Seahawks’ Mike Macdonald dismisses ‘crazy’ Sam Darnold question amid OTA struggles

As Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold has struggled during OTAs so far, there is already some speculation about whether the player should start this upcoming season. While Darnold could be seen as a risky move for the Seahawks, head coach Mike Macdonald believes otherwise, taking issue with the conversation around the former Minnesota Vikings signal-caller.

After trading Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders, Seattle saw what Darnold did in his resurgence with Minnesota and acquired him with the thought of being their starter. When speaking with Seattle Sports, he would be asked about whether there's a chance, aside from injury, that the team would go away from Darnold as the starter, leading to a “crazy” admission from the coach.

“No, you guys are crazy,” Macdonald said. “I respect that you've got to ask it, but it's just a crazy question. It's just not going to happen. Sam's our starting quarterback. We love him. He's doing a tremendous job.”

Last season, Darnold had the best season of his career with Minnesota as he threw for 4,319 yards to go along with 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

Seahawks' Mike Macdonald defends Sam Darnold 

As the Seahawks coach has been excited to work with Darnold, there's no denying the struggles at the very moment, where in sessions open to the media, it hasn't been pretty. According to ESPN, there was a part in the session where Darnold would lead the No. 1 offense, throwing two picks in the span of three plays.

Still, Macdonald acknowledges the lowlights from Darnold, but makes sure to emphasize how it's very early in Seattle's offseason program.

“God forbid you're the worst player of all time because you made one bad throw or one bad decision,” Macdonald said. “That is not what we're trying to build. We want these guys to go prepare the right way and then when they go out on the practice field, go freaking let it rip, and then we'll go fix it.”

“We've got time,” Macdonald continued. “It's June 3. They're going to get plenty of reps. We'll get those things fixed. Sam made a lot of great throws yesterday — he was gashing us on third-and-goal to start the day out, too. So, yeah, it's kind of a crazy question.”

At any rate, the Seahawks look to improve after finishing with a 10-7 record, which put them second in the NFC West. Darnold looks to have a productive summer as the team opens the upcoming season against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, Sept. 7.