What national voices are saying about Sam Darnold

All season long the Seattle Seahawks have faced doubts about starting quarterback Sam Darnold.

Once dubbed as a draft bust, the former No. 3 overall pick turned his career around a season ago with the Vikings, but his stay in Minnesota ended with two rough performances in high-pressure games, including a postseason loss.

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The USC product’s resurgence was undeniable, but questions started to surface about his ability to win big games.

Those doubts were further amplified in Week 11 of this season when Darnold threw four interceptions in a loss against the Los Angeles Rams in what was Seattle’s biggest game of the season up to that point.

Since that abysmal performance at SoFi Stadium, Darnold and the Seahawks have won seven straight. They avenged their loss to the Rams with Darnold leading a game-tying drive to force overtime and the game-winning drive in OT, and they knocked off the San Francisco 49ers during Week 18 in a de facto NFC West title game with the No. 1 seed for the playoffs on the line.

Have the big wins late this year been enough to alter the national perspective on Seattle’s quarterback entering the playoffs?

Several national voices have shared their thoughts on Darnold with Seattle Sports over the past week. Here’s a look at what they’ve said.

He still needs to prove it

When FOX analyst and former University of Colorado quarterback Joel Klatt was asked if he trusted Darnold during a conversation with Brock and Salk, he was quick to say no.

“They’re gonna have to win the Super Bowl … because we’ve seen him in his career look great for an extended period and then all of a sudden it’s like, well, there’s the three-turnover game,” Klatt said.

Klatt acknowledged that MVP candidate Matthew Stafford had a three-interception game in a stunning loss to Carolina this season, but he’s willing to give a more proven signal-caller the benefit of the doubt.

“I trust guys that have done it for a sustained (period),” he said. “I trust Patrick Mahomes. Even though he turned it over against Carolina, I trust Matt Stafford. Yeah, I trust Josh Allen. I trust Joe Burrow. … The guys that perpetually come up short, it’s harder for me.”

‘Realistic expectations’

Pro Football Focus analyst Trevor Sikkema expressed confidence in Darnold to Bump and Stacy, but he said that comes with realistic expectations.

“I have a lot of confidence in him, and I think when you look at Sam Darnold, you just have to be realistic with your expectations,” Sikkema said. “… Can he make the big plays? Yes, I have no reservation that Sam Darnold is capable of making the big plays, the big throws (in) fourth-down moments, third-down moments, red-zone moments, fourth-quarter moments. Whatever it is, I feel that he has the ability, because we’ve seen it before, to do all of those things.”

Sikkema is fine with Darnold making a mistake. The mistakes just can’t pile up.

“Sam Darnold’s probably going to give you one tough turnover-worthy play per game. That’s just the style that he is. You can live with one. It gets dangerous when we get to, OK, now he’s had two or three turnover-worthy plays in the game,” he said. “… The style in which he wants to play as someone who wants to attempt and complete those big-moment throws that you need to means that you’re going to put it in harm’s way every now and then.”

Doubt due to inconsistency

NFL Network analyst and former UW Huskies quarterback Isaiah Stanback said Darnold is too inconsistent during a conversation with Bump and Stacy. He had an interesting way of describing the feeling Darnold gives him.

“I really think that Sam Darnold’s been inconsistent. If there’s one weak spot going into the playoffs that is just kind of giving me the bubble guts, it’s Sam Darnold’s play,” he said. “… You just don’t know what you’re going to get out of him. Some games he shows up and he looks like Sam Darnold of last year and other games he shows up and it just looks like he’s seeing ghosts, he’s running scared, has happy feet in the backfield and he’s not able to follow through on his passes and he’s inaccurate. So I just don’t know. That’s the only aspect of this team going into the playoff run that makes me uncertain.”

Still growing

NFL.com reporter Jeffri Chadiha identified Darnold as the reason the Seahawks were overlooked nationally this season with Wyman and Bob, but he thinks Seattle made a smart decision in the offseason to help get the best out of its quarterback this year.

“I really believe the most important thing the Seahawks did this offseason was deciding Klint Kubiak was going to be their offensive coordinator. You see how much the right guy in a quarterback’s ear can mean to his growth and his confidence,” Chadiha said.

Chadiha has come away impressed with one way Darnold’s game has grown this year.

“The most impressive thing I’ve seen about Sam Darnold … is the way he’s come back from those struggles,” he said. “I don’t think he was able to do that last year. … We sometimes want these quarterbacks to be The Avengers right off the bat, right? Superheroes. They all have to go through their own growth process, and I think Sam Donald is going through his own still and learning in real time.”

Not enough credit

NFL Network’s Mike Yam, who worked at the Pac-12 Network when Darnold was at USC, told Bump and Stacy he doesn’t believe the quarterback is getting enough credit for what he’s done, especially in helping Seattle pull out big games late in the season.

“You can point to what happened at this end of his stay at Minnesota and you look at those collapses late. Is that all on Sam? I don’t know. I don’t know if it’s completely fair to point the finger at just one person,” Yam said. “I do think some of his performances, and this happens to every player in the NFL, sometimes guys don’t get the benefit of the doubt. Sam hasn’t, and I do think what we’ve seen late this season from Sam Darnold should have squashed some of that conversation and eased some of those concerns.”

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