November 4, 2024 • 10 mins
Minnesota Tim reviews Sam Darnold's performance in the Minnesota Vikings' victory over the Indianapolis Colts. He highlights Darnold's mixed performance, showcasing both impressive throws and critical mistakes, particularly his interceptions. The discussion delves into Darnold's career struggles, his potential, and the implications for the Vikings' future as they aim for a strong season.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
The Minnesota Vikings organization, players and fan base were treated
to the entire Sam Donald experience on Sunday Night football
versus the Indianapolis Colts in the Minnesota Vikings twenty one
to thirteen victory.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
So let's talk about his performance.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
First of all, his statistics in this football game twenty
eight for thirty four, two hundred and ninety yards, three touchdowns,
two interceptions with a passer rating of one hundred and
seven point one. And you look at those numbers a
QBR fifty two point five, and he clearly outplayed Joe Flacco.
(00:51):
He threw touchdown passes, he put the Minnesota Vikings in
position to score. But there were so many times throughout
this fotball game where Sam Donald reverted back to his
old waist. This was the full Sam Donald experience throughout
his what six to seven year career. There are so
(01:15):
many throws in this game where you look at it
and are like, wow, he does have the talent of
a top three quarterback pick in the NFL draft. This
is why this is his fourth different chance on a
fourth different team. He clearly showcases talent. He clearly showcases
(01:38):
throws that not every single quarterback in the league can
make case in point the touchdown throw to Jordan Aison.
Jordan Andison was going towards to the corner of the
end zone and Sam Donald was being flustered to his
rate by two defenders from the Colts, and he put
(01:59):
a spot in. He put the throw only in a
spot that Jordan Andison could get it. Was it a
risky throw, yes, was it a stupid throw, yes, especially
coming off of the interception.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
But was it a successful throw? Yes? It was so.
Speaker 1 (02:18):
Sam Darnold the first opening drive is rolling out to
his right and or his left. He's rolling out to
his left and he throws across his body, tries to
get it to t. J. Hockinson, and gives the Colts
defense the most perfect gift that you could ever give
(02:38):
a defender. The defender didn't even have to move, It
was just a lollipop throw right to him. Then he
delivers a strike to Jordan Andison in the corner of
the end zone, where Addison made a tremendous catch. It
was probably more of a tremendous catch than a tremendous throw,
but the throw was good and it was only in
(03:01):
a spot that Addison could get it.
Speaker 3 (03:04):
So how are we supposed to define this performance or
examine this performance by Sam Donald because he was good
and he was really, really really bad.
Speaker 2 (03:22):
A couple of things coming to mind.
Speaker 1 (03:23):
One, if the Minnesota Vikings were playing the Detroit Lions
and they played like this, they would have lost by
a zalian points. So this was not a great performance
by the Minnesota Vikings offense. They struggled to score points
when they got into these scoring territories. And Sam Donald,
(03:46):
through interceptions and his pocket presence just was poor.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
The way he saw the field was poor.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
And Jordan Addison's dad tweeted out and said something hysterical
after Sam Donald missed Jordan Andison streaking down the field
and was wide open. Says even Stevie Wonder could see
Jordan Addison is open on Sam donald interception. And you
might think this is just a harmless tweet by Jordan
(04:16):
Addison's dad, but you know Addison is talking to his dad,
and you know his dad is talking to Addison, feeding
things into his ear, talking about how great he is,
talking about how open he is. So Jordan Addison's opinion
also is reflective in his dad's opinion. So his dad
is taking shots at Sam Donald, which means that Jordan
(04:39):
and Addison deep down believes that Sam Donald is missing
him wide open.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
And that whole free three thing.
Speaker 1 (04:48):
Also was an indication that Jordan Addison is upset that
Sam Donald is not seeing the football field well and
that he's missing him wide open on routes like he
did against the Rams, and the statistics back that up.
Against the Rams, Addison had a ninety one point three
percent open percentage or whatever it's called. He got open
(05:13):
on that on that percentage of routes and he only
had two catches because Sam Donald did not throw them
the ball. He had tunnel vision towards Justin Jefferson, and
we saw that again and Donald's last interception, the Vikings
have an opportunity to put the game away. They can
seal it with a touchdown, go up by a field
(05:34):
go up by a touchdown with a field goal, just
to have a little comfort, and Sam Donald looks down
the gun barrel at Justin Jefferson, never takes his eyes
off of him. He's surrounded by three defenders and it
was an easy interception by the Colts.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
And that comes right after.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
The Minnesota Vikings had a massive interception of Joe Flacco.
Viyron Murphy picks off Joe flat Well. Then the next throw,
Sam Donald makes the Colts pickoff Sam Donald. So and
it was a terrible interception right in Indianapolis Colts territory.
The Minnesota Vikings defense was sensational and they deserve a
(06:15):
podcast of their own. But this is why you've seen
Sam Donald bounce from team to team and also get
chance after chance. He proves he's a capable throw of
the football, can make throws that no other quarterback in
the league can make. Yet he lacks complete control, he
(06:38):
lacks discipline, he lacks an ability to see the field well,
and he doesn't like to make checkdown passes. Late in
the game, third and six, dump it off to Cam
Akers get a few yards to have a fourth and two,
or maybe he gets a first down and Sam Donald
(06:59):
takes a Vikings have to punt, and it gave the
Colts a chance to take the lead. So it's things
like that that Sam Donald needs to approve upon, and
it's things like that that makes men believe that the
Vikings are not Super Bowl contenders. If Sam Donald plays
like he did during the first five weeks of the season. Sure,
(07:20):
Vikings are Super Bowl contenders, but now he's regressing to
the mead, He's regressing to the median. And that's what
I've been saying for the last few weeks. Sam Donald
is regressing and he is going to regress.
Speaker 2 (07:34):
Sure, he was twenty eight for thirty four. His completion percentage.
Speaker 1 (07:37):
Is amazing, But the statistics don't tell the entire story
of Sam Donald's struggles during this football game. Because he
held out of the football too long, he didn't see
the football field well, and his interceptions were the worst interceptions.
It's one thing to have an interception middle of the
field third and six, you make a bomb ins practically
(08:00):
a punt. But both of Sam Donald's interceptions happened in
the worst part of the field. The first one, the
Vikings were about to score a touchdown. Lolly popped it
to the linebacker. The second one, the Vikings were in
their own territory. Colts pick it off, they're ready to
score right away. So you know, an interception middle of
(08:22):
the field, a bomb towards the end zone on third
and long or whatever, even fourth and four, big deal.
It's a punt, not an issue at all. But the
two interceptions Sam Donald threw were the worst kind of
interceptions that you could have in a football game, and
that's what happened. But Vikings now they face off against
(08:45):
the Jacksonville Jaguars, and it's gonna be a big game
because they can advance to seven and two and showcase
that they are a legitimate threat in the NFC North
and in the NFC. And I don't necessarily by it,
I don't necessarily believe that the Vikings are a top
tier team in the NFC. They're probably somewhere in that
(09:07):
Tier two or tier three, either you know, middle of
Tier two or top of tier three.
Speaker 2 (09:13):
But the big game, good advance to seven to two.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
The good thing is is that after a rough first
half performance by the Vikings offense where they scored zero points,
they responded in the third quarter with two straight touchdown
drives to score fourteen points. So the adjustments that they
made were awesome, and they gave Sam Donald more time
(09:36):
to throw in the second half, and in the fourth
quarter they put together a touchdown drive which sealed the game.
And that wasn't so much on Sam Donald as it
was Cam Akers and Aaron Jones running the piss out
of the ball and you know, just finding holes in
the offensive line doing their job. But he made the
(09:57):
final throw to Josh Oliver, who had five catches for
fifty eight yards, which was the second best on the
team in TJ. Hockinson's return. So I thought that was
kind of funny. But that's my reaction to Sam Donald's game.
Hopefully he cleans up his mistakes, sees the football field better,
(10:18):
and the Vikings can get back to the Sam Donald
that he had the first five weeks of the season.
The Minnesota Vikings organization, players and fan base were treated
to the entire Sam Donald experience on Sunday Night football
versus the Indianapolis Colts in the Minnesota Vikings twenty one
to thirteen victory.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
So let's talk about his performance.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
First of all, his statistics in this football game twenty
eight for thirty four, two hundred and ninety yards, three touchdowns,
two interceptions with a passer rating of one hundred and
seven point one. And you look at those numbers a
QBR fifty two point five, and he clearly outplayed Joe Flacco.
(00:51):
He threw touchdown passes, he put the Minnesota Vikings in
position to score. But there were so many times throughout
this fotball game where Sam Donald reverted back to his
old waist. This was the full Sam Donald experience throughout
his what six to seven year career. There are so
(01:15):
many throws in this game where you look at it
and are like, wow, he does have the talent of
a top three quarterback pick in the NFL draft. This
is why this is his fourth different chance on a
fourth different team. He clearly showcases talent. He clearly showcases
(01:38):
throws that not every single quarterback in the league can
make case in point the touchdown throw to Jordan Aison.
Jordan Andison was going towards to the corner of the
end zone and Sam Donald was being flustered to his
rate by two defenders from the Colts, and he put
(01:59):
a spot in. He put the throw only in a
spot that Jordan Andison could get it. Was it a
risky throw, yes, was it a stupid throw, yes, especially
coming off of the interception.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
But was it a successful throw? Yes? It was so.
Speaker 1 (02:18):
Sam Darnold the first opening drive is rolling out to
his right and or his left. He's rolling out to
his left and he throws across his body, tries to
get it to t. J. Hockinson, and gives the Colts
defense the most perfect gift that you could ever give
(02:38):
a defender. The defender didn't even have to move, It
was just a lollipop throw right to him. Then he
delivers a strike to Jordan Andison in the corner of
the end zone, where Addison made a tremendous catch. It
was probably more of a tremendous catch than a tremendous throw,
but the throw was good and it was only in
(03:01):
a spot that Addison could get it.
Speaker 3 (03:04):
So how are we supposed to define this performance or
examine this performance by Sam Donald because he was good
and he was really, really really bad.
Speaker 2 (03:22):
A couple of things coming to mind.
Speaker 1 (03:23):
One, if the Minnesota Vikings were playing the Detroit Lions
and they played like this, they would have lost by
a zalian points. So this was not a great performance
by the Minnesota Vikings offense. They struggled to score points
when they got into these scoring territories. And Sam Donald,
(03:46):
through interceptions and his pocket presence just was poor.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
The way he saw the field was poor.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
And Jordan Addison's dad tweeted out and said something hysterical
after Sam Donald missed Jordan Andison streaking down the field
and was wide open. Says even Stevie Wonder could see
Jordan Addison is open on Sam donald interception. And you
might think this is just a harmless tweet by Jordan
(04:16):
Addison's dad, but you know Addison is talking to his dad,
and you know his dad is talking to Addison, feeding
things into his ear, talking about how great he is,
talking about how open he is. So Jordan Addison's opinion
also is reflective in his dad's opinion. So his dad
is taking shots at Sam Donald, which means that Jordan
(04:39):
and Addison deep down believes that Sam Donald is missing
him wide open.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
And that whole free three thing.
Speaker 1 (04:48):
Also was an indication that Jordan Addison is upset that
Sam Donald is not seeing the football field well and
that he's missing him wide open on routes like he
did against the Rams, and the statistics back that up.
Against the Rams, Addison had a ninety one point three
percent open percentage or whatever it's called. He got open
(05:13):
on that on that percentage of routes and he only
had two catches because Sam Donald did not throw them
the ball. He had tunnel vision towards Justin Jefferson, and
we saw that again and Donald's last interception, the Vikings
have an opportunity to put the game away. They can
seal it with a touchdown, go up by a field
(05:34):
go up by a touchdown with a field goal, just
to have a little comfort, and Sam Donald looks down
the gun barrel at Justin Jefferson, never takes his eyes
off of him. He's surrounded by three defenders and it
was an easy interception by the Colts.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
And that comes right after.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
The Minnesota Vikings had a massive interception of Joe Flacco.
Viyron Murphy picks off Joe flat Well. Then the next throw,
Sam Donald makes the Colts pickoff Sam Donald. So and
it was a terrible interception right in Indianapolis Colts territory.
The Minnesota Vikings defense was sensational and they deserve a
(06:15):
podcast of their own. But this is why you've seen
Sam Donald bounce from team to team and also get
chance after chance. He proves he's a capable throw of
the football, can make throws that no other quarterback in
the league can make. Yet he lacks complete control, he
(06:38):
lacks discipline, he lacks an ability to see the field well,
and he doesn't like to make checkdown passes. Late in
the game, third and six, dump it off to Cam
Akers get a few yards to have a fourth and two,
or maybe he gets a first down and Sam Donald
(06:59):
takes a Vikings have to punt, and it gave the
Colts a chance to take the lead. So it's things
like that that Sam Donald needs to approve upon, and
it's things like that that makes men believe that the
Vikings are not Super Bowl contenders. If Sam Donald plays
like he did during the first five weeks of the season. Sure,
(07:20):
Vikings are Super Bowl contenders, but now he's regressing to
the mead, He's regressing to the median. And that's what
I've been saying for the last few weeks. Sam Donald
is regressing and he is going to regress.
Speaker 2 (07:34):
Sure, he was twenty eight for thirty four. His completion percentage.
Speaker 1 (07:37):
Is amazing, But the statistics don't tell the entire story
of Sam Donald's struggles during this football game. Because he
held out of the football too long, he didn't see
the football field well, and his interceptions were the worst interceptions.
It's one thing to have an interception middle of the
field third and six, you make a bomb ins practically
(08:00):
a punt. But both of Sam Donald's interceptions happened in
the worst part of the field. The first one, the
Vikings were about to score a touchdown. Lolly popped it
to the linebacker. The second one, the Vikings were in
their own territory. Colts pick it off, they're ready to
score right away. So you know, an interception middle of
(08:22):
the field, a bomb towards the end zone on third
and long or whatever, even fourth and four, big deal.
It's a punt, not an issue at all. But the
two interceptions Sam Donald threw were the worst kind of
interceptions that you could have in a football game, and
that's what happened. But Vikings now they face off against
(08:45):
the Jacksonville Jaguars, and it's gonna be a big game
because they can advance to seven and two and showcase
that they are a legitimate threat in the NFC North
and in the NFC. And I don't necessarily by it,
I don't necessarily believe that the Vikings are a top
tier team in the NFC. They're probably somewhere in that
(09:07):
Tier two or tier three, either you know, middle of
Tier two or top of tier three.
Speaker 2 (09:13):
But the big game, good advance to seven to two.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
The good thing is is that after a rough first
half performance by the Vikings offense where they scored zero points,
they responded in the third quarter with two straight touchdown
drives to score fourteen points. So the adjustments that they
made were awesome, and they gave Sam Donald more time
(09:36):
to throw in the second half, and in the fourth
quarter they put together a touchdown drive which sealed the game.
And that wasn't so much on Sam Donald as it
was Cam Akers and Aaron Jones running the piss out
of the ball and you know, just finding holes in
the offensive line doing their job. But he made the
(09:57):
final throw to Josh Oliver, who had five catches for
fifty eight yards, which was the second best on the
team in TJ. Hockinson's return. So I thought that was
kind of funny. But that's my reaction to Sam Donald's game.
Hopefully he cleans up his mistakes, sees the football field better,
(10:18):
and the Vikings can get back to the Sam Donald
that he had the first five weeks of the season.
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