Cracking the Code: The Secret for QB Sam Darnold and Seahawks’ Success

Henry McKenna

NFL Reporter

There are people who wrote off Sam Darnold after the Minnesota Vikings let him leave. There are people who wrote off Cooper Kupp after the Los Angeles Rams parted ways with him this offseason. And no doubt, circumstance is as important as anything in the NFL.

But Kupp rejected the idea that Seattle’s new additions have anything to prove.

“We don’t think about it that way — at least I don’t,” veteran receiver Kupp, the MVP of Super Bowl LVI, told me during training camp. “People can take it however they want. But I’ve always been my harshest critic. … I just can’t live in that negative space of feeling like I’m trying to change anyone’s mind.

“And [Sam has] been awesome in terms of his mindset, like, ‘No, I know who I am.’ … All the adversity like that, for other quarterbacks that can shut you down. Those quarterbacks shut down. They lose confidence to the point that you’re not letting the ball go like you’re supposed to. So it’s been a fun thing to build confidence together and make it through that stuff, too.”

Cooper Kupp (left) and Sam Darnold have quickly built a bond as key additions for the Seahawks. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

Watching the Seahawks beat up on the Kansas City Chiefs in preseason and then do something similar to the Green Bay Packers in joint practice, you didn’t get the sense that Kupp or Darnold landed in the wrong place. To the contrary, they seem to have just what they need.

And as compelling as the Darnold-Kupp-Jaxon-Smith-Njigba combination is, the offense isn’t really about them — not totally. In fact, that might be the best thing for them. We’ll get back to the passing offense, because new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak was a passing-game coordinator in San Francisco. Those guys will feature prominently.

But when talking about Seattle’s offense, we should really start with running back Zach Charbonnet.

“I’ve definitely been implemented in it a lot more. Just attacking it from different ways. I’m loving the scheme and what we’ve got going on,” Charbonnet said at the end of July. “I just like how it marries up with the pass game. Everything interconnects with each other, so it’s kind of hard [for the defense] to get any read on it.”

We saw that during the preseason drive when Charbonnet and Darnold carved up the Kansas City defense, in large part thanks to rookie left guard Grey Zabel, who opened room for multiple runs, including Charbonnet’s 15-yard touchdown.

It’s hard to know exactly how the Seahawks will deploy Charbonnet alongside Kenneth Walker III, last year’s lead back. Walker ran mostly with the second-team against the Packers, but he is coming back from an ankle injury and so perhaps his limited role is only a matter of building him back up. Either way, these two runners figure to have prominent roles in the game plan and the team’s identity.

At least, that’s what the coaches are saying in Seattle. The problem there is, that’s also what the coaches have said in Seattle for a few years now.

Do the running backs actually believe the Seahawks will be a run-first team?

“Definitely,” Walker said. “That’s what we work on in practice. You can say the past years we didn’t practice [running] as much. So you know you’re not going to go out into the game and do it. … We’re real detailed with the run game, so I believe it wholeheartedly that we’re going to go out there and run the ball.”

So far, the Seahawks have been true to their word. We’ve yet to see them run the ball when it matters (the regular season) and when it really matters (the postseason), but they’re clearly emphasizing it in a meaningful way. And a run-focused team should help the Seahawks in two ways.

First, it’ll help put the games in defensive guru Mike Macdonald’s hands. If Seattle can control the ball on offense and stifle opposing offenses, that style of game plan will lend itself naturally to Macdonald’s sensibilities — not to mention the Seahawks’ impressive defensive personnel, from cornerback Devon Witherspoon to defensive tackle Leonard Williams.

And second, the run will set up the pass. The Seahawks spammed the Chiefs with inside runs, only then to run a play that looked exactly like yet another run which — surprise — was actually a pass. That play-action sprung fullback Robbie Ouzts into the flat for an easy gainer. It’s just one example of how this deceptive offense can have a successful passing game … that starts with its running game.

This isn’t to say the Seahawks don’t have a clear passing game identity. Again, Kubiak was a pass-game coordinator, and the preseason film shows a team with an offense — from formations to playcalling — that looks a lot like the Los Angeles Rams. Kubiak can feature slot receivers Kupp and Smith-Njigba in many of the same ways that L.A. highlighted Kupp and Puka Nacua: condensed formations, stacked pairings and plenty of pre-snap motion. It’s a timing offense. Often, it’s a horizontal offense. And it should suit just about every offensive player, including the line.

If all goes to plan, Macdonald can metaphorically throw off his front foot. It’s just, to do that, his quarterback might have fewer literal throws.

Before joining FOX Sports as an NFL reporter and columnist, Henry McKenna spent seven years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @henrycmckenna.

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