SAM DARNOLD: How's it going everybody?
Q. How you doing?
SAM DARNOLD: Good. Obviously ready to go for this one. You know, obviously coming off last week, just the emphasis I guess this week would just be continuing to be efficient and be ourselves as an offense throughout the entire game.
That really starts in practice with our prep.
But, again just looking at these guys, really good team, really good defense, really good scheme. Their players like I always kind of say, but especially this week, they kind of make it come to life with the scheme they have.
We're excited about the challenge.
Q. What do you make of the defense? Because total yards allowed per game looks like it's up there, but they're not allowing a whole lot in the run game.
SAM DARNOLD: Yeah, I think for us, it's just about going out there, understanding what they're in, dissecting, communicating, and rolling from there.
Q. Is there something that they change on that front that makes it more difficult to run against?
SAM DARNOLD: You know, they do a lot of good things defensively, not just in the run game, but in the pass game as well.
So there is certain things we just got to be ready for, and we will be.
Q. You mentioned wanting to start faster. Obviously didn't go the way you wanted last week, but how encouraging is it that we have seen multiple times this year, whether first or second half, the way this team can score in a hurry? You 30-point halfs I think four different times.
SAM DARNOLD: Yeah, it's encouraging. We're going to continue to harp on the fact if we can do it in a half, why can't we do it all game kind of thing.
We just got continue to put together a very consistent four quarters of football. We're working towards that and we will be looking forward to doing that hopefully this Sunday.
Q. On the field goal drive you guys got right before halftime, the last play, I think you have no timeouts left and eight seconds. Seem like the only option is to throw to the sideline. I imagine the defense knows that and you still get it. What's the key to finding a completion like that when you imagine the defense knows it's coming?
SAM DARNOLD: Yeah, you know, it's just practicing those scenarios for me; understanding the kicker that we have, where our field goal line is; understanding that if we don't necessarily need those five yards, ten yards to get a little bit closer, I just need to be good about throwing it away and being good in that situation and understanding it.
Again, like you just mentioned, like understanding the defense that they're in, and once I think that we might not be able to get the play off or they might tackle us in bounds, just throw it out of bounds.
Q. (Regarding rushing attempts.) What did you see in terms of lanes and how does that help in terms of extending...
SAM DARNOLD: Yeah, I think just understanding the time clock in my own head and going through my progressions and being a football player, you know. Just going out there, and if I feel like the pocket may be collapsing and I can't run around, maybe being able to find a safe spot to throw it away.
If I feel like I have time in the pocket and I'm just kind of going through my progression, nothing is there, then I'm able to make a play and get out of the pocket a little bit; I think that's what you guys saw on Sunday.
Q. The last touchdown to Jaxon in that game were you thinking about running there and you saw him or were just kind of trying to run to create something?
SAM DARNOLD: Yeah, I was just moving forward in the pocket. Trying to, again, just extend the down a little bit. You know, Jax did a really good job of showing up for me there. AJ also did a really good job. He was wide open in the end zone as well.
Yeah, trying to I guess have the linebacker there as the whole player, just understanding that if he takes Jax away I'm going to be able to walk in for a touchdown. If he doesn't I'll be able to just dish it off to Jax right there like I did.
Q. How often do you (indiscernible) from film and you watch it of yourself from the past game that ends up being useful in the future?
SAM DARNOLD: Yeah, all the time. I think just understanding that defenses are consistently watching my tape and they're understanding my tendencies, so just picking up on little things that I do every now and then and learning from it.
You know, it's just like the first few years of my career not necessarily going the way that I wanted but learning from those experiences and making sure they don't hurt me in the future.
Q. What's the first thing you look at when you go back to look at your film from the previous week?
SAM DARNOLD: I think it's just execution. Looking at the plays where I felt like I maybe felt something and then on the field it was a different story.
So, yeah, just I think execution from my point of view. Understanding how I can be better. Just kind of going from there.
Q. When you were a young quarterback growing up what did you take from Philip River's game?
SAM DARNOLD: Yeah, Philip, man, he's a great player, all-time player. I think just one of those guys that he wasn't necessarily known as the most mobile guy, but he could just kind of hang around in the pocket and make plays.
He was really, really good at dissecting defenses, understanding what they're in before they're even in it presnap.
Yeah, especially being close to my home being in San Diego for most of his career, it was really cool to be able to watch him growing up.
And now, you know, maybe to play against him again, it's going to be a great opportunity for us.
Q. (No microphone.)
SAM DARNOLD: Uh-huh.
Q. (Regarding down markers.) How does that become second nature?
SAM DARNOLD: Yeah, it's something that you continue to learn as you go, you know, just kind of where the down marker is and understanding where the line of scrimmage is first of all to be able to throw the ball or maybe tuck it and run.
Yeah, once you get going, kind of periph where the down marker is using your peripherals to see where the marker is, how much you need for a first down, stuff like that, before you got to get down.
So there is a lot of things that you can pick up on and learn throughout the years playing football.
Q. Cooper was talking yesterday about one of the things he noticed on really good teams is how guys do the things that don't show up on the stat sheets.
SAM DARNOLD: Uh-huh.
Q. He's one of those guys honestly.
SAM DARNOLD: Yeah.
Q. Have you got a sense on this team that there is a lot of guys that put in those kind of efforts?
SAM DARNOLD: For sure. Yeah, there is a lot of guys that don't care about stats. They just want to win. That's all of our guys on this team.
It's very rare, but it's something special about this team, like Coop mentioned. But, yeah, there is a ton of them. The one group that sticks out to me with that is the offensive line, right, because I feel like the only time they get any type of attention is when it's bad. Whether it's a false start, the announcer is calling their name, you know, and then sacks, those show up on the stat sheet.
There is nothing that really shows up -- unless it's a big running game and you don't have any sacks on the game, but there is nothing really where they get like a ton of praise. So I think those guys' just unselfishness in that room is unlike any other.
Q. There are so many like outspoken leaders on the defensive side of the ball. The offense, all you guys are kind of quieter leaders. When the offense needs a word, who are the people that speak to them?
SAM DARNOLD: No, yeah, there is a lot of guys that are able to speak up. They speak up in rooms where people aren't necessarily there, cameras aren't there. So we got a really good group of guys in the offensive room, a lot of leadership.
There is a lot of guys also that just like to put their head down and go to work. I'll always be able to play football with guys like that.
Q. Sam, Rashid has been here a month and change now. How has that process been to get a new guy up to speed mid-season and where do you feel the relationship is now that you've had a chance to see how he moves?
SAM DARNOLD: Yeah, no, 'Shid has been great throughout the entire time we've had him there, just learning the system. Obviously being with Klint last year helps a ton.
But, no, whenever I see him he's studying or asking questions about the game plan; he's always on top of things.
Q. Can you help us understand the difference between pure progression reads and coverage reads?
SAM DARNOLD: Yeah, pure progression reads, it's really most of the NFL is pure progression reads. The other one is just like some split reads, so like one side of the field is versus a certain zone coverage, another side is for another coverage.
Pure progression is using the whole field and all receivers just built into the progression so you can click through it. And so when we say pure progression reads, it just means going one to two to three to four to your back essentially.
Q. Does it simplify things for the quarterback in real time?
SAM DARNOLD: Yeah, it does. Again, it's not how we do things all the time here, but it definitely helps when you got teams that are disguising coverages really well. You can just click through your progressions that way.
Q. You've heard people say get rid of ball faster. You've heard people say just take a sack. You've heard people say just run the ball. It's probably getting annoying to hear all those things. How do you in that split second, assess all the different options and how do you get better?
SAM DARNOLD: Yeah, I think it's watching tape. It's growing from what you feel or what you see on the field and how you see it on the tape and how you can develop kind of that skill of that feel of kind of understanding different situations, understanding the weight of that presnaps, but then just going out there and just playing football.
At the end of the day you can't be thinking about all that while the ball is getting snapped and while you're trying to evade rushers and going through your progressions. Yeah, it's definitely something that's a learned skill. You know, again, for kids and for me, people that have played football their entire lives, you know, you have an innate ability to just go out there and make plays.
But, again, like I said, sometimes you don't need to go make a play. Sometimes you just need to throw the ball away and live for the next down.
Q. Rivers was known for having goofy arm angles at times getting rid of the ball.
SAM DARNOLD: Uh-huh.
Q. As a quarterback did you ever try to copy that?
SAM DARNOLD: I didn't, no. If I ever tried to copy it I feel like my friends would kind of give me some backlash or make fun of me a little bit.
The only time I really felt like I was throwing like him was if I had a really, really big football and I was a little kid and I felt like that was the way I could actually get rid of it.
Nah, dude, I mean, you watch all of his tape that he's had throughout his career; he's made it work. It's unbelievable the way that he throws the football. You know, how accurate and how much arm strength he has with that funky release.
Q. You get a call at age 44 to come back and play, would you?
SAM DARNOLD: I don't know, man. That's -- I'll probably answer that question, you know, in 15 years or so when that comes up.
But it would be hard to say, especially with how many kids he has. I mean, you know, it's definitely -- it's interesting, man. But he's a guy who just loves football. You know, when you're out of it for four or five years and you get that call, shoot, I don't know, I might be in the same boat just depending on where my body is and what I'm thinking at that time.
That's a great question.
Q. Do you have a number in mind like in terms of how long you want to play?
SAM DARNOLD: I think about it every now and then but I don't have a -- one number where I'm like, oh, this is when I want to stop playing football.
Again, right now just being in the moment. I'm very happy and very grateful that I get to just play football every single day. I get to be in the locker room every single day with the boys. There is no greater feeling than playing this game, and I'll do it for as long as I can or as long as my fiancee or wife at some point says otherwise.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports