4 ways Sam Darnold can prove his doubters wrong in 2021
By Luke Gray
Sam Darnold must improve his footwork and anticipation
One thing never in doubt has been the arm strength of Sam Darnold. He has the ability to make difficult throws look easy, even when the pressure is on.
However, there seems to be a hesitance to trust himself and make these sorts of throws more often than not. Sometimes Darnold waits that extra split second for his wide receiver to be open so by the time the ball reaches him the opposition secondary has recovered to contest the throw.
Another issue is Darnold’s footwork.
Not getting his feet set before delivering the ball causing inaccurate throws. This can be partly put down to the New York Jets’ poor offensive line causing the quarterback to be scrambling out the pocket to extend the play.
With the Carolina Panthers’ well-publicized issues surrounding their protection, Darnold may find himself scrambling at times this season. How he copes with this additional complication could make the difference between success and failure with the team in 2021.
Quarterbacks coach Sean Ryan has been working hard on Darnold’s footwork throughout the offseason. This has been beneficial judging by his initial performances throughout training camp, with his decision-making in key situations also more decisive than we ever saw on the Jets.