Daniel Jeremiah: How Sam Darnold Bounced Back in #Seahawks Week 12 Win | #SeattleSports

Daniel Jeremiah: How Sam Darnold Bounced Back in #Seahawks Week 12 Win | #SeattleSports

No matter what you do, you’re wrong against him because he’s beating you every way. You don’t have receiving numbers like this without a quarterback playing at a pretty high level, too. People want to hear from you, DJ. They want to hear about what your eyes saw when you studied that all 22 tape of the Seahawks and Titans on Sunday. What’ you see? Well, I’ll start offensively. You know, I thought Sam played well. I thought he played fast. Um there’s some big time throws at JSN, you know, on the move. Um get pushing the ball vertically down the field. I thought he was, you know, he was quick to get the checkdowns um for the most part outside of maybe two throws. One where he tried to squeeze one in the red zone. Um another one that kind of he got hit and the ball fluttered. I didn’t think he put the ball in harm’s way uh outside of those two throws. So I thought Sam played really well. Um, I thought offensively they did a good job getting up to the second level in the run game. Um, 76 was excellent in the run game, getting up to the second level. Did some nice things there. 88, uh, blocks his tail off. Um, I like seeing what he was doing in the run game there. I thought both backs ran hard, ran with vision. Um, so I thought offensively they did some really good things and, um, you know, I thought they were in a good spot there defensively. You know, up front they were good and they, you know, got a lot of different pressure. 99. I mean, I’m going through my notes on 99. It’s like quick club, uh, beats double, uh, vision and feel as a rusher sack, and then I don’t even know what this one was, but I just wrote animal in all caps. So, uh, I’m still all in on Leonard Williams and what he’s doing. Um, the only thing that defensively, I just thought their zones, they were a little bit loose in some zone coverage and I thought, um, they picked on Job a few times, uh, in in the pass game, but uh, that was, you know, about it. And by the way, Cam Ward, that’s one of the best throws I think I’ve ever seen in my life. the one where he’s running out of bounds and and just jumps up in there a jump pass and gets it all the way across the middle of the field late in that ball game. So, give him some credit for making a couple plays late, but outside of them just being a little loose in some zone coverages, I thought overall good good job by the defense as well. DJ Brady Henderson here. Uh good to talk to you again. Let’s dive in a little bit more to to Darnold’s day. And I remember after that four interception performance against the Rams last week, Mike McDonald was asked, you know, what do you tell Sam after a performance like this? and he said, “Keep ripping it.” And uh it seemed like Darnold was was still ripping it in that game. And and if you thought that, you know, he might kind of get conservative uh after that interception, four interception game against the Rams, I didn’t really see that. What did you see in that regard? Yeah, I I think that’s fair. Um he let it rip, but I also thought he kind of eased his way into the game, too, where he took some, you know, took some some layups and some checkdowns, getting the ball to the backs. Um you know, just kind of getting the flow in the rhythm of the game. And then you start started seeing him kind of rip some balls in some tighter windows. But you know, I thought it was a good balance. I use the phrase selectively aggressive, you know, like, hey, when you get your shots, take them, but don’t be reckless. And uh I thought he did a really good job. I don’t think he got, you know, sometimes Sam can get right on that line and uh kind of sometimes fall over, but be right up to it. I thought in this game he wasn’t as close to the line. There were maybe five throws, some tight window throws where he threw with conviction and confidence, but the rest of the game I thought he was just, hey, they’re going to give me these backs underneath. They’re going to give me these tight ends in the flat. I’ll take them. DJ, I feel like with you each and every week it’s getting nearing the each and every week with Jeff Passen question. Uh, Sulk and I would try to reframe a question to Jeff about Cal Raleigh’s year. How can you put it into words? How can you add context? How can you explain what Cal Raleigh is doing? It’s never been done in the sport before as a catcher with all the power and all the home runs. I feel like we’re kind of getting there each and every week with Jackson Smith and Jigba. Like I mean this is this is silly stuff. He broke the Seahawks single season yardage record held by DK that that he did that in week 11 of this year. He’s got more explosive plays down the field than anybody. He’s got almost 300 more receiving yards than anybody in the league. Picking the only one close over a thousand. How is Jackson Smith and Jigba doing this? Well, you know, it’s interesting kind of talking about passing. I would use a little bit of a baseball analogy. You know, you can play your defense, play your no doubles defense. You can try and, you know, hug the line. You can you can you play deep on guys. You can, you know, used to be able to put the shift on and do those things. Like, no matter what you do, you’re wrong against him because he’s beating you every way. No matter where he lines up, you have to account for everything because he’s going to get vertical from outside. He can get vertical from the slot. He can he can beat you, you know, off his release, off the line of scrimmage and win right now, put a slant on his chest and let him run with it. Um, they’re they’re I love these uh, you know, these boot throwbacks that they’re doing where it’s, you know, everything you’ve been taught your whole life is when a quarterback boots, you kind of know where the receivers’s going and all of a sudden now you got these wine back routes. So, they’re making they’re making you defend everything no matter where he’s lined up. And I don’t know what you’re supposed to do. Uh, I mean, if you’re going to try and help over the top, he’s going to eat you up in those up and down throws in the middle of the field. So, it’s a it’s a really complete performance by him. And the other thing is, and I’m, you know, you know, I’m I’m a Sam guy, but you don’t have receiving numbers like this without a quarterback playing at a pretty high level, too. Uh, and Sam’s put some balls right on him. And, and sometimes where there wasn’t as much separation, uh, it’s just a fantastic throw as well. So, he’s he’s the he’s been the best receiver in the NFL. Um, and his quarterback’s playing pretty well, too. Yeah. Well, speaking of separation, he got just enough of it on that first touchdown, that long touchdown when right as the ball’s arriving, just a subtle enough nudge to not get called, but still get some extra space there. Now, I’m curious, Brock and I were talking about this before the show. What uh and maybe you’ve said this on the show, and if I missed it, I apologize, but what was your comp for him coming out of JSN in terms of uh other receivers in the NFL? And is there anybody else who is the more you see him in in the NFL, anybody else that he remind you of? Yeah, I mean we we had talked about it before of Amar St. Brown, you know, kind of the was the comp just because the strength and someone who was smart and tough and you thought would, you know, be an elite slot receiver and then he’s grown to be, you know, more than that in terms of of how he’s his usage, you know, is in this offense playing outside. He can he can win easy. you know, trying to think of other guys, you know, historically that he would remind you of. I mean, it’s hard. He’s just kind of he’s a unique skill set in terms of the strength and the and the physicality that he has. You know, I I don’t I don’t think people would see this initially just because of how dynamic and explosive Jamar Chase is, but there is some similarities there just in terms of their lower body strength and uh and just their short area quickness. Um I I you know, I think there’s some some similarities there. if they were just going to have a flatout race, Jamar Chase would would beat him. But, um, he’s that he’s he’s playing at that type of a level. You know what’s interesting, DJ? I was just looking at at his you’re going to have to pull your binders out. You got your binders. I know you got your recipes for Thanksgiving and your to-dos, but you got your binders handy cuz Jackson coming out was at the combine 61 196. It’s weird when you look at him, he doesn’t look 61 because I think he’s so thick and strong in his lower. Yes. Um I I actually and it’s not a great comp because I didn’t realize that Jackson’s all of 6’1. Steve Smith was only 5’9, the the old receiver coming out. That’s what I’m feeling like those years when Steve Smith is a and he was even smaller but he was so freaking strong and created his own space and so explosive and he had a 1500 yard year and a400 yard and at his height he was as good as anybody in the league. We seeing some kind of Steve Smith explosion from JSN this year as well. Yeah, that’s fair. I think I have Steve I think was 59ish a little. Maybe maybe 510. He was Yeah, he was much smaller. Yeah. Jackson 6051 196. So he was just under 61, 196 pounds. He ran 452. Um just pulling back up my notes on him. We’ve done this before, but just looking at it inside, outside, really strong lower. He can win with quicks and strength at the line of scrimmage. Loves to work in the mud in the middle of the field. Um his I said his full speed is is greater than his top speed. Like he he gets to full speed immediately, you know. So that was kind of his, you know, one of one of the strengths of his. So I I I’d be curious if I if I could go back. Steve, I did not I did not I was scouting then, but I did not write up Steve when he was coming out of uh of Utah. But to Yeah, I to me I would guess that Steve would have had some more dynamic explosive numbers um in terms of the testing. But in terms of play style and and and short area quickness and burst and strength um yeah, I definitely think there’s something there. Uh Brady asked you about some of the tape and Sam as well to get back to that. I don’t think I’ve asked you that this year. Now we’ve got enough body of work. We’re 11 games into this thing with have Mike having this clay to mold and Clint Kubak now 11 games in. Just from a schematic standpoint, DJ, how creative are they compared to a lot of the other tape you watch just in both defense? Yeah, both offensively and defensively. You feel like, yeah, these guys are kind of tip of the spear with McVey and maybe Shanahan, you know, not to put words in your mouth, but both offensively and defensively, how creative are their schemes? I think they’re in a good sweet spot, man. I I think they’re in a sweet spot of of making things look similarly offensively um with uh you know, some wrinkles that they’ll throw in there on a weekly basis, but not getting carried away of of cuteness. You know, I think Miami is kind of the definition of that. There’s times where it’s like, “Oh man, look at how that’s that’s just, you know, that’s really creative. They put they got in the lab and came up with this.” And there’s other games you’re like, “Okay, that’s you’re that’s a little too much sauce.” Like, “Let’s try and uh be a little more um a little more boring, so to speak, at times is necessary.” I think they found a really nice balance there offensively. The biggest thing is everything looks the same. Um and then just you have different looks and wrinkles off of those looks. So, uh I love what they’re doing there. And then defensively, um, I mean, they they’ve got different groupings that they’ve used. To me, the the creativity is really with Eman Wari. It’s just, you know, how you want to deploy him and how you want to use him. He’s their creative chess piece that they have to play with. Um, but no, I think they’re I I would say I would say, you know, more sound would be the the term I would use for them defensively is and I to me I’d prefer that. You know, I I don’t know that they’re trying to trick them. They’re out there playing really really sound solid football. DJ, I’m fascinated to see what kind of opportunities Clint Kubak might have in terms of some of these head coach openings around the league. Like on one hand, he seems like the exact kind of coach with, you know, with the resume. You know, he’s the coordinator of one of the best offenses in the NFL. He’s a young guy with, you know, strong ties to that Shanahan tree. He’s also very low-key personality-wise, and I just wonder how that’s going to play in interviews with uh, you know, GMs and owners. What do you think of his chances to land one of these head coach openings? Yeah, I’ve never even to be honest with you, I’ve never even heard him speak now that I think of it. Uh I’ve never met him and you know, it’s it’s a small league, so you know, I I know guys who’ve worked with him, who rave about him and love him. Um and the the resume on paper is really really good. And it doesn’t hurt to come from the family he came from either. Um it’s been kind of the family business. So that’s what I mean. you’ve got a a team with a young quarterback, a talented quarterback, and you want to put him around a coach that knows how to coach offense and develop him. I think when you look at, you know, what Ben Johnson’s done and how that’s transformed in Chicago, that’s going to embolden people um to to want to go that route. And I, you know, we’ll see what happens with these other openings, what all opens up. But right now, you’ve got uh you know, Tennessee Titans with a number one overall pick uh quarterback and Cam Ward. you’ve got the New York Giants with a, you know, kind of a jewel there and Jackson Dart. Um, he would he would make a lot of sense there. And sometimes with these guys, I mean, I remember when Ben Johnson, believe it or not, you see all these videos now after games and in the locker room and you hear guys say like younger in his career that was uh, you know, hey, is this guy just kind of more of a bookworm play caller? Does he have the front-facing personality for the room? And it’s like, well, he sure as heck has grown into that over the years, uh, w with the way you see him in the locker room. So, I I mean, I, you know, I think he’d be able to find his voice if he doesn’t have it already. But, it is kind of funny that like I I couldn’t even tell you. I don’t I’ve never heard him speak. Yeah. Uh, very southern. Uh, very very Gary, very quiet, very nice. Yeah. That’s the other that’s the that’s the a good point is that his dad was also a very low-key personality and won a Super Bowl. Uh-huh. Exactly. Hey, you uh you got to see these Vikings about a month ago. Uh the Chargers absolutely dismantled him. It was not JJ. He was still banged up at that point. It was Carson and then it was Max Bromer who they’re talking about maybe getting the start as JJ’s now in concussion protocol. What in the heck happened to the Minnesota 14 win a season ago Minnesota Vikings? Well, he’s he’s living in Seattle right now. That’s what happened to their offense. Um I I just to me I never understood that. I never under, you know, stood the uh poo pooing of Sam there and, you know, focusing so much on the two um eggs at the end of the year as opposed to all the good stuff that he did throughout the year. But um you know, JJ McCarthy is not I mean, he’s young. I think he’s still 22, 23 years old. You you got to be patient there. But I mean, this team was ready to go, ready to win right now, and he’s not there yet. So, he needs to play more football. He needs to get more experience. It’s just hard to do that on a team that’s ready to go. Um, and the quarterback issue has has plagued them. So, that’s I mean, I don’t think it’s very complicated. I can try and give you a more Well, you got your binder for Max Bromer. Can you got your binder on him? Pull your Well, yeah, because I I was telling Brady and we had Seafford on uh last hour. He covers the Vikings. I actually hadn’t mad Max’s first game as a Gopher after five years in in New Hampshire. He was up there in New Hampshire. He was throwing it around and he went to the Gopherville and and you would have thought he was the second coming of Tom Barrett that he was his son. They were so excited for him to play. The smartest guy that PJ Fleck has ever seen in his life. This guy talks ball. He lives ball. And um and he did some good things and I’m not diminishing him at all. Uh he goes undrafted. I think he lands in a pretty good spot for him with the high football IQ that he has. What’s your little binder say about Max? First of all, uh my mom’s from New Hampshire and my uh my uncle growing up. I remember always answering the phone and it was my uncle Sherm and he would go, “Hey Dan, is your mom there?” Uh, yep. Hold on one minute. Give me a real flashback there on that one. Uh, sorry about that. Uh, all right. So, Bromer, he was uh just under 6’2, 217 pounds. He ran 479, so decent athlete there. But, uh, 23-year-old New Hampshire transfer uh in the gun under center. I thought he was more of a touch thrower, a timing thrower. uh relying on accuracy, touch, and timing. Competitive runner. Didn’t think he had great pocket feel. Um guys were able to get around him. And I just didn’t think there was a ton of twitch, like not a lot of twitch in his arm and legs, but someone who saw the field well. Um you know, was accurate in in a touchthrower. So, not going to overwhelm him with the physical stuff. Yeah. And he would be probably challenged in this environment if the Seahawks pressured. And I don’t know how real this can possibly be. PFF has the Seahawks last week pressuring getting pressure on Cam Ward 40 times out of 42 passing attempts. He scrambled six other times. So out of 48 attempts, 40 pressures. What will that do to either JJ or Max? And can they do the same to that Minnesota O line that they did to Tennessee? They can. Um and but I would I would think that this is going to be a heavy it’s going to be a heavy screen game, quick game. Um, you know, again, like to me, the vision with him is is kind of his best strength. So, I think it’s getting a lot of guys in the route and telling him to get the ball the heck out of your hand as fast as possible. So, um, to me, it’s a this is a you more so than a pass rush game. It’s just a tackling game. I think the ball’s going to be in front of you the whole game. I don’t know how much vertical element there’s going to be. So, it’s just going to be, hey, let’s just rally and tackle. Mhm. Hey DJ, Rick Woolen has played better over the last uh I would say month or so and there was conversation about whether or not he could be on the trade block in Seattle and uh for whatever reason he really seems to have stepped his game up. I he still to me looks like kind of a classic guy who gets to free agency where and gets a lot of money right because he’s super talented but the reason he gets to free agency in the first place is because there’s a lot of inconsistency there. What do you think about um just the way he’s playing and maybe his fit in this defense in particular? Yeah, I mean he’s going to get paid because of traits. Like if nothing else, even if he hadn’t if he just played awful, he’s going to get someone’s going to take a chance on that just because the traits are so rare. But I think he’s playing more competitive. I think there’s a more physical uh edge to the way he’s playing and that’s not just you talking about in, you know, tackling or run game or what have you. It’s just being stronger and firmer at the catch point down the field. Um a little stickier, a little more competitive. So, um, and I even like after they make plays, like you see him celebrating a little bit. It’s like he’s got he’s got a little bit of his confidence and, you know, not a huge fan of the word, but has a little bit of the swagger, you know, back to him a little bit, which as a corner I think is, uh, definitely necessary. So, um, that’s been, uh, that’s been a great sight to see. Now, I didn’t think that Job had his best game, so hopefully he can kind of get back on track and, uh, and then they’ll be humming and then kind of clean some things up, tighten some things up there. But, yeah, he has been much better. heard from my friends at Marquee Data here. They kind of want to know. They’re a a little concerned that yeah, you’re going to do the Costco mayhem, but they believe in you, DJ. Uh they they believe you’re going to figure it out. They also want to know how calculating you are with the Thanksgiving preparation. Like what do we what are we looking at? Is this a team? You and your your wife? Do you have family coming in? Do you have Uncle Sherm from New Hampshire flying in? Like what what exactly are we looking at Thursday? So, we are we’re hosting this year with my wife’s family. So, but not everybody’s it’s not everybody. My wife, they have six kids in her family. So, we don’t have the whole crew coming. So, I think we have two or three of her siblings and some kids coming. So, um they’ll all bring some food as well. Uh I don’t cook. I don’t know how to cook, but I can grade cheese. Like it it is like a it is if there is a you know an Olympics for cheese grading, I can do it. I something that I twitchy with a great Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Just a lot of a lot of quick twitch movement there. uh get the right size bowl. I mean, I just it’s it’s something I take a lot of pride in. Decisiveness. Would you say you’re decisive with the Yeah. Yeah. And you know what? But hey, but also being safe. We don’t need to nick a finger here, you know? Let’s let’s let’s let’s uh let’s be safe. Be quick, but not in a hurry, as I like to say, when I’m grating cheese. Sure. For sure. How about the carving of the turkey? Yeah, that’s not that’s not happening. Uh that that was my dad. Like I haven’t reached that level of adulthood. I can remember my mom. We’d be sitting we’d be sitting there watching football and then there’s there’s always such a a disappointed look on my dad’s face cuz she’d be like, “All right, the turkey Dave Dave the turkeyy’s done.” And he’s like, “Oh man, I got to go carve this dang turkey.” Uh, and just like got to get away from the football, go into the kitchen. It wasn’t like those open house uh plans that we have now in all these houses. Like the kitchen might as well been another country. Um, you can’t see anything from in there. You’re cut off from the world. Um, that was my memories of the carving of the turkey as a as a kid. But now it’s like, you know what? Give me a honeybaked ham. I’m good. And I remember the dads, maybe you had family friends, too, that had the electric knife. Like, oh, well, we got one of those one year. Yes. And it always broke. It was It was It was purchased for It had one job on one day a year. And I definitely have memories of a kid of that thing being broke and just being like, “Well, back to the old school.” It was like the shears to for the bushes outside, right? You got the electric. Now you can hear that thing going and humming. Here we go. And just chaos. You know what the other thing is? The other thing is of of people of our age is you know what was a staple at all at like the the Thanksgiving meals was like jell-o. And I’m like I don’t remember the last time I’ve even did they even sell Jell-O anymore? I mean Jell-O with the fruit inside of the RFK Junior band that whipped cream on top. That was that was that was a go-to back in the day. Oh, so many memories, DJ. So much shared. You and I, you know, have so much shared history in so many ways with family and travels and football and fun and all of it. And Thanksgiving is so much fun with so much great football to watch this weekend. And you all got the Raiders to get back on track. Poor Pete. That thing’s a disaster there. Um, we love this. Yeah, just a disaster. I didn’t realize, you know, I saw Chip Chip Kelly’s $6 million salary. How about three years and$18 million? Holy. How about How about How about that Ohio State team winning the national championship? Jim Nolles leaves to go to Penn State. Chip Kelly leaves to go to the Raiders. Yikes. Yeah. Not good. Not good. Not Not good being so late, too. I’m always late. That’s what happens when I have to host the show and we have so much fun with you, DJ. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving. We’ll look forward to doing this next week. Always always appreciate this time, my man. See you guys. Look forward to seeing Sul in a month when he’s back.

NFL Network Analyst and former NFL scout Daniel Jeremiah joins Brock Huard (Brock & Salk) and Brady Henderson (ESPN.com Seahawks reporter) for his weekly appearance to discuss the Seahawks week 12 victory in TN, how JSN has separated himself in the NFL, and what to watch for in week 13 vs the Vikings.

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0:00 – Takeaways from week 12 win
1:51 – Sam Darnold’s day
3:05 – Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s crazy year
5:25 – Comp for JSN
6:45 – JSN continued
8:45 – Seahawks creativity scheme
10:25 – Klint Kubiak’s head coach potential
12:40 – Vikings preview
13:45 – Max Brosmer profile
15:15 – How Seahawks pressure Brosmer
16:13 – Riq Woolen’s improved play
17:45 – Thanksgiving

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Listen to The Brock & Salk Show weekdays from 6 a.m. – 10 a.m. on Seattle Sports 710 AM or on-demand wherever you listen to podcasts.
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