It’s likely that many Minnesota Vikings fans were unhappy when Kirk Cousins left to join the Atlanta Falcons, and they may have been surprised to hear that Sam Darnold was chosen as his replacement. Darnold, who is now on his fourth team in six seasons, hasn’t had the smoothest start to his NFL career. It’s reasonable to assume that the Vikings signed him as a temporary solution while they look for a long-term quarterback.
Nonetheless, there’s every reason to believe that Darnold has the potential to excel as the Vikings’ quarterback. One analyst, in particular, argues that Darnold’s abilities have been unfairly judged due to the challenging circumstances he has faced in his career.
Mark Schlereth believes that Sam Darnold will flourish with the Minnesota Vikings.
Mark Schlereth is a seasoned analyst with a wide range of experience covering various teams and players throughout his career. He stands out as one of the few who believes that Sam Darnold has the potential to fulfill the promise that made him a high selection in the 2018 Draft.
Just before Sam Darnold signed with the Vikings, NFL analyst Mark Schlereth appeared on The Rich Eisen Show to discuss Darnold’s potential with a team like Minnesota, which he believes can actually play football. Schlereth argued that the New York Jets, who ran an offense designed for Peyton Manning, and the Carolina Panthers, who played a college-style offense, were not conducive environments for Darnold to succeed in.
Schlereth emphasized, “There’s one person in the world that can run the Peyton Manning offense and it’s Peyton Manning. He’s the only one.” He criticized the Jets for trying to put a rookie like Darnold into that situation. Regarding the Panthers, Schlereth noted, “And then he went to Carolina, and you’re running a collegiate type of offense in Carolina.” He highlighted that Darnold felt exposed to a legitimate progression offense only when Steve Wilks took over and Ben McAdoo became the offensive coordinator in the last eight games of his tenure with the Panthers.
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