A critique of Darnold through 4 games

[ForJimmy]

This thread was fine and backed with data and started off stating “he has far exceeded my expectations.” He is a young QB and has areas to grow as all young QBs do. The die hard Darnold protectors are just as annoying as the Darnold haters. He has played great and should get better as the year progresses. He (like most players) has areas to improve. For example, Burns isn’t the best at run defense and Chinn struggles sometimes in coverage. These are things we as fans can discuss and analyze. Everyone relax we are 3-1! 

[LinvilleGorge]

2 minutes ago, 1usctrojan said:

Dude, you be you.  This type of discussion and critique is what I’m here for, we always want to be better, why not the players that play for the team we love?  I checked on the Jets board several times in his time there, and they were even making fun of his looks.  Sad to read how petty and miserable some people are.

There were posters here who didn't want Zach Wilson because his appearance reminded them of Jimmy Clausen. I'm serious.

[ForJimmy]

1 minute ago, LinvilleGorge said:

There were posters here who didn't want Zach Wilson because his appearance reminded them of Jimmy Clausen. I'm serious.

The Jimmy Clausen look did trigger me a bit. I think I have some Fanhood PTSD from that year….

[1usctrojan]

Just now, LinvilleGorge said:

There were posters here who didn't want Zach Wilson because his appearance reminded them of Jimmy Clausen. I'm serious.

Years and years on message boards, as a moderator and just a member, I know.  Some people need to get over that pubescent girl crap, and just discuss football and share knowledge in what they are seeing during the games. 
 

We follow our guys in the NFL on our message boards as well, under threads titled “Projans” every week during games, or any tweets or news about them.  You may find it hard to believe, but although we love our guys, we’ve also said some of the things you’ve said.  This blind homerism is not productive, and leads to nothing but members turning on each other. This site is actually pretty balanced and fair, there is good and bad to every players game, and we’re here to freely discuss it.

[Mr. Scot]

23 minutes ago, ForJimmy said:

This thread was fine and backed with data and started off stating “he has far exceeded my expectations.” He is a young QB and has areas to grow as all young QBs do. The die hard Darnold protectors are just as annoying as the Darnold haters. He has played great and should get better as the year progresses. He (like most players) has areas to improve. For example, Burns isn’t the best at run defense and Chinn struggles sometimes in coverage. These are things we as fans can discuss and analyze. Everyone relax we are 3-1! 

I'd say suggestions that LG might have gone a little overboard sometimes while talking about Darnold in the offseason are probably fair (guessing he might now see that too).

His analysis in this thread though? I've seen plenty of examples of people trying to spin things to say they were right even when they're being proven wrong.

I don't see that here.

I see LG giving an honest and fair critique.

And no, nobody is immune from criticism. In fifty years of watching football, I've yet to see a perfect quarterback. Hell, you can watch guys like Brady, Rodgers, Mahomes and whomever any given week and you'll see mistakes, missed opportunities, etc. If those guys are going to make mistakes, then obviously a guy who's being rebuilt from the ground up is going to make plenty.

My offseason take was that I didn't know whether Darnold was going to be good or not, that being because...I didn't. Neither did anybody else if we're being honest but hey...

As far as what I see now, I'd put him at the level of a promising rookie.

And I'm pretty happy about that.

Edited October 5, 2021 by Mr. Scot

[Ghostface Chilla]

38 minutes ago, Moose Hoover said:

he's good now while he's young, but eventually he's just going to be darn old

 

Ha! 

 

Come on guys, this was a decent one in the middle of all these angsty posts. 

[glenwo2]

9 hours ago, 1usctrojan said:

Dude, you be you.  This type of discussion and critique is what I’m here for, we always want to be better, why not the players that play for the team we love?  I checked on the Jets board several times in his time there, and they were even making fun of his looks.  Sad to read how petty and miserable some people are.

Yep.   Some of them said he looked like Shrek.    Others say he looks like the LEGO Cop(whatever that means) because of the shape of his chin or something.

Really petty sh-t.

[glenwo2]

9 hours ago, LinvilleGorge said:

There were posters here who didn't want Zach Wilson because his appearance reminded them of Jimmy Clausen. I'm serious.

Is it telling that I, being probably the biggest Sam supporter here(sorry usctrojan), could recognize from the get-go that you were pretty happy for the most part at Sam's peformance thus far, AND gave out some constructive criticism on what he needs to improve upon?

I mean...yeah...in the past you were extremely skeptical(to say the least) about him but in this thread, It seems he is slowly-but-surely winning you over as Panthers QB.   You're not like TLG who won't accept Sam no matter what he does.

So hats off to you, man. 

 

Edited October 6, 2021 by glenwo2

[LinvilleGorge]

2 hours ago, glenwo2 said:

Is it telling that I, being probably the biggest Sam supporter here(sorry usctrojan), could recognize from the get-go that you were pretty happy for the most part at Sam's peformance thus far, AND gave out some constructive criticism on what he needs to improve upon?

I mean...yeah...in the past you were extremely skeptical(to say the least) about him but in this thread, It seems he is slowly-but-surely winning you over as Panthers QB.   You're not like TLG who won't accept Sam no matter what he does.

So hats off to you, man. 

 

I have my opinions and I'm not afraid to share them, but I'm always happy to be wrong if it works out to the benefit of the Panthers.

[ForJimmy]

3 hours ago, glenwo2 said:

Yep.   Some of them said he looked like Shrek.    Others say he looks like the LEGO Cop(whatever that means) because of the shape of his chin or something.

Really petty sh-t.

Haters gonna hate…

 

[LinvilleGorge]

I've never understood the people who take their disdain for a player to a personal level. Even the Panthers I've drug through the mud like Jimmy Clausen, Armanti Edwards, Byron Bell, Amini Silatolu, etc. I never heard anything about them indicating they didn't work hard and do everything the coaches asked of them. That's all a player can do. If he still fails then it's not his fault. It's an evaluation issue, a development issue, or a utilization issue at that point and that's on the staff and/or front office.

The only time I hold it against the player is when it's clear that it's his fault. Take Kelvin Benjamin. He showed on the field that he had the ability to develop into a big time NFL WR, but the guy constantly showed up to camp out of shape and then blamed everyone under the sun for every issue he's ever faced on the way out the door. His failure is on him.

[OceanPanther]

1 hour ago, LinvilleGorge said:

I have my opinions and I'm not afraid to share them, but I'm always happy to be wrong if it works out to the benefit of the Panthers.

Your topic..  was : Critique   Darnold through first 4 games.   Not Zach Wilson ( who we couldn't draft he went 2nd ) ,or Fields 5 yrs down the road.   But after  OUR 1st 4 games. Others seem to want to  compare things that can't be compared.   

We played 4 games.   1 good team.  ( Dallas ) ,  1 average team ( Nu Awleans ) and 2 bad teams,  and Darnold  and the rest of the team including a good Defense ,  a bad O line, and a bad special teams,  good coaching and play calling,  has looked like he can beat bad teams,  many or most average teams, and I think we can beat a good team every now and then.

Maybe we can win one of the last 4 games on our schedule.  We are thin at many positions, like many teams,  but we can't be hit by the injury bug for him to succeed .

Who knows, maybe we actually improve our O line in the next year or so.. then we might like Darnold even more.. 

[Icege]

Is it the offense or is it Darnold tho?

Edited October 6, 2021 by Icege

[1usctrojan]

5 hours ago, glenwo2 said:

Is it telling that I, being probably the biggest Sam supporter here(sorry usctrojan), could recognize from the get-go that you were pretty happy for the most part at Sam's peformance thus far, AND gave out some constructive criticism on what he needs to improve upon?

I mean...yeah...in the past you were extremely skeptical(to say the least) about him but in this thread, It seems he is slowly-but-surely winning you over as Panthers QB.   You're not like TLG who won't accept Sam no matter what he does.

So hats off to you, man. 

 

Haha, I temper my praise and what I feel about Sam’s’ talent and potential, because I know I’m just a little too close to homerism in my opinions of his talent and potential.  I love this kid dearly, as a man more than anything…..and no, not related or know him personally, but I know others that are very close.  Our former players founded their own football alumni club in 1956 (they even award two scholarships to selected former players pursuing an advanced degree), their club is very powerful and vocal, and one of the traditions they started, was that they wanted the players closer to the fans, so Salute to Troy was started so the players could sit and mingle with the fans for a BBQ, I’ve attended everyone, going back decades, so had the chance several times to talk to Sam.  There are other functions throughout the year.  Players are encouraged interaction with the fans and media the moment they step foot on campus.  They also wanted our band (annoying to everyone else) to travel with them to every away game.

So…my support of Sam goes well beyond the FB field, but equally passionate about his talent on the field.  Simply because I don’t come in gangbusters, doesn’t mean I’m less supportive.  
 

Come in respectfully, gauge “the room” and listen to the fans on this forum, learn from them.  I have no right to come in any other way.

Edited October 6, 2021 by 1usctrojan