a shit throw

[minnemike]

Sam's split with passing in blitz vs non-blitz is striking. He's infinitely better vs the blitz. What does this mean?

I think it means he still lacks the confidence with tight throws. He needs to see his guy wide open to hit the mark. JAX blitzed him a total of one time.

Sam needs to find a way to make tight throws into coverage when given plenty of time. Seems like this is when plays devolve into more adlib type of plays where the route was covered and he needs to find guys off schedule. He may never be good at this.

[Beef Supreme]

https://x.com/danorlovsky7/status/1857095822292168897

Dan does a 3 minute break down of his 3 picks last Sunday.

Video proof of what we have been saying. Holding the ball, than forcing it to Jefferson way to late.

Thanks for sharing

Those were 3 terrible throws.

The 2nd in particular for me. The WR had separation running to the corner and he threw it behind him.

The 1st one was bad because he stared JJ down so much that it was the LB on the other side of the field that was able to come across and make the interception

And the third needed to be to the back of the endzone. It was asking to be picked off where he put it. Could also be on JJ if he ran the route wrong, but I doubt he did and it was just a shit throw

Second one could have been to the back pylon or thrown farther to the boundary. Either one gives JJ a chance and makes a pick really unlikely. Instead he throws it short and too far to the numbers and it’s an easy pick.

[Norn_Iron]

https://x.com/danorlovsky7/status/1857095822292168897

Dan does a 3 minute break down of his 3 picks last Sunday.

Video proof of what we have been saying. Holding the ball, than forcing it to Jefferson way to late.

Thanks for sharing

Those were 3 terrible throws.

The 2nd in particular for me. The WR had separation running to the corner and he threw it behind him.

The 1st one was bad because he stared JJ down so much that it was the LB on the other side of the field that was able to come across and make the interception

And the third needed to be to the back of the endzone. It was asking to be picked off where he put it. Could also be on JJ if he ran the route wrong, but I doubt he did and it was just a shit throw

Second one could have been to the back pylon or thrown farther to the boundary. Either one gives JJ a chance and makes a pick really unlikely. Instead he throws it short and too far to the numbers and it’s an easy pick.

Think that was the 3rd one

Anyway I think the most concerning thing is, they blitzed once that entire game.
That screams let Darnold have the ball and fuck it up

That is not good

[Beef Supreme]

Thanks for sharing

Those were 3 terrible throws.

The 2nd in particular for me. The WR had separation running to the corner and he threw it behind him.

The 1st one was bad because he stared JJ down so much that it was the LB on the other side of the field that was able to come across and make the interception

And the third needed to be to the back of the endzone. It was asking to be picked off where he put it. Could also be on JJ if he ran the route wrong, but I doubt he did and it was just a shit throw

Second one could have been to the back pylon or thrown farther to the boundary. Either one gives JJ a chance and makes a pick really unlikely. Instead he throws it short and too far to the numbers and it’s an easy pick.

Think that was the 3rd one

Anyway I think the most concerning thing is, they blitzed once that entire game.
That screams let Darnold have the ball and fuck it up

That is not good

I think you’re right.

[Small Hands]

Thanks for sharing

Those were 3 terrible throws.

The 2nd in particular for me. The WR had separation running to the corner and he threw it behind him.

The 1st one was bad because he stared JJ down so much that it was the LB on the other side of the field that was able to come across and make the interception

And the third needed to be to the back of the endzone. It was asking to be picked off where he put it. Could also be on JJ if he ran the route wrong, but I doubt he did and it was just a shit throw

Second one could have been to the back pylon or thrown farther to the boundary. Either one gives JJ a chance and makes a pick really unlikely. Instead he throws it short and too far to the numbers and it’s an easy pick.

Think that was the 3rd one

Anyway I think the most concerning thing is, they blitzed once that entire game.
That screams let Darnold have the ball and fuck it up

That is not good

Bingo

[Beef Supreme]

Unlikely this happens. I’m sure he’ll get offers to start, or at least have an open competition to start, elsewhere.


But this is the right attitude by the Vikings, based on what we’ve seen.

[weimy froob]

Unlikely this happens. I’m sure he’ll get offers to start, or at least have an open competition to start, elsewhere.


But this is the right attitude by the Vikings, based on what we’ve seen.

foregone conclusion weeks ago. now heal up, JJ.

[weimy froob]

sammy boy wasn't an albatross yesterday. he came up big in that OT--especially when you remember he took that seven yard sack deep in our territory on the first play of the drive but was able to turn a second and 17 situation into a manageable third and 10 and then made the cold blooded connection for the first down. the field tilted downward after that one. i think it was hockenson who made snagged that second down completion, which was slightly behind him in tight coverage. big game for the TE too.

[ChrisPaulGeorgeHill]

Well, aside from Darnold trying to force it a couple times to JJ, I think we got a taste of what Darnold is going to be able to do if he takes what’s given to him.

Bears were single covering Addison most of the game.

Darnold took advantage of that.

Bears would single coverage TJ and even at times disregard him until it was too late.

Darnold took advantage of that.

Bears would completely disregard our WR3s and WR4s most of the time.

Darnold took advantage of that.

Bears were so focused on stopping JJ they basically said to Darnold, “we’re taking JJ away from you. Do something about that.”

Darnold did.

Hopefully Darnold learns from this game and has figured out the obvious.

If they take JJ away from you, somebody is open. Find that person.

If this becomes the norm for him, it builds his confidence. So when something bad happens, I hope he remembers he’s got other guys that are super talented he can go to when JJ isn’t available.

[weimy froob]

NFL Winners

Sam Darnold: Sunday could have been an awful loss for the Minnesota Vikings. In the final minute of regulation, leading 27-16, the Vikings allowed a touchdown, 2-point conversion, onside kick and a game-tying field goal to the Chicago Bears. That sent the game to overtime. It would have been a miserable collapse.

Darnold helped save the day. He had 330 yards and two touchdowns, and orchestrated a game-winning drive in overtime. The Vikings kicked a field goal to pull out the 30-27 win. It was more dramatic at the end than they hoped, but it was still a win.

The Vikings are 9-2 after the win, hoping for the Lions to slip up in the NFC North. Sunday could have been a huge setback for them. Darnold started the season strong, had a couple rough games with turnovers but started to right himself last week. Sunday showed that he's back on the right track.

[witljon]

The Vikings are 9-2 after the win, hoping for the Lions to slip up in the NFC North. Sunday could have been a huge setback for them. Darnold started the season strong, had a couple rough games with turnovers but started to right himself last week. Sunday showed that he's back on the right track.

It sure appears the chances of the Vikings slipping is much better than the Lions doing it. The Lions are playing really good right now. They’ve outscored their last 3 opponents (Texans/Jaguars/Colts) 53-0 in the second half. The Lions offensive line is proving to be the NFLs best. They’re hitting on all cylinders. Hopefully they’ve peaked too soon.

[hategreenticemase]

The Vikings are 9-2 after the win, hoping for the Lions to slip up in the NFC North. Sunday could have been a huge setback for them. Darnold started the season strong, had a couple rough games with turnovers but started to right himself last week. Sunday showed that he's back on the right track.

It sure appears the chances of the Vikings slipping is much better than the Lions doing it. The Lions are playing really good right now. They’ve outscored their last 3 opponents (Texans/Jaguars/Colts) 53-0 in the second half. The Lions offensive line is proving to be the NFLs best. They’re hitting on all cylinders. Hopefully they’ve peaked too soon.

Are injuries starting to add up for them? I had not heard this but a buddy of mine was telling me their left tackle and David Montgomery left the game Sunday? As I told him, David Montgomery is a really good player, but this might be the classic Barry Switzer line from 1989 when they were playing Oklahoma State and all American Thurman Thomas was coming to town and he told his team no matter what you do don't injure Thurman Thomas cuz you don't want anything to do with their backup (Barry Sanders).

Gibbs is a stud so not sure that one matters, But left tackle when you have a statue for a quarterback is a fairly big deal. Anyone know anything about that?

One thing I was thinking is is at least Caleb Williams is last couple weeks starting to play well to where maybe it can at least be interesting otherwise holy f*** is the NFL trying to punish us Thursday or what? Golly, I can hardly wait for the Giants cowboy game.

[salamander]

I'd like to see CJ Ham get the ball like 2-3 times a game. At least 1 pass.
Good things happen when Ham gets the ball.

1st and 5? FB run up the middle for like 2-3 yards.
3rd and 1? FB
Let's see a FB screen pass, or swing pass or angle route every once in awhile.

This obviously doesn't change a lot during the game but it adds a needed wrinkle.

[hategreenticemase]

I'd like to see CJ Ham get the ball like 2-3 times a game. At least 1 pass.
Good things happen when Ham gets the ball.

1st and 5? FB run up the middle for like 2-3 yards.
3rd and 1? FB
Let's see a FB screen pass, or swing pass or angle route every once in awhile.

This obviously doesn't change a lot during the game but it adds a needed wrinkle.

So you've been breaking down some of these games, evaluating our offense where it succeeds where it struggles etc, and your conclusion was our least skilled skill player, who's essentially here for special teams and to block on offense, needs to be more involved with touches in the game? Is this post because you know you won't be here tomorrow to pull any salamanders?

[Slap Shot]

Without looking I'd be willing to bet the Vikings are outscoring their opponents early, but scoring the final 2-3 quarters (at least the past several games) has been an issue. For a team that wants to make the playoffs and go into them with momentum they need to solver for that. Especially when it comes to coaching.

[The Lizard King]

Unlikely this happens. I’m sure he’ll get offers to start, or at least have an open competition to start, elsewhere.


But this is the right attitude by the Vikings, based on what we’ve seen.

foregone conclusion weeks ago. now heal up, JJ.

I'm not sure why the Vikings are going all-in with a rookie QB with zero real game experience.

[Oriole81]

Unlikely this happens. I’m sure he’ll get offers to start, or at least have an open competition to start, elsewhere.


But this is the right attitude by the Vikings, based on what we’ve seen.

foregone conclusion weeks ago. now heal up, JJ.

I'm not sure why the Vikings are going all-in with a rookie QB with zero real game experience.

If you're not going to have a TRULY ELITE QB, then you're just as better off having a rookie scale contract QB, and building out the rest of your team.
KOC is supposed to be a special QB developer, so utilize him to identify a preferred prospect, and then develop him accordingly.

[morneaumvp]

Anyone think Darnold would entertain a Viking friendly deal to stay here, or would he cash out in Las Vegas?

[minnemike]

Anyone think Darnold would entertain a Viking friendly deal to stay here, or would he cash out in Las Vegas?

I think there is a chance if he would take a similar $10 mil, maybe $15 mil deal. And then he would need to accept a real QB competition for QB1. Of course, that has it's own pros and cons.

But I have to think in the end, he wants a full size pay day, preferably with a QB friendly system but really whatever the best offer is.

[SKOLMN]

Anyone think Darnold would entertain a Viking friendly deal to stay here, or would he cash out in Las Vegas?

Depends on your definition of friendly deal. I don’t think he’ll necessarily opt for the largest contract offered like cousins did as long as he gets a somewhat reasonable deal. I think playing time will be more important to him. He ain’t gonna re-sign with us to jump into a qb competition. He wants to use this year as an assurance to teams that he can ball and parlay it into a starting gig somewhere.

[Oriole81]

Darnold deserves to get paid.
He's ONLY made $65M, so he should seek out a lucrative extension. This may be his only chance for his career.

A Vikes friendly deal could allow us to get creative with terms and cap hits, but that's going to have to come with guaranteed money.

[Beetlejuice]

Anyone think Darnold would entertain a Viking friendly deal to stay here, or would he cash out in Las Vegas?

There’s two teams that could make a run at Darnold in the offseason that nobody talk about.

1) Pittsburgh - Fields isn’t the answer and Wilson isn’t going to take the vet minimum again. Instead of giving old man Wilson a big payday, they could decide to give Darnold the money and a chance to be their long term starter with Fields as the backup. This would be my number one option if I was Darnold.

2)Indy - Richardson hasn’t come close to showing that he’s a franchise QB. Indy could pay Darnold to be insurance with a chance to become the long term starter there.

SF is a big wild card. It’s extremely unlikely, but I wouldn’t put it past them to bring Darnold back if they don’t want to pay Purdy big money.


Any other team would be a bridge role for Darnold unless they decide to make him the de facto starter and not draft a rookie QB. Those teams would be:

Vegas
New York Giants
Tennessee (Plan B if they ain’t sold on Levis)

I doubt he’s go back to the Jets or Carolina if they called.

[weimy froob]

i doubt he's a viking next year, but i'll give him props again for that fourth down completion to JJ. a cold blooded connection.

[RayRay82]

They almost have to bring him back don’t they? I’m not sure how you can look the other players in the locker room and go another direction after the year he’s having, there would be mutiny.

[hategreenticemase]

Anyone think Darnold would entertain a Viking friendly deal to stay here, or would he cash out in Las Vegas?

There’s two teams that could make a run at Darnold in the offseason that nobody talk about.

1) Pittsburgh - Fields isn’t the answer and Wilson isn’t going to take the vet minimum again. Instead of giving old man Wilson a big payday, they could decide to give Darnold the money and a chance to be their long term starter with Fields as the backup. This would be my number one option if I was Darnold.

2)Indy - Richardson hasn’t come close to showing that he’s a franchise QB. Indy could pay Darnold to be insurance with a chance to become the long term starter there.

SF is a big wild card. It’s extremely unlikely, but I wouldn’t put it past them to bring Darnold back if they don’t want to pay Purdy big money.


Any other team would be a bridge role for Darnold unless they decide to make him the de facto starter and not draft a rookie QB. Those teams would be:

Vegas
New York Giants
Tennessee (Plan B if they ain’t sold on Levis)

I doubt he’s go back to the Jets or Carolina if they called.

Indy I dont see. Why would he go there when they have every reason to want Richardson to succeed? And why would Indy pay him starters money? That doesn't make sense.

It will be interesting to see how it plays out but I would imagine he's going to have several suitors...