00:00Take it a look at the quarterback position in the Super Bowl.
00:03And again, two quarterbacks show really different paths into this moment.
00:08But, you know, you look at the starting point, both drafted top three to AFC East teams.
00:15Yeah.
00:15One of them made the Super Bowl in year two.
00:17The other has been around the block.
00:19I think Darnold is really the story because it's just, it's such an underdog story.
00:26I mean, it is stunning that he specifically is here and the fact that he has won or been
00:34a part of, I should, I want to say he's been a part of 14 win teams in consecutive seasons.
00:38You cannot hand wave something like that.
00:42I want to start here.
00:45Relative to the rest of the league, how do you assess Sam Darnold?
00:49I told you earlier, and when we broke it down last week and leading up to the Super Bowl,
00:56I really believe he's answered all of his critics.
00:59He's erased all the negativity.
01:01Yep.
01:01And in both playoff wins, even though one wasn't spectacular statistically, he still engineered
01:07that win and they got it in dominating fashion.
01:11You can make the argument the game was over before it started with the kickoff return.
01:15But I mean, to go for 346 plus three touchdowns and out duel, and I know Stafford had better
01:22stats, but ultimately Darnold's team could have been up, should have been up 11 if they
01:27don't get that stupid penalty and they win it, you know, in dominating fashion potentially.
01:33And again, you know, he didn't turn the football over, just put his team in a position, the
01:39throws, the confidence, the ability to break, contain, move around in the pocket.
01:44I mean, he looks like a calm, collected quarterback and, you know, anything that you throw at
01:50him now, I think he's able to handle, you know, and I'll just, you want to see that maybe
01:56the difference last year to this year is, okay, at the end of last year, he did in those
02:02two games against Detroit and the LA Rams look like a deer in the headlights, right?
02:07They blitzed them early and often he couldn't handle it and didn't know where to go with
02:12the football and couldn't seem to get a handle on where to throw the football because he
02:18was seeing everybody.
02:20This year, you know, it's similar, I'll say, to Fernando Mendoza, and I know you like Mendoza.
02:26Okay.
02:27Because if you look at Mendoza in the big games this year, threw an interception against
02:33Iowa, rebounds with a touchdown, throws an interception and they're down against Penn
02:39State, rebounds with the touchdown to Omar Cooper, throws an interception against Oregon,
02:45rebounds in the second half with a touchdown.
02:47Same thing with Darnold, right?
02:49You know, you look at the game.
02:50All right, they got him one time in LA when they lost that game 21-19, but he was still,
02:56they had an opportunity to kick the 60-yarder to win it.
02:59In the second game, he was playing atrocious in the first half and then once they gave him
03:03that little opening, he exploited it and he led his team on the come-from-behind drive,
03:09he led them in the overtime, and so that's what I see.
03:12He's no longer dwelling in the adversity.
03:15He's putting it in the rearview mirror and all of a sudden he's moving forward.
03:19He believes that he can throw and he can lead his team from behind.
03:23And when we break this game down and we talk about my assessment, that's where I think
03:27the difference is between Drake May and him right now is that if he is in a come-from-behind
03:34situation, personally, and this is just a personal assessment, I believe Sam Darnold is more
03:41equipped to play from behind than Drake May, and I know you'll disagree.
03:45Well, yeah, I do disagree.
03:46That's why we, that's why I love it.
03:47Ultimately, each guy kind of has one game that they can point to for, hey, I completed
03:53a comeback.
03:54It was May against Baltimore on a Sunday night where he threw for 380, first ever 300-yard
03:59game.
04:00You also had Lamar get injured in the game, right?
04:02So maybe that helped.
04:03And then Darnold has the comeback against the Rams, which I don't know.
04:09You know, it's, it, here is, it is stunning to me that Sam Darnold has found his footing.
04:21And I actually think there's like a keep on taking all the steps back.
04:25Like, um, we still rush quarterbacks onto the field way too much.
04:32I knew this is where you were going with this, and I know.
04:37Well, the evidence is there because even going from the Jets to Carolina, it didn't really
04:42work, right?
04:43But the year I, the study abroad year, basically, that he had in San Francisco, it feels like
04:52that made a difference.
04:53Okay.
04:54And his perception changed.
04:56Okay.
04:57And then...
04:58Can we just chalk it up to good coaching?
05:01Sure.
05:02I don't know, but my point is, because I'll, Baker is in a, they were both on the same team.
05:08Yeah.
05:08Both in Carolina, Baker didn't, obviously, I, I think personally, Cleveland will let go
05:13of Baker a little too soon.
05:15Okay.
05:16But that, it is what it is.
05:17Carolina was a train wreck with Brady and Rule.
05:20No doubt.
05:21Baker goes for that half a year with McVay, with the Rams, and all of a sudden, good coaching
05:27from that point on with Tampa has been phenomenal.
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