Process Thinking

He can’t worry about anybody else or any other team . . .

He just needs to focus on improving his own game on a daily basis.

Talking about Sam Darnold and his quotes today in the Daily News talking about the New England Patriots dominance in his lifetime. The quotes might not have been from this week. They made have been stashed from the past and unveiled this week.

“I’m just going to go out and do my best,” Darnold said. “I feel like literally in my lifetime, the Patriots have ended up on top. So, I’m just going to go out there and do my job. I’m never counting anyone out, honestly. Not just the Patriots, but every team that we play in the league.”

Good answer.

The Daily News got what they wanted, a quote to sell papers – “I feel like literally in my lifetime, the Patriots have ended up on top.”

This is all over the internet now. So mission accomplished for the Daily News.

Yet, Darnold said the right thing about focusing on his job, improving at his job, and not getting into any smack talk about the Patriots.

“I’m just going to go out there every single game and every single snap, do my job, and play to the best of my ability,” Darnold said. “I know it sounds cliched, but it’s true. You got to do it. Every single play here in the NFL. And if you don’t, you’re going to get beat.”

Alabama coach Nick Saban is very much into “process thinking.” Just focus on the next rep, the next weight you’re lifting, the next snap, the next meeting. You get the idea. Don’t chase windmills, just focus on the next assignment on your horizon.

Darnold has A LOT to work on. The Jets are hyping him to sell tickets, like he’s a proven commodity, but he can’t get caught up in that stuff. He just has to focus on working with Adam Gase, Dowell Loggains and Bo Hardegree and getting better – improving his field vision, improving reading defenses, improving accuracy, cutting down on picks and so forth.

Like I’ve said before, all the new weapons he has like Le’Veon Bell, Jamison Crowder and now Ty Montgomery (who Adam Schefter announced they signed on Thursday) aren’t the panacea that are to going to take the young QB from a developmental QB to a star. It doesn’t work that way in the NFL.

Quarterbacks make receivers, receivers don’t make quarterbacks.

Yes, it’s important to have good weapons, but good weapons do not make the quarterback go through his progressions better or look off the safety. One has nothing to do with the others.

The writer proclaimed at the end of this article, “Darnold isn’t in the business of making predictions, but know this: He will have the best season among all AFC East quarterbacks, including a certain avocado ice cream lovin’ 41-year-old signal caller in Foxborough.”

Don’t know what that is based on. Maybe clicks, maybe to get scoops from CAA, who knows, but it’s hard to say he’s ready do that just yet.

He has a lot of work to do.

And should not focus one second on the New England Patriots.

Process thinking is the way to go, at all times.

April 12, 2019

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