Yes, sir. Hard disagree. QBs ARE more important than any ONE player, but they need other position groups to be successful as a team.
IMHO only, though. I have pushed back against the reality that most people unfairly hold thr QB most responsible to team failure and success, when it should be entire organizations (GM, OC, DC, position groups, support staff, etc.)
While not specifically related to Darnold, Vikes also had Daniel Jones on their roster. He goes to Indy and bam, successful, thus far. You see and read things like this, just gives us that much more appreciation for a guy like JS and what he has done in GM office. Thank you bottom of our Seahawks heart.
We keep saying how JS did a good job picking SD but if we had hired someone different from KK would we still have pursued SD? I wonder how much our good decision in hiring KK affected making a good decisions signing SD. Seems like it all goes together to me.
And just to respond to all the media pundits who said SD had a sub-par game against the Texans, per PFR they and not only the best defense by points scored they also lead the league in lowest allowed quarterback rating. I think the strip sack/fumble was an unfortunate play but hopefully it was a learning experience going forward. Better to make that mistake now and learn from it than do it in the playoffs and lose a game. I don't know if the coaches called the wrong play or if SD held the ball to long but there were other plays were he made a quick throw. Maybe the lesson here next time is either a quick completion of a quick throw away.
I don’t know for sure, but my gut tells me kk liked SD before he got here, and preferred him over Geno for his system, but a bird in hand…(GENO) made it Geno until Geno wanted PETE and wanted out. That caused the “pivot,” as JS says, but maybe they were not too upset about pivoting.
The Seahawks are young and packed with talent on rookie contracts. Our window is this year and next year. I really think they can win it all this year.
I do too, win this year. Go overpay for whatever we need to get over the hump now. Be smart about it but if there's anything we can do to gain that edge now, do not hesitate.
So Tom Brady swung (swang?) the Vote for Geno over Sam? Huh. Go figger. So much for Brady being the Quarterback Whisperer. Or maybe he truly believes Sam will fold under the bright lights in the Playoffs. Hey, if anyone knows, it'd be Tom. Did he think Geno would do better or was it something like "Anybody but Sam"? I am realizing I rooted for Teams with an extremely strong sense of Team. Today, it feels like the Team gets you to the Playoffs, then it's on the Hero QB to win them for you. Not so with what JS and MM are building. Here, a failure of One is a failure of All. It's called Team Play. Hopefully, our Run Game will be there for any shaky moments Sam may have. TickTock. 10 days. Gear up, Boyz. It's Go Time.
Better to have a QB who has folded in the playoffs, with poor protection, than one who doesn't even make it to the playoffs. Folding in a certain situation can likely be fixed. Not even making it there is more of a pattern.
Solid observation. I admire Mayfield. He has the ability to draw on anger for the focus and energy to dominate. There comes a point where a guy says "Enough of this bulsht" and takes himself to another level. A Leader has already mustered his men to go there with him, irregardless of pains and injury. Jamal Adams was in this zone when he was pulled. He saw the doctor violating everything Football was designed around, changing a fundamental in the Sport, and said so. Give the decisions back to the Coach. BTW, we are seeing a healthy Jamal back with the Raiders doing Jamal things.
To be fair, several here (myself included) were Geno defenders and thought the move to Darnold was risky -- the same risks the other guys also observed. Except Geno wanting to push himself to $40m was too much for Schneider, so he took the Darnold risk. Excellent for Schneider! -- but if Geno agrees to 3/$100m, I think we'd have passed on Darnold too
I think KK preferred SD to Geno, but Geno was a bird in hand. There was no guarantee SD would not sign with the Vikings, or would choose to play elsewhere. So Geno was the man. When Geno basically felt making a counter offer wasn’t worth it and the fact he was in constant contact with Pete the whole year, he wanted out. Boom! Just like that the Hawks upgraded at QB and saved money doing it.
I don't know man -- from what I recall, most everyone thought moving away from Geno was a risk, and the Darnold move was also a risk. But SSJ predicted we'd move on from Geno given his high cost (and was right) -- think that was the root cause. But who knows for sure, I'm just glad its worked out this way!!
Exactly where I was coming from too. The move from Geno to SD was about the risk it wasn't to say it wouldn't work. But the team was at a juncture that felt like alot of pieces were in place to make a run. That part was true. It just so happened that SD has fit in quite well. Which is great news as he is younger.
Pete is a trained scientist who follows a field of strict protocols to obtain directed results. I go with the Marines who believe you either got it or you don't.
One last thing I find interesting, what is the difference between the Vikings and Seahawks decisions?
The Vikings offered a low-ball contract to SD (and offered Jones but he wanted to go somewhere with a better shot to play (similar to Geno although different reasons)), the Hawks did the same with Geno, low ball offer. The Vikings opted to go with the younger and cheaper option. The Seahawks pivoted to a younger, cheaper option.
The outcomes are different, but the decisions seem similar.
I would also say that neither Darnold nor Geno were particularly popular with their fanbases. As much as teams should operate outside of what the fans think, I do not believe that to be the case. Once Darnold collapsed at the end of the year, he had very little support.
Darnold collapsed BECAUSE his offensive line collapsed. Just like Mahomes did in the Super Bowl against the Eagles. I give credit to Geno because his O-line collapsed all the time and he somehow he had a winning record. His arm and his accuracy was never in question but his decision making may always be. for that reason, I was happy to see Geno go and I never felt that we would be any worse with Darnold.
I have seen some rewriting of history lately. But I think it has been pretty clear the whole time that JS wanted Geno here, at a certain price, and offered him. Geno just turned it down.
I highly doubt that. The writing was on the wall with Geno. We were going nowhere with him and he had to go. He was not the plan going forward and I think most of us knew it.
And credit to him for throwing $100m at Darnold, however laden with "outs" that offer was. Darnold knew he could get there and so far, looks like he will get there -- or maybe even better if next year goes like this year
Sounds like JS had budgeted for $100M at QB. He didn't screw around? Just was straight with Sam: "Here's what I got budgeted. Work with it and we'll see what happens".
I couldn't wait to see what happened this year because of all the QB moves... Who was gonna be right and who was gonna be wrong? Kevin O'Connell, Pete Carroll/Tom Brady, and John Schneider all sat down at the table and placed their bets.
Fortunately, for the Hawks, it appears to have come up aces. Unfortunately, for Minny and Vegas, it appears to crap out.
I like that Dak and Burrow comparison. I have never thought about that but that is a good one.
As I watched the Minny game last night I had the exact opposite thought process that I had this offseason. This offseason I thought SD was aided by a strong supporting cast and play caller. While watching the game last night I thought, how in the world did SD make it work so well with this play caller/supporting cast.
Sports are very cool in that you can make predictions ... but then you see it play out on field. Sometimes you are right and sometimes you scratch your head and say "wow".
Lastly, I like Sam Darnold. I think he is playing well. I think he could play better and I think he can still improve. I think he has improved a bit from last year so the growth is not over. But for the Hawks and JS, I think he will and it will be the right call to stay the course. Don't overpay at QB (unless you have a Mahomes, Allen, Lamar, which at this point SD is not) and keep the ship pointed in the right direction. Meaning, keep building around the QB and investing in other positions not just the QB.
By saying the Vikings crapped out you're making the same error that the teams that gave up on Darnold and Baker Mayfield did. I don't think JJ played well at all but I also view him as a young kid who needs time.
For some reason we have this belief that people are who they are once they hit the pros, whether it be players or coaches. I know that I'm someone who learns from mistakes so if I were running a team and I'd used a high draft pick on someone I'd give them every opportunity to put thins right.
I think the actual error he made in the comment was mixing the gambling metaphors of poker and craps. Should have paired "lost head's up" or "were drawing dead" with "came up Aces". Crapped out is for dice, not cards.
Agree on all points and would add: watch how much "better" Darnold becomes if we add a strong guard, center and X receiver -- all possible bc we are only paying $30m for our QB. That's the way I'd play this -- if Darnold works his way up to $60m too, let him go and stay with the strong guard, center and X WR. You'll be amazed at how good Drew Lock is suddenly
Speaking of which: isn't Drew Lock also a quasi-legit candidate for a Darnold/Jones-type renaissance?
I agree on Lock too. Hopefully we never see it, but I think he would play well in this offense. And he is a candidate for experience and age plus a good system shining.
I hope JS continues to be "prudent" at QB and keep building around the QB. Keep investing in the line.
I fully expect Sam to get shaky as the season progresses. Who wouldn't? He KNEW he'd get the blame for not making the Playoffs last year. After last night's 'Minny Game", we now have solid reason to wonder if his naked nightmares are justified. The Vikings did nothing to dispel the notion it was all on him. Sent him packing. Thank heaven Schneider called bulsht. Sam'll need our run game, no doubts. Who wouldn't?
Sam (similar to Geno) was never embraced by the Vikings fanbase. And the coaches let him be the fall guy when the season fizzled. At every interception and bad game many fans could not dispel the "Jets Darnold" from their idea of who he was.
Turns out, that is looking pretty bad. On top of that, the Vikings don't appear to have a very good team around the QB! Which is the exact opposite of what I thought and many were saying this offseason.
The last two games SD in Minny may be the two most important games for the Hawks, because those two bad games allowed SD to become available.
I’m hoping the Seahawks don’t take “these next two seasons to evaluate if they can build a championship caliber team around Sam Darnold.” I’m hoping “they know because they’ve won already.” I don’t think we’ve seen the best of the defense if they are finally healthy and can sustain that to a certain extant for 10 games, and I do think the offense is still not hitting their stride. New coaches, new QB, many new key players… They’ve only played 7 games together. MM’s defense looked like a different team in the second half of last year. We don’t necessarily need a massive improvement, but I expect the improvement will be there, and just a few extra points a game coupled with fewer turnovers and a healthy defense will make my 13 win prediction a reality.
Feels like the whole Team is there to strengthen not just Sam's game, but every each one of them. 12 as One. Will JS go outside by Nov 4 or do we have guys in the wings coming off injuries? Not once has MM appeared hurried. My bet is we are good in-house.
I think JS always has a number he’s willing to pay for a player, or a value he wants to get in return for a trade and he sticks to it, at least the past couple of years. I think he is putting out feelers for a trade right now. But he isn’t willing to pull the trigger because the ask is more than he wants to pay. You’re right, I’d say we’re okay in house. We only have one glaring position where we could improve and better our play significantly, but there may not be someone who feels like a big enough step up who is within the cost in picks/players JS is willing to pay to get him.
It was so hard watching Wentz pretend he was fine to play with that left arm/shoulder brace and not enough protection to keep him from being sacked over and over! I thought the NFL had strict rules about playing injured players!! MN has to be regretting their decision on Darnold while we reap the benefits of their short-sightedness.
I sit with a group who has had season tickets from year one. When Geno and DK was treaded and Darnold singed you would think the world was ending. Half the group talked about selling all their 2025 tickets as the season was a lost cause, I was the outlier of the group believing in Sam growth.
I worked for 25 years in higher education and saw the changes in young adults and I knew from my reading that the average male brain isn’t fully developed until 25. As SSJ and many others have pointed out most QB need development time in the NFL regardless what they did in college, they need to mature. Sam did this development with the Jets and Panthers. Sam Darnold was 26 when he went to MIN and 27 when he signed with the Hawks. He now a “professional” using his education and experience at work.
If the Seahawks stay healthy this season it feels like 2012 and the next three games will tell us if it’s 2012 agin or if we’re looking at 2026. I am so excited to be a Seahawk fan in 2025 as the sky is the limit and a supper bowl is in the near future.
Oh Hell Yes! Let's grab a 3-Peat then cap it in year 4. Okay, 5. JS/MM/Jody has built us a Team where the Players will bet their careers on. Re-write The Book.
I was around back in the 60s when the NY Mets surprised everyone by being a team no one thought much of, and then they come out of no where to win it all. Those teams provide the fan with the sweetest taste. Especially fans who believed in the from the get go. It won’t be as sweet for your friends who gave up on them. And if this is not the year, so what. Believing in success is important, maybe essential. Without belief in success, you will manifest failure. I saw this team completely buy in to their success back in OTAs with 100% participation by the vets who did not have to be there.
I came in around the time the NYY fans were ratling Strawberry by simply chanting "Daryl! Dare-lll!" a few thousand strong during the Champ Series. Over and over. Relentless. Cruel. One of my classmates was the first centerfielder for the Bluejays, so it must have been around '76...
Did he even play well after he left the Mets? I know he was basically a has been when he was with the Yankees. But I’m not familiar with his west coast days.
I don't recall who he played with out here. We were big A's fans, since they played in Raider's Stadium. But he was good at bat I think. The Daryl crap really destroyed him. He 'retired' not long after. BuhBye, boy. Cruel world back then, but so was Nam.
The Hawks have been very prudent with their QB decisions since PC/JS came along, and probably longer. Russ was a low risk/high reward 3rd round pick. Geno was an adequate replacement when Russ got too expensive. Sam is a more than adequate replacement for Gino after Gino expressed displeasure. I've always disliked the idea of overpaying one player and then being unable to build a decent team around them and JS appears to share my view. Who cares if your QB can thread a needle at 90 yards if he doesn't have time to throw or anyone to catch the ball?
Schneider has taken over a decade to design and build what he's building, tooling then re-tooling and staffing as demanded. Over-pay here and under-pay there. It's certain, like a math equation. We have a whole lot of different super-powers in play here.
The Vikings chose to not re-sign Sam so they could invest in upgrades on the offensive line. Last night the Viking RBs went 11 carries for 33 yards and Wentz was sacked 5 times.
Unfortunately for the Vikings, their OL retooling has not exactly worked out.
- Will Fries: according to PFF Daulton Risner is roughly equal to Fries and Ed Engram is quite a bit better than Fries and Risner.
- Ryan Kelly: has missed significant time due to concussions.
Free agency is kind of a crap shoot and it is hard to forecast how most players are going to work out.
Darnold likely was viewed as a stop gap and I don't think that is what he really wanted. The same is true for Jones. KOC had said Sam had earned a shot at seeing what he could get in free agency and I respect that.
I just posted this comment earlier today basically agreeing we likely stand firm this year with what we have:
I just watched the all 22 for Monday’s game. Bradford’s biggest weakness after the total misses in pass blocking is his inability to get to the second level (linebackers) on run plays. I think he is just not quick enough and is too slow to adjust his angle so the backers can easily slip the block and get to the play. He’s not meant to play in a wide zone scheme. I just don’t know if anyone who is better is available to get by Nov 4th.
It will be interesting to see the direction we take for that position. Last year JS was transparent for the vision for the OL. The vision was to build through the draft and develop the linemen. Leading into the season JS kicked the tires on some of the free agents but the only one we signed was for depth.
Bradford looked to have him clearly beat for the RG job before he was hurt. I’m not sure he’ll have a chance to win it back before next spring. But we will probably know soon if he comes off IR.
I'd like to think JS/MM has someone coming up off injury. Bradford is now a super-qualified back-up player where we can run a set number of plays he has proven good at. We'll know by Nov 4.
I just watched the all 22 for Monday’s game. Bradford’s biggest weakness after the total misses in pass blocking is his inability to get to the second level (linebackers) on run plays. I think he is just not quick enough and is too slow to adjust his angle so the backers can easily slip the block and get to the play. He’s not meant to play in a wide zone scheme. I just don’t know if anyone who is better is available to get by Nov 4th.
I read this post and I smile and chuckle at how this has turned out. It’s clear JS operates according to a real plan. He DOESN’T overreact to circumstances, particularly around the QB position.
SO glad he’s “our” GM. And I’m feeling the same way about Darnold as QB.
I was a big fan of Dart while in college and I hope the Seahawks would trade up to get him. So many teams are just into the matrix. They seem to forget you’re not drafting metrics you’re drafting a player.
However, the Seahawks got a good one with Darnold. He does not panic. He has a quick release and is not afraid to take with it. Defense will give him.
In the old days of the NFL quarterbacks were developed much like a pitcher now they are often pushed way too fast. I think that’s why so many fail. Quarterbacks failing then going somewhere else and thriving is not all that uncommon.
Geoff is at the top of the left most recently, but players like Steve Young for a complete flops and went on to be a Hall of Fame quarterbacks.
Yes, sir. Hard disagree. QBs ARE more important than any ONE player, but they need other position groups to be successful as a team.
IMHO only, though. I have pushed back against the reality that most people unfairly hold thr QB most responsible to team failure and success, when it should be entire organizations (GM, OC, DC, position groups, support staff, etc.)
All I can say is thank you to John Schneider and Mike MacDonald, for Sam and Klint. And thank you to all the NFL teams that passed on taking them.
While not specifically related to Darnold, Vikes also had Daniel Jones on their roster. He goes to Indy and bam, successful, thus far. You see and read things like this, just gives us that much more appreciation for a guy like JS and what he has done in GM office. Thank you bottom of our Seahawks heart.
We keep saying how JS did a good job picking SD but if we had hired someone different from KK would we still have pursued SD? I wonder how much our good decision in hiring KK affected making a good decisions signing SD. Seems like it all goes together to me.
And just to respond to all the media pundits who said SD had a sub-par game against the Texans, per PFR they and not only the best defense by points scored they also lead the league in lowest allowed quarterback rating. I think the strip sack/fumble was an unfortunate play but hopefully it was a learning experience going forward. Better to make that mistake now and learn from it than do it in the playoffs and lose a game. I don't know if the coaches called the wrong play or if SD held the ball to long but there were other plays were he made a quick throw. Maybe the lesson here next time is either a quick completion of a quick throw away.
I don’t know for sure, but my gut tells me kk liked SD before he got here, and preferred him over Geno for his system, but a bird in hand…(GENO) made it Geno until Geno wanted PETE and wanted out. That caused the “pivot,” as JS says, but maybe they were not too upset about pivoting.
Pete seems to go with the Science and Zen whereas JS goes with The Gut?
The Seahawks are young and packed with talent on rookie contracts. Our window is this year and next year. I really think they can win it all this year.
I do too, win this year. Go overpay for whatever we need to get over the hump now. Be smart about it but if there's anything we can do to gain that edge now, do not hesitate.
So Tom Brady swung (swang?) the Vote for Geno over Sam? Huh. Go figger. So much for Brady being the Quarterback Whisperer. Or maybe he truly believes Sam will fold under the bright lights in the Playoffs. Hey, if anyone knows, it'd be Tom. Did he think Geno would do better or was it something like "Anybody but Sam"? I am realizing I rooted for Teams with an extremely strong sense of Team. Today, it feels like the Team gets you to the Playoffs, then it's on the Hero QB to win them for you. Not so with what JS and MM are building. Here, a failure of One is a failure of All. It's called Team Play. Hopefully, our Run Game will be there for any shaky moments Sam may have. TickTock. 10 days. Gear up, Boyz. It's Go Time.
Better to have a QB who has folded in the playoffs, with poor protection, than one who doesn't even make it to the playoffs. Folding in a certain situation can likely be fixed. Not even making it there is more of a pattern.
Solid observation. I admire Mayfield. He has the ability to draw on anger for the focus and energy to dominate. There comes a point where a guy says "Enough of this bulsht" and takes himself to another level. A Leader has already mustered his men to go there with him, irregardless of pains and injury. Jamal Adams was in this zone when he was pulled. He saw the doctor violating everything Football was designed around, changing a fundamental in the Sport, and said so. Give the decisions back to the Coach. BTW, we are seeing a healthy Jamal back with the Raiders doing Jamal things.
A little like that big huge Loser Elway. Just because you can throw a football doesn’t mean you know who is good at it in the NFL.
To be fair, several here (myself included) were Geno defenders and thought the move to Darnold was risky -- the same risks the other guys also observed. Except Geno wanting to push himself to $40m was too much for Schneider, so he took the Darnold risk. Excellent for Schneider! -- but if Geno agrees to 3/$100m, I think we'd have passed on Darnold too
I think KK preferred SD to Geno, but Geno was a bird in hand. There was no guarantee SD would not sign with the Vikings, or would choose to play elsewhere. So Geno was the man. When Geno basically felt making a counter offer wasn’t worth it and the fact he was in constant contact with Pete the whole year, he wanted out. Boom! Just like that the Hawks upgraded at QB and saved money doing it.
I don’t agree. Geno was never the plan going forward. We needed a change at QB. It was obvious. And luckily for us, SD fell in our laps.
I don't know man -- from what I recall, most everyone thought moving away from Geno was a risk, and the Darnold move was also a risk. But SSJ predicted we'd move on from Geno given his high cost (and was right) -- think that was the root cause. But who knows for sure, I'm just glad its worked out this way!!
This is well said.
No question that SD was plan B.
Exactly where I was coming from too. The move from Geno to SD was about the risk it wasn't to say it wouldn't work. But the team was at a juncture that felt like alot of pieces were in place to make a run. That part was true. It just so happened that SD has fit in quite well. Which is great news as he is younger.
It's always been plain and simple to me Geno is not a Leader of Men. At least with Sam we have a Big Maybe.
Pete Carroll sure did.
Not saying he is right or wrong. But he does have a decent resume
Pete is a trained scientist who follows a field of strict protocols to obtain directed results. I go with the Marines who believe you either got it or you don't.
One last thing I find interesting, what is the difference between the Vikings and Seahawks decisions?
The Vikings offered a low-ball contract to SD (and offered Jones but he wanted to go somewhere with a better shot to play (similar to Geno although different reasons)), the Hawks did the same with Geno, low ball offer. The Vikings opted to go with the younger and cheaper option. The Seahawks pivoted to a younger, cheaper option.
The outcomes are different, but the decisions seem similar.
I would also say that neither Darnold nor Geno were particularly popular with their fanbases. As much as teams should operate outside of what the fans think, I do not believe that to be the case. Once Darnold collapsed at the end of the year, he had very little support.
Darnold collapsed BECAUSE his offensive line collapsed. Just like Mahomes did in the Super Bowl against the Eagles. I give credit to Geno because his O-line collapsed all the time and he somehow he had a winning record. His arm and his accuracy was never in question but his decision making may always be. for that reason, I was happy to see Geno go and I never felt that we would be any worse with Darnold.
Exactly right
Thanks Zez ... Just something I wondered about. Good to hear you see it similar.
Yeah I was writing my own similar comment when I saw yours -- that if Geno had agreed to 3/$100, Geno would still be here. But he wanted $40+....
Totally agree.
I have seen some rewriting of history lately. But I think it has been pretty clear the whole time that JS wanted Geno here, at a certain price, and offered him. Geno just turned it down.
Then JS pivoted to SD, who did accept that price.
Thankfully.
I highly doubt that. The writing was on the wall with Geno. We were going nowhere with him and he had to go. He was not the plan going forward and I think most of us knew it.
https://youtu.be/1IoZqbOFQro?si=jg4HVR2p_blYYXCN
"We made an offer to Geno ... Tried to extend him ... It became apparent we weren't going to be able to get a deal done." John Schneider
And credit to him for throwing $100m at Darnold, however laden with "outs" that offer was. Darnold knew he could get there and so far, looks like he will get there -- or maybe even better if next year goes like this year
Sounds like JS had budgeted for $100M at QB. He didn't screw around? Just was straight with Sam: "Here's what I got budgeted. Work with it and we'll see what happens".
Yes ... Give them man his credit! That was a quick decision that it appears he made very wisely.
Great news for us Hawks.
I would also say, the Seahawks and fans should be watching the probable upcoming Daniel Jones contract in Indy for guidance to expect for SD.
Daniel Jones and SD have had almost identical careers.
I couldn't wait to see what happened this year because of all the QB moves... Who was gonna be right and who was gonna be wrong? Kevin O'Connell, Pete Carroll/Tom Brady, and John Schneider all sat down at the table and placed their bets.
Fortunately, for the Hawks, it appears to have come up aces. Unfortunately, for Minny and Vegas, it appears to crap out.
I like that Dak and Burrow comparison. I have never thought about that but that is a good one.
As I watched the Minny game last night I had the exact opposite thought process that I had this offseason. This offseason I thought SD was aided by a strong supporting cast and play caller. While watching the game last night I thought, how in the world did SD make it work so well with this play caller/supporting cast.
Sports are very cool in that you can make predictions ... but then you see it play out on field. Sometimes you are right and sometimes you scratch your head and say "wow".
Lastly, I like Sam Darnold. I think he is playing well. I think he could play better and I think he can still improve. I think he has improved a bit from last year so the growth is not over. But for the Hawks and JS, I think he will and it will be the right call to stay the course. Don't overpay at QB (unless you have a Mahomes, Allen, Lamar, which at this point SD is not) and keep the ship pointed in the right direction. Meaning, keep building around the QB and investing in other positions not just the QB.
Go Hawks
I couldn’t agree more.
Was there something I said that was against that idea?
By saying the Vikings crapped out you're making the same error that the teams that gave up on Darnold and Baker Mayfield did. I don't think JJ played well at all but I also view him as a young kid who needs time.
For some reason we have this belief that people are who they are once they hit the pros, whether it be players or coaches. I know that I'm someone who learns from mistakes so if I were running a team and I'd used a high draft pick on someone I'd give them every opportunity to put thins right.
I think the actual error he made in the comment was mixing the gambling metaphors of poker and craps. Should have paired "lost head's up" or "were drawing dead" with "came up Aces". Crapped out is for dice, not cards.
For shame!
(Implied tongue-in-cheek and light sarcasm here)
Agree on all points and would add: watch how much "better" Darnold becomes if we add a strong guard, center and X receiver -- all possible bc we are only paying $30m for our QB. That's the way I'd play this -- if Darnold works his way up to $60m too, let him go and stay with the strong guard, center and X WR. You'll be amazed at how good Drew Lock is suddenly
Speaking of which: isn't Drew Lock also a quasi-legit candidate for a Darnold/Jones-type renaissance?
He's a candidate but not a "lock".
True that. Folks say Drew "got his shot" playing for the Giants last year and now is beyond consideration. The Giants. Hmmm. Hero Ball, anyone?
I really hope we don't see Lock ... But I would be very interested to see how he does in this offense.
I hold little doubt JS would cut him loose if he could start elsewhere. Minnesota would be good if only to tell them to EffOff.
I have read that other teams have approached the "Hawks about trading for Lock but were told that he wasn't available.
I completely agree again.
I agree on Lock too. Hopefully we never see it, but I think he would play well in this offense. And he is a candidate for experience and age plus a good system shining.
I hope JS continues to be "prudent" at QB and keep building around the QB. Keep investing in the line.
I fully expect Sam to get shaky as the season progresses. Who wouldn't? He KNEW he'd get the blame for not making the Playoffs last year. After last night's 'Minny Game", we now have solid reason to wonder if his naked nightmares are justified. The Vikings did nothing to dispel the notion it was all on him. Sent him packing. Thank heaven Schneider called bulsht. Sam'll need our run game, no doubts. Who wouldn't?
Yes ... My next comment is related to this.
Sam (similar to Geno) was never embraced by the Vikings fanbase. And the coaches let him be the fall guy when the season fizzled. At every interception and bad game many fans could not dispel the "Jets Darnold" from their idea of who he was.
Turns out, that is looking pretty bad. On top of that, the Vikings don't appear to have a very good team around the QB! Which is the exact opposite of what I thought and many were saying this offseason.
The last two games SD in Minny may be the two most important games for the Hawks, because those two bad games allowed SD to become available.
Funny how these things work in the NFL.
I’m hoping the Seahawks don’t take “these next two seasons to evaluate if they can build a championship caliber team around Sam Darnold.” I’m hoping “they know because they’ve won already.” I don’t think we’ve seen the best of the defense if they are finally healthy and can sustain that to a certain extant for 10 games, and I do think the offense is still not hitting their stride. New coaches, new QB, many new key players… They’ve only played 7 games together. MM’s defense looked like a different team in the second half of last year. We don’t necessarily need a massive improvement, but I expect the improvement will be there, and just a few extra points a game coupled with fewer turnovers and a healthy defense will make my 13 win prediction a reality.
Go Hawks!
Feels like the whole Team is there to strengthen not just Sam's game, but every each one of them. 12 as One. Will JS go outside by Nov 4 or do we have guys in the wings coming off injuries? Not once has MM appeared hurried. My bet is we are good in-house.
I think JS always has a number he’s willing to pay for a player, or a value he wants to get in return for a trade and he sticks to it, at least the past couple of years. I think he is putting out feelers for a trade right now. But he isn’t willing to pull the trigger because the ask is more than he wants to pay. You’re right, I’d say we’re okay in house. We only have one glaring position where we could improve and better our play significantly, but there may not be someone who feels like a big enough step up who is within the cost in picks/players JS is willing to pay to get him.
It was so hard watching Wentz pretend he was fine to play with that left arm/shoulder brace and not enough protection to keep him from being sacked over and over! I thought the NFL had strict rules about playing injured players!! MN has to be regretting their decision on Darnold while we reap the benefits of their short-sightedness.
Wentz should not have been out there last night. I have to say I have more respect for his toughness now.
Felt like a Team pissed at their coach. Such happens when you leave one of them swinging alone.
I sit with a group who has had season tickets from year one. When Geno and DK was treaded and Darnold singed you would think the world was ending. Half the group talked about selling all their 2025 tickets as the season was a lost cause, I was the outlier of the group believing in Sam growth.
I worked for 25 years in higher education and saw the changes in young adults and I knew from my reading that the average male brain isn’t fully developed until 25. As SSJ and many others have pointed out most QB need development time in the NFL regardless what they did in college, they need to mature. Sam did this development with the Jets and Panthers. Sam Darnold was 26 when he went to MIN and 27 when he signed with the Hawks. He now a “professional” using his education and experience at work.
If the Seahawks stay healthy this season it feels like 2012 and the next three games will tell us if it’s 2012 agin or if we’re looking at 2026. I am so excited to be a Seahawk fan in 2025 as the sky is the limit and a supper bowl is in the near future.
💯
BEGAW!!
Oh Hell Yes! Let's grab a 3-Peat then cap it in year 4. Okay, 5. JS/MM/Jody has built us a Team where the Players will bet their careers on. Re-write The Book.
I was around back in the 60s when the NY Mets surprised everyone by being a team no one thought much of, and then they come out of no where to win it all. Those teams provide the fan with the sweetest taste. Especially fans who believed in the from the get go. It won’t be as sweet for your friends who gave up on them. And if this is not the year, so what. Believing in success is important, maybe essential. Without belief in success, you will manifest failure. I saw this team completely buy in to their success back in OTAs with 100% participation by the vets who did not have to be there.
I came in around the time the NYY fans were ratling Strawberry by simply chanting "Daryl! Dare-lll!" a few thousand strong during the Champ Series. Over and over. Relentless. Cruel. One of my classmates was the first centerfielder for the Bluejays, so it must have been around '76...
Yeah, the Mets glory days were 69 and 73 if I remember correctly.
Folks were pissed when Strawberry left from out here to go back for the Big Lights. He got no sympathy from us.
Did he even play well after he left the Mets? I know he was basically a has been when he was with the Yankees. But I’m not familiar with his west coast days.
Strawberry had a good year for the Dodgers in ‘91 and then never played another full season. Basically, he went off a cliff when he turned 30.
I don't recall who he played with out here. We were big A's fans, since they played in Raider's Stadium. But he was good at bat I think. The Daryl crap really destroyed him. He 'retired' not long after. BuhBye, boy. Cruel world back then, but so was Nam.
The Hawks have been very prudent with their QB decisions since PC/JS came along, and probably longer. Russ was a low risk/high reward 3rd round pick. Geno was an adequate replacement when Russ got too expensive. Sam is a more than adequate replacement for Gino after Gino expressed displeasure. I've always disliked the idea of overpaying one player and then being unable to build a decent team around them and JS appears to share my view. Who cares if your QB can thread a needle at 90 yards if he doesn't have time to throw or anyone to catch the ball?
As evidenced by my "hard disagree" comment on the OP, I am absolutely with you on this.
Completely agree.
Prudent is a good word.
I don't see JS changing ... I think he will remain prudent. Look at how important everything is around the QB? OC, O-line, Wide receiver,
Schneider has taken over a decade to design and build what he's building, tooling then re-tooling and staffing as demanded. Over-pay here and under-pay there. It's certain, like a math equation. We have a whole lot of different super-powers in play here.
Sam is threading it better than almost anyone!
The Vikings chose to not re-sign Sam so they could invest in upgrades on the offensive line. Last night the Viking RBs went 11 carries for 33 yards and Wentz was sacked 5 times.
Oops
Unfortunately for the Vikings, their OL retooling has not exactly worked out.
- Will Fries: according to PFF Daulton Risner is roughly equal to Fries and Ed Engram is quite a bit better than Fries and Risner.
- Ryan Kelly: has missed significant time due to concussions.
Free agency is kind of a crap shoot and it is hard to forecast how most players are going to work out.
Darnold likely was viewed as a stop gap and I don't think that is what he really wanted. The same is true for Jones. KOC had said Sam had earned a shot at seeing what he could get in free agency and I respect that.
Sam has said he has "finally found a home here". He was most definitely not looking to be a stop-gap (but who is?).
$88 million on Will Fries! (Yeah, he’s better than Bradford, but Bradford’s salary will allow us to upgrade next season or next week)
If you are a fan of PFF, they grade Bradford as a better run blocker than Fries however Bradford's pass blocking is downright putrid.
My gut feeling is we are stuck with Bradford this year.
I just posted this comment earlier today basically agreeing we likely stand firm this year with what we have:
I just watched the all 22 for Monday’s game. Bradford’s biggest weakness after the total misses in pass blocking is his inability to get to the second level (linebackers) on run plays. I think he is just not quick enough and is too slow to adjust his angle so the backers can easily slip the block and get to the play. He’s not meant to play in a wide zone scheme. I just don’t know if anyone who is better is available to get by Nov 4th.
Like the analysis and that is what I see as well.
It will be interesting to see the direction we take for that position. Last year JS was transparent for the vision for the OL. The vision was to build through the draft and develop the linemen. Leading into the season JS kicked the tires on some of the free agents but the only one we signed was for depth.
I'm curious to see what Haynes looks like.
Bradford looked to have him clearly beat for the RG job before he was hurt. I’m not sure he’ll have a chance to win it back before next spring. But we will probably know soon if he comes off IR.
I'd like to think JS/MM has someone coming up off injury. Bradford is now a super-qualified back-up player where we can run a set number of plays he has proven good at. We'll know by Nov 4.
I just watched the all 22 for Monday’s game. Bradford’s biggest weakness after the total misses in pass blocking is his inability to get to the second level (linebackers) on run plays. I think he is just not quick enough and is too slow to adjust his angle so the backers can easily slip the block and get to the play. He’s not meant to play in a wide zone scheme. I just don’t know if anyone who is better is available to get by Nov 4th.
I read this post and I smile and chuckle at how this has turned out. It’s clear JS operates according to a real plan. He DOESN’T overreact to circumstances, particularly around the QB position.
SO glad he’s “our” GM. And I’m feeling the same way about Darnold as QB.
I was a big fan of Dart while in college and I hope the Seahawks would trade up to get him. So many teams are just into the matrix. They seem to forget you’re not drafting metrics you’re drafting a player.
However, the Seahawks got a good one with Darnold. He does not panic. He has a quick release and is not afraid to take with it. Defense will give him.
In the old days of the NFL quarterbacks were developed much like a pitcher now they are often pushed way too fast. I think that’s why so many fail. Quarterbacks failing then going somewhere else and thriving is not all that uncommon.
Geoff is at the top of the left most recently, but players like Steve Young for a complete flops and went on to be a Hall of Fame quarterbacks.