Sam Darnold's Skillset Most Resembles Which Past Great NFL QB

[nico002]

In the pocket he reminds me of Peyton but his ability to throw on the move is Rodgers -esque. He is one of the most accurate passers Iver ever seen. He has a very unique motion and style though, he’s like a point guard playing quarterback.

[14 in Green]

I'll stick with my pick, Mark Brunnell. I thought of him whenever I watched Sam play his last year at USC and when Sam played well for the Jets this year they looked identical to me. For the life of me I just don't get the Elway or Favre comparisons. They had two of the strongest arms ever, and were both more mobile, especially Elway. I kind of get the Romo thing, but Darnold is bigger, not quite as mobile, but probably has the better arm.

[HelenOfTroy]

On 1/13/2019 at 3:46 PM, MichaelScott said:

Glad to see you back, Helen. I appreciated your different take as a Sam fan and not a Jets fan. 

Make no mistake, I wouldn’t be here and insult you all as just a Sam/USC fan. I know which message board I’m posting on, and it’s a USC/Sam Darnold board.  

I can only give opinions or insights about Sam and Tay, because that is who I know as players and young men out of my college.  

I’m here to learn about the fan base, Jets history and direction of the program.  I would also be insulting Sam himself If I don’t care about his team.

my favorite Trojans all time, are Ronnie Lott and Troy Polamalu- defensive players, on teams I couldn’t  care less about.  

[Bruce Harper]

Rodgers and Romo without Romo's fourth quarter INTs.


Sent from my iPhone using JetNation.com mobile app

[Sonny Werblin]

He's more like roethlisberger and brees than the QBs on the list.

[14 in Green]

1 hour ago, nico002 said:

In the pocket he reminds me of Peyton but his ability to throw on the move is Rodgers -esque. He is one of the most accurate passers Iver ever seen. He has a very unique motion and style though, he’s like a point guard playing quarterback.

I'm not looking to argue Nico, but it almost seems like we were watching two different guys play QB last year for the Jets. I didn't see what you saw. I saw a kid loaded with raw potential before the injury, but one who was far from accurate, or even playing well. Post injury, I saw someone who the game had slowed down for, and who played much better. It was a shame he had nothing around him though, because he seems to have what it takes to be a star going forward just like you always said. I've told you a bunch of times how much I admire you for how you always stuck by him when he wasn't playing well, and I still do. (But I also enjoy teasing the hell out of you about it!) ?

[HelenOfTroy]

3 hours ago, MichaelScott said:

I get that it's an interesting topic to discuss, I'm not knocking the thread at all, but would it be so horrible if Sam was just Sam Darnold?

This is the one I agree with.  Sam is Sam, he plays like the three sport star he is, he was good enough for a D1 basketball scholarship in a power conference.  

He integrates his basketball player mentality, with the linebacker toughness into his QB play.  Unique to Sam.

 

[greenwave81]

1 hour ago, BigO said:

I’ve thought about this for awhile. Kelly seems the most logical. Good enough arm to make any throw, cerebral, good feet, can make plays out the pocket, good leader, quick decision maker/reads  progressions well. Hopefully Sam will win the big games. 

I voted Kelly also...but fear many on this board never saw Kelly even play lol.

[Charlie Brown]

Sam Darnold reminds me of Otto Graham.

Many of the folks out here say Bret Farve but Farve had a much stronger arm than Darnold.

 

Please click to see Otto

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yv2c07kS6I

http://www.nfl.com/videos/cleveland-browns/0ap2000000333946/Greatest-QB-of-all-time-Otto-Graham

[New York Mick]

9 minutes ago, Charlie Brown said:

Sam Darnold reminds me of Otto Graham.

Many of the folks out here say Bret Farve but Farve had a much stronger arm than Darnold.

 

Please click to see Otto

http://www.nfl.com/videos/cleveland-browns/0ap2000000333946/Greatest-QB-of-all-time-Otto-Graham

You old mother****er

[nico002]

1 hour ago, 14 in Green said:

I'm not looking to argue Nico, but it almost seems like we were watching two different guys play QB last year for the Jets. I didn't see what you saw. I saw a kid loaded with raw potential before the injury, but one who was far from accurate, or even playing well. Post injury, I saw someone who the game had slowed down for, and who played much better. It was a shame he had nothing around him though, because he seems to have what it takes to be a star going forward just like you always said. I've told you a bunch of times how much I admire you for how you always stuck by him when he wasn't playing well, and I still do. (But I also enjoy teasing the hell out of you about it!) ?

I don’t know what to tell you man. Go back and look at where this kid places balls- it’s absolutley unreal. He hits his receiver in stride on the correct side 99% of the time. His receivers created no separation all year yet he made things happen out of nothing.

There are two throws that I want you to look at from the video below- both from the first Miami game. 

First is the sideline throw on the move @ 1:13. Look how he throws a pin point dart, before the receiver comes open, with just a flick of the wrist while on the move. That is ridiculous. That is not normal.

Then look at the throw to Powell @ 2:38.  He is pushing into the pocket like a point guard and pops up to dish out a perfect pass with ridiculous anticipation. That is a special kind of throw. I just don’t see other QBs make that kind of play. 

 

[JoeWillieWhiteShoesHOF]

1 hour ago, New York Mick said:

They have similar mobility but Sam’s arm isn’t as strong. Brett had a fast ball and he was also a lot more reckless.

 

Actually his arm isn't that much of a drop off from Favre's who threw almost all fastballs, and he's going to be more accurate then Favre.  Darnold throws passes at 99 different speeds and from any arm angle.  Darnold seems to throw his fastball only when he has to, as though he's hiding it for special occasions.  I saw Brian Baldinger analyze an out route he threw against I think it was Denver against the Corner Roby, must have been about a 30 yard throw, before he let it go Roby was almost blanketing his target, this thing was a pure rifle shot, I don't know how he got in there, and he did perfectly, I even wondered if Testeverde could hit that throw in his prime, the last Jet QB who even had the slightest chance of trying to complete that throw, then you'd have to go back to O'Brien, who had a cannon, and then Namath, another cannon, not too many Jet QBs could have hit that.

Baldinger called it a "big time throw".

[Miss Lonelyhearts]

Romo. Or Bert Jones.

[Ohhthepain]

Big Ben

[Kleckineau]

Not feeling any of the above comparisons.

Premature to be comparing him to greats but If pushed I would go with Warren Moon.

[nico002]

2 hours ago, BigO said:

Check this out- click the Watch on youtube link- some eerily characteristics between the two. 

 

That’s awesome I def see it with the similar throwing motion.

[Jets723]

20 minutes ago, Ohhthepain said:

Big Ben

Agreed.  I hate Francesca but he also said Sam reminds him of Big Ben except he is less careless on and off the the field thankfully

[More Cowbell]

He reminds me of Rogers. They both move in the pocket the same way by stepping away from rushers by moving up a step or to the side a step. He also has Rogers ability to throw on the run and throw it accurately.  

[sackdance]

I think we can all agree that Darnold is a Wayne Gretzky/Michael Jordan hybrid wearing a football uniform.

[cant wait]

I think he kind of looks like wentz

[BigO]

17 minutes ago, nico002 said:

That’s awesome I def see it with the similar throwing motion.

Yea and he’s spunky like him too. 

[nycdan]

54 minutes ago, JoeWillieWhiteShoesHOF said:

Actually his arm isn't that much of a drop off from Favre's who threw almost all fastballs, and he's going to be more accurate then Favre.  Darnold throws passes at 99 different speeds and from any arm angle.  Darnold seems to throw his fastball only when he has to, as though he's hiding it for special occasions.  I saw Brian Baldinger analyze an out route he threw against I think it was Denver against the Corner Roby, must have been about a 30 yard throw, before he let it go Roby was almost blanketing his target, this thing was a pure rifle shot, I don't know how he got in there, and he did perfectly, I even wondered if Testeverde could hit that throw in his prime, the last Jet QB who even had the slightest chance of trying to complete that throw, then you'd have to go back to O'Brien, who had a cannon, and then Namath, another cannon, not too many Jet QBs could have hit that.

Baldinger called it a "big time throw".

I agree.  Not many QBs can hurl it like Favre but Sam is a lot closer to that than he is to Chad.  There seems to be some odd narrative here that Sam doesn't have a big-time arm.  Let's go to the videotape:

 

 

Maybe Favre could throw it 10 yards further, but how often do you need to do that?  I'll take the 40-50 yard strikes as being more than enough arm for this league. 

As for accuracy, oddly enough, Favre had better numbers his first year as a starter.  18 TD / 13 INT vs. 17 / 15 for Sam.  Favre threw the most INTs in history in large part because of his longevity.  His career 3.3% INT pct. is far better than guys like Staubach (3.7%), Theismann (3.8%), Tarkenton (4.1%) and Fouts (4.3%).  Oh and Namath?  5.8%.  

[Obrien2Toon]

Rodgers

[greenwichjetfan]

Tony Romo, and that’s a huge positive because I always thought Romo was one of the better QBs in the league. He was always unfairly underrated, and was always made out to be the villain for a bunch of teams that weren’t too great.

I also liken him to Young...deceptively fast legs, great scrambling ability but always looking to make plays with his arm, just enough arm to make all the throws, and very accurate with ball placement. Very heady at quickly processing information in-play as opposed to someone like Peyton who was a pre-play savant.

[Bocajetfan]

I appreciate Sam for being like Sam rather than trying to compare him to someone. Less chance of disappointment better chance to be excited bye how he preforms 

[Reynolds1029]

Honestly looks like Peyton to me. He takes what the defense and his WRs give him. He is a master at pre-snap reads, not many fool him. Total film nut too. He also has a strong enough arm similar to Peyton but it isn't Mahomes, Favre strong. He also isn't reckless like Favre, but he is not afraid of taking chances either. 

I know this may not be a popular comparasion, but that is who he closly resembles. 

[JoeWillieWhiteShoesHOF]

2 hours ago, nycdan said:

I agree.  Not many QBs can hurl it like Favre but Sam is a lot closer to that than he is to Chad.  There seems to be some odd narrative here that Sam doesn't have a big-time arm.  Let's go to the videotape:

 

 

Maybe Favre could throw it 10 yards further, but how often do you need to do that?  I'll take the 40-50 yard strikes as being more than enough arm for this league. 

As for accuracy, oddly enough, Favre had better numbers his first year as a starter.  18 TD / 13 INT vs. 17 / 15 for Sam.  Favre threw the most INTs in history in large part because of his longevity.  His career 3.3% INT pct. is far better than guys like Staubach (3.7%), Theismann (3.8%), Tarkenton (4.1%) and Fouts (4.3%).  Oh and Namath?  5.8%.  

Thanks for all the interesting stats.

The type of throws he makes are all based on how he feels best to completing each specific pass.  But I’m telling you, and I wish I could find and post that out route against Denver it’s definitely in Brian Baldinger’s Tweets, because it surprised me, kid has one of the stronger arms in the entire league, but he’ll rarely show it off, you’ll never see him firing bullets from close range like a Josh Allen who only knows to do that on almost any throw..but Darnold could.  If you notice, when he’s on his game, and he was on a consecutive basis at the end of the year, when he was getting clean snaps finally and seeing the whole field, at 21 years old he hits virtually EVERY pass he completes with his receiver DEAD IN STRIDE...it’s really a beautiful thing to see, and if you’ve watched the Jets long enough, you cant believe they have a QB like this, you question if what you saw really just happened.

[jack48]

14 hours ago, bealeb319 said:

Don't know if I would say great but he reminds me of Tony Romo

Sent from my LGUS991 using JetNation.com mobile app
 

not bad, but I think he has a better arm

[jack48]

7 hours ago, JoeWillieWhiteShoesHOF said:

Thanks for all the interesting stats.

The type of throws he makes are all based on how he feels best to completing each specific pass.  But I’m telling you, and I wish I could find and post that out route against Denver it’s definitely in Brian Baldinger’s Tweets, because it surprised me, kid has one of the stronger arms in the entire league, but he’ll rarely show it off, you’ll never see him firing bullets from close range like a Josh Allen who only knows to do that on almost any throw..but Darnold could.  If you notice, when he’s on his game, and he was on a consecutive basis at the end of the year, when he was getting clean snaps finally and seeing the whole field, at 21 years old he hits virtually EVERY pass he completes with his receiver DEAD IN STRIDE...it’s really a beautiful thing to see, and if you’ve watched the Jets long enough, you cant believe they have a QB like this, you question if what you saw really just happened.

he is pinpoint on that deep out.  His deep ball on the sideline is good.  Any inaccuracy I see involves high over the middle

[rangerous]

of the list i'm thinking more like aikman.  he's not fiery like favre and he doesn't have a cannon for an arm like elway.  maybe montana is a good comparison because the guy is cool under pressure.

[UntouchableCrew]

From that list I would say Favre. Obviously he doesn't have the same cannon of an arm but his ability to move around and escape the pocket and his gunslinger mentality remind me of Favre a bit.

[JoeWillieWhiteShoesHOF]

2 hours ago, jack48 said:

he is pinpoint on that deep out.  His deep ball on the sideline is good.  Any inaccuracy I see involves high over the middle

He’ll correct that, and quickly.  He even was able to refine his delivery that was elongated while at SC, which is almost impossible to do, but in the timeframe he did it it actually was impossible.

Sky is the limit.  There is a reason JJ Watt told him “you’re going to be a great pro”, right after the game.

[jack48]

7 minutes ago, JoeWillieWhiteShoesHOF said:

He’ll correct that, and quickly.  He even was able to refine his delivery that was elongated while at SC, which is almost impossible to do, but in the timeframe he did it it actually was impossible.

Sky is the limit.  There is a reason JJ Watt told him “you’re going to be a great pro”, right after the game.

AND---he cut way back on fumbles.  Two handed the ba; most of the time

[carlito1171]

I don’t see the Farve comparison...hard to make a case as Darnold doesn’t have the rocket arm Farve did. 

I think Sam is just Sam but if you put a gun to my head I see a lot of Andrew Luck in his game...or maybe Romo without the lightning quick release 

[carlito1171]

15 hours ago, More Cowbell said:

He reminds me of Rogers. They both move in the pocket the same way by stepping away from rushers by moving up a step or to the side a step. He also has Rogers ability to throw on the run and throw it accurately.  

Yea his pocket presence is very Rodgersesque...best pocket presence I’ve seen from any Jets QB during my time(going back to the mid-late 90s for reference)...Rodgers has a laser for an arm where as Darnold can drop dimes with slightly less velocity