One of the early surprises of the 2024 NFL season has been the rebirth of quarterback Sam Darnold. After spending last year as a backup with the San Francisco 49ers, he signed with the Minnesota Vikings and has them off to a 3-0 start.
Darnold’s eight passing touchdowns rank first in the NFL through three weeks, his 117.3 passer rating ranks second and his 8.4 yards per attempt rank fifth. He is just the fifth quarterback over the last 25 years to start 3-0 and throw eight passing touchdowns in his first three starts with a team. Two of the previous four quarterbacks won the Super Bowl that season.
It wasn’t long ago where the former No. 3 overall pick of the New York Jets was regarded as a complete bust. Darnold went 13-25 with the Jets before being traded to the Carolina Panthers, then was cut loose after going 8-9 in Charlotte. Now, at 27-years-old, he’s playing himself into a lucrative contract that will come from either the Vikings or another quarterback-needy team.
What happened for Darnold to turn the corner as a starting quarterback? His current situation has been a great help in his early-season success. Not only does Darnold get to throw to the best receiver in the NFL in Justin Jefferson, but he’s also being guided by an underrated offensive mind in head coach Kevin O’Connell.
During a recent appearance on the “Rich Eisen Show,” O’Connell discussed developing quarterbacks, and said that if a player struggles early in his career, it’s the organization that is to blame.
“I just think as a whole, there’s not enough emphasis put on the organization’s role in the development of the position, meaning I believe that organizations fail young quarterbacks before young quarterbacks fail organizations,” O’Connell said.
Even though he has the example of Darnold right in front of him, and former Panthers’ No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young was benched just last week in Carolina,…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/vikings-kevin-oconnell-shares-his-insight-on-how-to-develop-young-quarterbacks/
Author : Jordan Dajani
Publish date : 2024-09-27 18:48:05
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