3 reasons Sam Darnold will shine for the Carolina Panthers
By Dean Jones
Sam Darnold now has a dynamic play-caller
One thing that clearly hampered Sam Darnold on the New York Jets was the play-calling of head coach Adam Gase. This is something he relinquished during the 2020 season – which contributed to their improvement down the stretch – but the damage had already been done where the former USC standout was concerned.
Darnold looked like a lost sheep at times and was clearly lacking in confidence. A fresh start was the best possible solution for all parties and the signal-caller will now begin working with one of the brightest young offensive minds in the game with Joe Brady as his offensive coordinator.
Brady gained a ton of head coaching interviews despite just one season falling plays at the next level. Although these didn’t come with a concrete offer from anybody, it’s clear a top job isn’t too far away for a coach who is highly regarded in league circles.
Whether that comes in 2022 or not, Brady will give Darnold the best chance to succeed with his aggressive play-calling that was hampered somewhat by Teddy Bridgewater’s clear reluctance to push the ball downfield.
What comes next will be ultimately down to the player. But if he was looking for the perfect landing spot to reignite his career, he might just have found it.