Is Darnold "coddled" ?

[Jon Snow]

4 minutes ago, TheMostInterestingMan said:

"We" weren't the only ones not sold on Fields. He was picked 11th and the 4th QB taken. The Broncos, Giants, Lions and soon rebuilding Falcons all passed. Could he be great? Sure,  that's a real possibility. Was any pro scout as high on him as this fugging board? That seems pretty unlikely as half of you have already deemed him a franchise savior based on a couple of preseason games which really highlights the most important point of all.

Some of you seem to be putting WAY to much stock into the preseason. Seriously. The season is almost here. Can we chill on this nonsense that Darnold is being coddled and the coaches have no idea what they are doing and they suck at team building even though they seem to have picked 5+ contributors in the previous draft based on what we have seen, even though on draft day they were called idiots for trading back to much etc...

Can we just hold our judgement until at least ONE SINGLE regular season game has been played ffs or does everyone here just already know Darnold, Rhule, Snow, Brady etc all suck? Fug me lol.

I wish I could pie you to infinity.  Well said my good sir.

[LinvilleGorge]

Players who need development need to play in the preseason IMO. Not all "starters" are created equal. If Darnold struggles on the regular season, Rhule is going to be bashed unmercifully for not using the preseason to get Darnold more snaps and he's going to deserve it. That's how it works for coaches. You make calls and if they work you're praised for your brilliance and if they don't you're an incompetent idiot.

[CRA]

19 minutes ago, mav1234 said:

Fwiw, the main value of preseason games remains for bubble players and next for determining 2nd and 3rd string.

On topic, I've wanted to see more Darnold but him playing an extra series is not going to make or break his year.

just to be snarky… the main value of preseason games is for them to make money off of us. 

which means I will complain about the crappy entertainment lol

[TheMostInterestingMan]

Just now, LinvilleGorge said:

Players who need development need to play in the preseason IMO. Not all "starters" are created equal. If Darnold struggles on the regular season, Rhule is going to be bashed unmercifully for not using the preseason to get Darnold more snaps and he's going to deserve it. That's how it works for coaches. You make calls and if they work you're praised for your brilliance and if they don't you're an incompetent idiot.

I agree with you. But it would then seem more appropriate to wait until week 1 to determine if Darnold is being coddled aclusio if this decision matters right now or not, no? So can we wait for week week 1 before drawing our conclusion here? 

I can already tell you this. If Darnold comes out and looks even decent. If Darnold comes out and completes 59% of his passes with one TD and one turnover and we win the game then I can already see the argument being "well he played one of the 3-4 worst teams in football. It really doesn't mean he is a good QB. Get back to me in week 8" and that is a completely valid take. So why is it that these preseason games seem so unbelievably important when virtually nobody will give him credit if he gets the job done in a real regular season game? 

My point is we just have to let this play out. But if anyone is banging the table about him needing to play right now then frankly I don't want those same people saying "its just the Jets" if he does okay and gets a W when the games actually matter. Because week 1-4 of the preseason is frankly NOTHING like week 1 of the regular season. I know we are all aware of this. I know the coaching staff and the players are aware of this. Getting worked up about ANYTHING other than, I dunno, your starting QB getting a serious injury during the preseason seems pretty pointless. 

[bigdog10]

3 hours ago, onmyown said:

Because the main position responsible for protecting him is probably the worst position group on the entire team (and has been for a while now)?

I’d question whether they’re coddling the oline. Not even worthy to protect the starting qb in a preseason game.

But honestly who knows. Maybe it’s just the way Rhule does things. And really I don’t care, cause it won’t matter. He’s got 17 games…he’ll either look good or we move on.

The offensive line is a major concern but Joe Brady can mask that in three series by calling short pass plays, bubble screens, RB screens, etc in a preseason game without getting Darnold hit  

Him getting reps in a red jersey is completely different than him making decisions on the fly against dudes that are trying to get to him  

 

[bigdog10]

Darnold needs to get comfortable with the fact that he’s going to be uncomfortable behind whatever line we trot out this season. Even if our oline is at its best, it’s maybe a middle of the pack offensive line. 

[CRA]

2 minutes ago, bigdog10 said:

The offensive line is a major concern but Joe Brady can mask that in three series by calling short pass plays, bubble screens, RB screens, etc in a preseason game without getting Darnold hit  

Him getting reps in a red jersey is completely different than him making decisions on the fly against dudes that are trying to get to him  

 

and the OL likely needs the reps more than Darnold.   But Darnold needs to be back there to see how and who hold ups.  The whole chemistry aspect. 

Not only does Darnold wear red in practice,  they restrict how defenders can attack the OL

[TheMostInterestingMan]

1 minute ago, bigdog10 said:

Darnold needs to get comfortable with the fact that he’s going to be uncomfortable behind whatever line we trot out this season. Even if our oline is at its best, it’s maybe a middle of the pack offensive line. 

He has been playing under those circumstances his entire career. The difference is now he is getting the opportunity to do so with the best pass catching RB in the league, a potentially top 10 WR group in the league, a QB coach for the first time in his career and a more than likely much better OC. 

We don't know exactly how the practices are structured and exactly how they are being drilled. And we really don't know what Sam Darnold needs. I can see the argument for "I wish he played more" because hell, I do too. I can't see the "he's being coddled and the coaches have no idea what they are doing" because at this point that is not really based on very much. It just isn't. But one thing I know for sure, he knows what its like to play behind a sh*t line. This isn't going to be something new for him to get familiarized with. 

[DemPanthers]

I would've preferred for Darnold to have way more reps than he has. Getting used to an new offense and new WR's and develop a feel for each other under game conditions not a controlled practice. 

[outlaw4]

8 minutes ago, TheMostInterestingMan said:

Can we just hold our judgement until at least ONE SINGLE regular season game has been played ffs or does everyone here just already know Darnold, Rhule, Snow, Brady etc all suck? Fug me lol.

This is the Huddle. We don't do that around here.

Having two joint practices made the preseason games even less relevant. No need to throw out Darnold (or more of the starters, frankly) in meaningless  games just to coddle fans egos.

[kungfoodude]

28 minutes ago, CRA said:

just to be snarky… the main value of preseason games is for them to make money off of us. 

which means I will complain about the crappy entertainment lol

Yeah, I mean from the "bang for the buck" perspective, it definitely sucks to not see more of the starters. That is a very valid point to bitch about, especially if you are a season ticket holder

[kungfoodude]

27 minutes ago, TheMostInterestingMan said:

I agree with you. But it would then seem more appropriate to wait until week 1 to determine if Darnold is being coddled aclusio if this decision matters right now or not, no? So can we wait for week week 1 before drawing our conclusion here? 

I can already tell you this. If Darnold comes out and looks even decent. If Darnold comes out and completes 59% of his passes with one TD and one turnover and we win the game then I can already see the argument being "well he played one of the 3-4 worst teams in football. It really doesn't mean he is a good QB. Get back to me in week 8" and that is a completely valid take. So why is it that these preseason games seem so unbelievably important when virtually nobody will give him credit if he gets the job done in a real regular season game? 

My point is we just have to let this play out. But if anyone is banging the table about him needing to play right now then frankly I don't want those same people saying "its just the Jets" if he does okay and gets a W when the games actually matter. Because week 1-4 of the preseason is frankly NOTHING like week 1 of the regular season. I know we are all aware of this. I know the coaching staff and the players are aware of this. Getting worked up about ANYTHING other than, I dunno, your starting QB getting a serious injury during the preseason seems pretty pointless. 

Week 1 is too early to draw a conclusion. As Panthers fans we should know that better than anyone after the Kyle Allen and Teddy Bridgewater fiascos in recent memory. I'd be reticent to pass judgement on Darnold until at least half a season of play, unless it is all bad or all good.

[Fright]

Coaches are saving the panic for the actual season because they have no backup. If he implodes in the preseason, they’re f’d and they know it.

We’re banking everything on a player who has been mediocre or poo from college to pro.

[Khaki Lackey]

Coddled? Maybe a little. So what?