STEELERS FANS WANTING SAM DARNOLD

I don’t think he was.

 

Tomlin has broken promises before. I have no doubt they promised the job the Wilson to get him to sign. I also have no doubt they would have stuck with Fields if he was playing better than what they thought they could get from Wilson. No, I don't think wanting to get another look at him will be any part of the reason they sign him. They need a quarterback and there aren't many options this offseason. They could go with the aged veteran option again by signing Rodgers, Cousins, or Wilson. They could go after Darnold if the Vikings don't tag him, but he's going to be expensive. Fields has the advantage of being familiar with the system. He is a mediocre starter at best, but he will likely come cheaper than any of those other options I mentioned, so at least they can try to build a stronger roster around him while they hunt for their long-term quarterback.

 

I think we agree on most of what happened in the offseason, except I think Pickett was more a matter of being pissed off a doing something shortsighted and stupid rather than tucking tail. The former make more sense with the available evidence. The latter is the narrative favored by people who are pissed at him for failing even though they might want to put some blame on the organization for handling his development so poorly.

Fields didn't go 4-2. The team did. They did it with a defense that was dominating and Boswell providing most of the points because Fields wasn't producing much. That made it a no-brainer for Tomlin to keep his promise to Wilson. If Fields had been lighting it up, I also have no doubt Tomlin would have broken his promise to Wilson and stuck with him. Fields didn't do that.

 

I don't see any point in signing Rodgers, Darnold or Cousins. None of those QBs are gonna do any better than Wilson. Might as well stick with Wilson, until they can draft a QB in '26.

Wilson is more durable than Rodgers and Cousins... who have recent injury histories.

 

The Rams had Darnold seeing ghosts.

 

I would rather have Darnold. At least he can see over the line. The Vikings won 14 games with him this season. I don't think he makes any team a Super Bowl contender, but he's the best of the bridge options available if the Vikings don't tag him.

All of those guys have been relatively durable in their careers. Rodgers and Cousins had the major injuries in 2023, but Wilson is the one who missed time this season.

 

Can you imagine the drama we would have with diva Rodgers, diva Pickens and stubborn as all hell Tomlin on the same team?

Fields is almost certainly not the answer but he's a better "not the answer" than Wilson, or any other of the washed up QB's who are going to be out there.

Sam Darnold is straight off the Kirk Cousins/Derek Carr production line. It's even worse than having a scrub you know you have no hope with like Gardner Minshew et al because at least you know your path is clear and you're not going to do a Matt Flynn/Daniel Jones style f up.

 

these so-called competitions don't seem like anything but word-speak. We hear of them every year ---then Mike just puts in who he wants anyway.it is all for show... Everyone should have known Russ was the starter because of his exp.It just didn't work though. Maybe next year it will.

 

Maybe same OC… interviewing with the Bears for HC position

 

And interviews with the jets tomorrow.

 

I don’t want him because of how much he will cost. Kyle Allen or even Mason Rudolph will come at tenth the cost and provide the same upside. Don’t forget that two franchises got rid of Darnhold and the playoff game showed you why.

 

I don't necessarily agree. I think Rodgers and Cousins are likely similar to Russ (though I think both see the middle of the field and would be a different type of player), but Darnold would definitely do better than Wilson. He's simply a better player than him at this point. He didn't have a great postseason game, but Wilson is really bad. Darnold would certainly do better than Russ here in the burgh.

I'd prefer signing Fields over going back to Russ. Let Arthur Smith work with the QB he wanted to stick with in the first place and utilize him the way we should have been from the start. Open the offense up a bit, a healthy amount of RPO's and designed runs, and go get some weapons. Russ is cooked. There is no reason to pay him to QB this team in 2025.

 

You want to ignore 15 games of data to focus on two. No, Rudolph and Allen do not have the same upside. Not even close.

 

He had six years of work prior to this year and his QB rating was below 80. That's pretty awful. This year, he had 11 games when he was good and 6 games when he was bad. When he was bad, he was awful. Even with this year, his career QB rating is 83 or so. That's below average. If you give him the same OL, rB and receivers as Russell had, he probably would do worse. I am not convinced at all he is a Franchise QB. Somebody will overpay for him like Atlanta did for Cousins and then be in Salary Cap hell. I would rather build up the trenches on both side, and get some good receivers rather than pay arm and a leg. Minnesota has great receivers and pretty good OL. They play in a dome which is completely different than playing in cold and elements. Heck I will bet you that if he goes to a non dome team in the north, his QB rating will be less than 84 next year.

 

I'll yank your chain, not unheard of as Chuck Noll yanked Joe Gilliam in '74 after going 4-1-1. A different time for sure and the reasons have been written and stated by many of his team mates. As a kid I was amazed with his arm talent, but you have to do more than just fade back and throw 50 passes, and especially complete only 8 with 3 int's when you do so.

 

Who said he was a franchise quarterback? Nobody. I also never suggested paying him like one. Darnold is only a possibility if he signs for something more reasonable. Those two disastrous games may have cost him $20 million a year or more.

Darnold did not have six terrible games this year. He had a stinker against the Jaguars that the Vikings one and the two ugly ones at the end. What other games do you think were terrible?

That said, the idea that Mason Rudolph or Kyle Allen has more upside is laughable. Allen will be 29 next year. He has had 19 career starts to show something and he has proven himself to be a decent backup. What sold you on him? The 16 interceptions in 13 games in 2019? That was the only hear he started more than four games.

Rudolph is better than Allen. He is a very good backup. That's it. The entire league has had multiple shots at him the last few years. Nobody wanted him as anything more than a third stringer in 2023. Even after the little hot streak at the end of 2023, nobody wanted to give him the opportunity to compete for a starting job. That should tell you something.

Darnold isn't great, but he's younger and better than those two and it isn't close.

 

Yeah, why waste time. Just look to draft a Qb in 25 or 26. Wilson is done and Fields is flawed, so Qb is a big question mark going into next season. unless we just trot one of those guys out there in 25 and it helps us get better draft positioning in 26 for a Qb.

(Funny thing is Kyle Allen might actually end up starting in 25).

 

if were looking for another quick fix for Tomlin to make a playoff run, you could roll the dice with Darnold in 25. But i prefer to just draft a Qb in 26.

 

If all they are going to do this season is find a bridge option, which is likely their only choice, then you might as well roll with fields. He'll be cheaper than Darnold and probably just as good.

 

I don’t think i said that Allen or Rudolph have more upside, just probably the same upside and come at probably the tenth of the cost. Upside comes from cap savings that could be used to bolster line and receivers and cb. So many holes.

 

These 'broken promises' that keep getting thrown out in discussion are confusing. Do you guys honestly think Tomlin makes some pinky swear with a player that they will be the starter? Then when they get out-played, he just breaks his promise?


Any communication is about players getting a shot to compete. That's it. Nobody gets promised a starting job and then gets backstabbed by mean ole promise breaking Tomlin.

 

Whichever QB gives them the best chance to go down in flames in 25 gets my vote. Like you said, get a QB in 26. Catch with the Darnold thing is he would still be expensive.

Ride it out with Fields. If gets us to 9-8, so be it.