{"id":174855,"date":"2024-05-26T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-05-26T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=174855"},"modified":"2024-05-26T08:12:02","modified_gmt":"2024-05-26T12:12:02","slug":"what-does-sam-darnold-need-hold-j-j-mccarthy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2024\/05\/26\/what-does-sam-darnold-need-hold-j-j-mccarthy\/","title":{"rendered":"What Does Sam Darnold Need to Do to Hold off J.J. McCarthy?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Minnesota Vikings<\/a> rebuilt their quarterback room this offseason after Kirk Cousins<\/a> decided to sign with the Atlanta Falcons. This rebuilt room consisted of two new players, J.J. McCarthy<\/a> and Sam Darnold<\/a>. No matter the outcome of the 2024 season, McCarthy is the future, but an extended run of Darnold while the rookie gets time to learn and get better may not be the worst option.<\/span><\/p>\n

The former No. 3 pick in the NFL draft has struggled to find a permanent starting job in the NFL, and by signing with the Vikings, this will be Darnold\u2019s fourth new team in five years.\u00a0<\/span>While he\u2019s struggled to maintain a consistent streak of good football, he\u2019s shown flashes of why\u00a0<\/span>he<\/span>\u00a0was drafted so\u00a0<\/span>high<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>and\u00a0<\/span>why he<\/span>\u00a0keeps getting contracts in the league.<\/span>\u00a0A\u00a0<\/span>major<\/span>\u00a0reason for his inconsistencies at the NFL level is the talent\u00a0<\/span>he\u2019s been<\/span> surrounded with during his career. <\/span><\/p>\n

What Does Sam Darnold Need to Do to Hold off J.J. McCarthy?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Before the Vikings<\/h3>\n

Starting in New York with the Jets<\/a>, his rookie year saw him throwing to receivers Robbie Anderson (now Robbie Chosen) and Quincy Enunwa, with a rookie Chris Herndon at tight end. In 2019\u00a0<\/span>the<\/span>\u00a0Jets made many changes. They fired Todd Bowles, hired Adam Gase, and signed Le\u2019Veon Bell, Jamison Crowder and Demaryius Thomas. While those names weren\u2019t the flashiest at this point, it\u00a0<\/span>was an improvement to<\/span>\u00a0what they had, and Darnold\u2019s numbers improved because of it. The\u00a0<\/span>next<\/span>\u00a0year\u00a0<\/span>the<\/span>\u00a0Jets fell apart and went 2-14\u00a0<\/span>and<\/span>\u00a0Darnold\u00a0<\/span>was traded<\/span>\u00a0for a second-round pick, which is\u00a0<\/span>important<\/span>\u00a0to know because even with the struggles in New\u00a0<\/span>York<\/span>\u00a0there was still a market for him,\u00a0<\/span>and that<\/span> market was with the Carolina Panthers<\/a>. The struggles continued, with Darnold and the offense\u00a0as a whole\u00a0showing inconsistency with Darnold at the helm. He only started 12 games that year due to the streaky\u00a0performances,\u00a0and would sign with the San Francisco 49ers<\/a> to backup Brock Purdy the next year.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sam Darnold- The Good<\/span><\/h3>\n

What Sam Darnold does well is create with his legs and his eyes<\/span>, he\u2019s<\/span>\u00a0aggressive (sometimes to a fault)\u00a0<\/span>but<\/span>\u00a0he\u2019s always looking to push the ball down the field and make big plays. He has a lot of arm talent<\/span>, that<\/span>\u00a0term\u00a0<\/span>is thrown around<\/span>\u00a0a lot, but what I mean by arm talent is the ability to make\u00a0<\/span>strong<\/span>\u00a0and accurate throws from off-balance platforms and\u00a0<\/span>from<\/span>\u00a0far away.\u00a0<\/span>If\u00a0<\/span>he<\/span> can find the balance of reigning in the home-run throws and play in a more structured <\/span>offense,<\/span> with a much better supporting cast in Minnesota, he can succeed.<\/span>\u00a0He reunites with Josh McCown<\/a>, a teammate of Darnold\u2019s with the Jets<\/span>, their<\/span>\u00a0familiarity can only help. Spending a year with Kyle Shanahan and sitting for 17 games\u00a0<\/span>doesn\u2019t hurt\u00a0<\/span>either<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Darnold gives eyes to the Flat before hitching (7 step drop!) and firing the Sail route to Tremble for the TD. The eyes gets the Bucs flat defender to tie down just slightly instead of sinking underneath the route.<\/p>\n

With some pressure in his lap too. pic.twitter.com\/M7qzyMa4RL<\/a><\/p>\n

— Nate Tice (@Nate_Tice) January 2, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n