SEATTLE (AP) 鈥� Less than six months removed from , Sam Darnold briefly chuckled to himself.
Darnold was asked Thursday if he feels the narratives about him have gone by the wayside. For years, the discourse on Darnold centered around him being a bust, considering his pedigree as a former No. 3 overall pick, and a transient quarterback who hopped from team to team. Darnold鈥檚 first year under center for the Seahawks, after all, marked his fifth team in eight seasons.
Despite the scrutiny, Darnold said his confidence in himself has never wavered.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 allow myself to really pay attention to anything like that,鈥� Darnold said five days into training camp. 鈥淚f I do catch wind of it, I have my process on how to handle that. Like I said, it鈥檚 just about handling my process and doing it my way, so that when I get out there, it鈥檚 not about what I鈥檝e done or what I鈥檓 going to do, it鈥檚 about what I鈥檓 doing right now.
鈥淚 think if I just continue to have that mindset as we go on, we鈥檒l be just fine.鈥�
What Darnold is more interested in is getting up to speed with the Seahawks鈥� new offensive scheme.
and Darnold have some familiarity with one another, though. Fleury spent the last four years as the 49ers鈥� tight ends coach, and Darnold was San Francisco鈥檚 backup for the 2023 season.
Darnold has enjoyed getting to reconnect with the stoic Fleury, who has been tasked with replacing .
鈥淲hether it鈥檚 a good play or bad play, his mentality never changes out there on the field, which I already knew about, being in San Francisco with him,鈥� Darnold said. 鈥淏ut, he was always very even keel. Now, getting to spend a lot more time with him as the offensive coordinator, it鈥檚 fun to be able to watch him work every single day and see his mentality out there.鈥�
Darnold would also like to keep working on his report with wide receiver , who .
Shaheed, who had 59 catches for 687 yards and two touchdowns last season for Seattle and New Orleans, spent a good chunk of the offseason training with Darnold. The two Southern California natives teamed up at Saddleback College in Orange County, which Darnold imagines will only help Shaheed further get up to speed with the Seahawks ahead of his first full season in Seattle.
鈥淗e鈥檚 a friendly receiver to throw to,鈥� Darnold said. 鈥�… I鈥檓 looking forward to him continuing to get more reps and build that chemistry so that we can see him more often getting catches and doing his thing at the receiver position.鈥�
Fans will have plenty of chances to get sneak peaks of Darnold鈥檚 and Shaheed鈥檚 progress on the . As the quarterback of the reigning Super Bowl champions, Darnold understands he very well may be one of the focal points of the show.
It鈥檚 an impending experience Darnold is prepared for ahead of his ninth NFL season. After a second straight Pro Bowl season, Darnold has proven he belongs among the NFL鈥檚 elite quarterbacks after a much-criticized beginning to his professional career.
While Darnold isn鈥檛 one to reflect on how far he鈥檚 come, coach Mike Macdonald is more than willing to shower praise on his even-keeled quarterback as the Seahawks seek to defend their Super Bowl title.
鈥淭he thing I appreciate about Sam 鈥� and you can鈥檛 speak for everybody 鈥� but just every rep is a rep,鈥� Macdonald said. 鈥淚f it鈥檚 in the quarterback room and they鈥檙e going over the script, he treats that rep the same as he does here, if it鈥檚 practiced online or we鈥檙e in a game. It鈥檚 all the same. That鈥檚 the mental approach that we want all of our guys to take.鈥�
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