Postmortem: Sea v Lambs - The One That Got Away

[Donn Beach]

I think there's going to be some high pressure situation in the playoffs and Sam is going to do something stupid and gag, I can already see it. He's done it several times with other teams as well. It's his M.O.

Oh, there will be plenty of high-pressure situations. Don't look now, but 49ers are back as well.
It's one thing for The Darnold to have a game where he's not able to do the high-flying stuff, but I'm really disappointed
he's mentally weak. He had me fooled. He's more like Geno than I want to admit - minus the shitty attitude.

I just don't buy the high pressure stuff. What was so high pressure about it? It was hyped in the media? Was it more high pressure than TB? Every game they play should be high pressure. Each game you play should be the biggest game of the season. It's not like he's never played in them? He didn't play in any high pressure games at USC? He went number three in the draft playing poorly in high pressure games?.

That wasn't a high pressure game?

USC was invited to play in the 2017 Rose Bowl, their first appearance in the bowl in eight seasons. In the 52–49 victory over Penn State, Darnold completed 33 of 53 passes for 453 yards, while also setting Rose Bowl records in passing touchdowns (5) and total yards (473). The 453 passing yards recorded ranked second in the bowl's history, only trailing Danny O'Neil's 456 in the 1995 game.

Seems odd to me, a guy that makes it to being a starting qb in the NFL that can't handle playing in big games

[auroraave]

Thank goodness. I would give him a game off just to be safe.

And then, right on cue, you would complain about his back up and say this coaching staff and Schneider suck. You know it's true.

[trharder]

I just don't buy the high pressure stuff. What was so high pressure about it? It was hyped in the media? Was it more high pressure than TB? Every game they play should be high pressure. Each game you play should be the biggest game of the season. It's not like he's never played in them? He didn't play in any high pressure games at USC? He went number three in the draft playing poorly in high-pressure games?.
Seems odd to me, a guy that makes it to being a starting qb in the NFL that can't handle playing in big games

Maybe you can be Sam's shrink then. Pretty much all of Seahawks and Rams fandom and the media was talking about
what a huge game this was. Fuck yes, it was a much bigger game than the TB game. The Rams are one of, if not the
best teams in the league. They are in our division. You have to go through them to get to the SB. Darnold's doubters
were pointing to his previous failures against the Rams before this game. You should know this.

You are literally ignoring the history of Sam's career in favor of tired cliches. I realize you are the
self-appointed devil's advocate, but this was one of your most ridiculous performances.

[Donn Beach]

Thats what the game turned on, execution, not people talking about it the newspaper. It was a big game because they were facing an excellent opponent. Locking darnold in a soundproof booth for the week wouldn't have helped figure out how to attack the defense they schemed for him. It was the Ram defense not ESPN talking heads that messed with his mind

Kupp said Sunday evening after his first time playing against the Rams that L.A. defensive coordinator Chris Shula had them moving safeties up and back in changing defensive alignments. What looked like single-high coverage with a safety down “in the box” near the line of scrimmage to defense Seattle’s run game became two safeties deep, “Cover 2” shell schemes after snaps..

“They were throwing some safeties down. They were doing some good stuff,” Kupp said. “Being able to show lighter boxes, but then also being able to get into places where they were dropping into what essentially ended up being some Cover-2 looks. But, you know, show eight-man boxes which was obviously a big advantage for them.

“But we just didn’t execute well enough

[Donn Beach]

Up until Sunday the seahawks were 4-0 on the road, not only did they beat Pittsburgh, Arizona, Jacksonville and Washington on the road they took them apart. The Seahawks are 3-0 in prime time games this season. But none of them involved any pressure. All it took was for the Rams game to get talked about on the radio and all Darnold could do after that was chuck the ball to the Rams, go figure

[Michael K.]

Up until Sunday the seahawks were 4-0 on the road, not only did they beat Pittsburgh, Arizona, Jacksonville and Washington on the road they took them apart. The Seahawks are 3-0 in prime time games this season. But none of them involved any pressure. All it took was for the Rams game to get talked about on the radio and all Darnold could do after that was chuck the ball to the Rams, go figure

You had to go back to USC in 2017 to find a high pressure moment where he excelled. And? They were down 49 to 35 going into the 4th due to what I recall as a bad INT by Darnold. Good on him for the great 4th quarter, but for you to find a time he excelled in that moment? You had to go back to his last game in college. You don't think that makes his many flops in big moments news worthy? Yean, at Arizona, where we damn near blew the game....that is the same as a battle for first place in LA. Come on man.

This game was a big one, and the entire week leading up the conversation was on how Sam folds in these moments. But you expected that narrative to go away after he throws four picks?

[Donn Beach]

Up until Sunday the seahawks were 4-0 on the road, not only did they beat Pittsburgh, Arizona, Jacksonville and Washington on the road they took them apart. The Seahawks are 3-0 in prime time games this season. But none of them involved any pressure. All it took was for the Rams game to get talked about on the radio and all Darnold could do after that was chuck the ball to the Rams, go figure

You had to go back to USC in 2017 to find a high pressure moment where he excelled. And? They were down 49 to 35 going into the 4th due to what I recall as a bad INT by Darnold. Good on him for the great 4th quarter, but for you to find a time he excelled in that moment? You had to go back to his last game in college. You don't think that makes his many flops in big moments news worthy? Yean, at Arizona, where we damn near blew the game....that is the same as a battle for first place in LA. Come on man.

This game was a big one, and the entire week leading up the conversation was on how Sam folds in these moments. But you expected that narrative to go away after he throws four picks?

I'm not concerned about the narrative. Yeah, the narrative is he rattles in big games. I honestly don't see how a guy could get to the NFL and not be able to handle a big game. The other way to look at it is big games tend to be against great teams. Maybe it's the ability of a great team to defense him that rattles him. If I am a DC I'd be more focused on rattling him with a defensive twist than letting the newspapers handle it. Sorry but in my mind, his inability to read defenses is a bigger issue than him checking his cellphone

[Michael K.]

If I am a DC I'd be more focused on rattling him with a defensive twist than letting the newspapers handle it. Sorry but in my mind, his inability to read defenses is a bigger issue than him checking his cellphone

Holy Shit, really Donn? You think the DC's go into a week against Sam Darnold and bet reporters to cover the game more? Thanks for the insight that big games are against good teams. You are missing the point. When the moment gets big? Sam has bad days....THAT is newsworthy. Chose to read it or don't. Take it up with the press.

[Donn Beach]

If I am a DC I'd be more focused on rattling him with a defensive twist than letting the newspapers handle it. Sorry but in my mind, his inability to read defenses is a bigger issue than him checking his cellphone

Holy Shit, really Donn? You think the DC's go into a week against Sam Darnold and bet reporters to cover the game more? Thanks for the insight that big games are against good teams. You are missing the point. When the moment gets big? Sam has bad days....THAT is newsworthy. Chose to read it or don't. Take it up with the press.

Yeah, I'm not concerned about the press. They are in love with their narratives, Im perfectly happy to be labeled a contrarian by choosing to question them. I do not see how a football player could get all the way to being a starting NFL qb and not be able to handle the pressure of a big game, it just doesn't make sense to me. But everyone else are welcome to go along with it, fine with me.

I'll say this though, it could be about dealing with the aggressive aspects of a big game. The Rams were able to play Darnolds aggressiveness against him.

“They do a good job of disguising shell and all those things. I feel like a lot of defenses do the same thing,” Darnold said. “I feel like their pass rush, their linebackers, their safeties are all on the same page and playing really good football. They do it at a high level. They seem like really smart players.
“But again, those are self-inflicted wounds, turning the ball over like that. Sometimes it’s better just to try to throw the ball away or even take a sack when nothing is there.”
A sack was what was Darnold said was on his mind to avoid in the fourth quarter when, down 21-12 and his team on the edge of field-goal range, he stepped up from getting hit and tried a jump pass over the line on third down to rookie tight end Elijah Arroyo. Cornerback Darious Williams was in front of Arroyo. Darnold’s pass went directly to Williams. No points when three would have made it a one-score game again with more than 10 minutes still to play.
“Yeah, I was just trying to get the ball out of my hands. Just a poor decision,” Darnold said. “There was a lineman in the way. I didn’t see the DB. I tried to make a jump pass and it just didn’t work out. I’ve just got to dirt that one.”

Here is the Rams quote

Two of his interceptions were directly at Kinchens playing deep safety in the middle of the field.

“The rush contains him, and he wants to get rid of the ball. And he’s flinching up,” Kinchens said. “He don’t want to get sacked. He’s just trying to get the ball out of his hands. So that’s when I knew there was an opportunity.”

I guess I could buy that, overly aggressive

[Michael K.]

If it was only the Rams that gave Darnold fits? Fine. But it's pretty much every big game. If he wants to change the narrative he is going to have to produce in big games. Until then? Get used to the press talking about how he folds under pressure.