Rhule Continues to be Pleased with Sam Darnold's Decision-Making, Ball Security

The Panthers head coach is happy with how his new quarterback is progressing.

We're officially two days away from seeing Sam Darnold trot out onto the field in his first game as the Carolina Panthers starting quarterback. The Panthers will be taking on the Indianapolis Colts to kickoff the three-game preseason slate which will present Darnold and the Panthers with a tall task considering the talent on Indy's defense.

So far in training camp, Darnold has had a mix of good and bad days which is to be expected. Learning a new offense doesn't come easy especially when you're also on a new team. It's one thing to have a new head coach or offensive coordinator but everything for Darnold is new including the folks he'll be throwing the ball to and those who will be protecting him up front. 

Darnold's leadership has been a concern for some folks but head coach Matt Rhule has repeatedly told him to just focus on himself and improving every day he takes the field. 

"He just has to worry about playing quarterback right now. We've got great leaders...we've got all these veteran guys. What I'm really looking for from Sam right now is to be the first guy in the building and the last guy to leave. I want him to just absolutely grind and out-work the competition...the more you're around the great quarterbacks, or the more you hear about them, their level of preparation sets a tone way beyond anything else. Sam looked like a guy that was very well prepared today. And that to me is how he's going to lead this team."

Leadership is put on display in a variety of ways. It doesn't always have to be the guy calling out someone after a mistake or the guy who delivers motivational speeches. For Darnold, it's all about commanding the huddle and leading by example and he has done that. 

Despite the up and down play from the Panthers new starting quarterback, Rhule has been happy with Darnold and feels like he is getting a good grasp of the offense.

"I think he's made a lot of really good decisions. He's a grinder, he's coachable. I've been nothing but pleased with Sam. I think when he does something that we don't want and we tell him, right away it's 'got it'. 

"I think Sam is getting pretty comfortable back there. We have a pretty good rush, pretty good blitz package so he's seeing a lot of things. He's protecting the ball. I think we had a tipped pick in the red zone, so there are always things to learn from but I do think he's comfortable back there but we'll see when we get to Sunday. It always changes when we get to live and a chance to get hit."

On Thursday, Rhule was not very happy with the team's performance in the first joint practice with the Colts. He cited lack of urgency as the primary issue but none of that should be placed on Darnold's shoulders.

"I wouldn't put too much on Sam today," Rhule said. "I thought Sam was the least of our problems. I thought Sam was good. A: We weren't always winning and B: Just not precise, what we want it to be. We'll correct it tonight and come out tomorrow and look much sharper. I thought Sam protected the football and we were a play or two away from a couple of deep balls so we just got to connect on those."

Friday's joint practice with the Colts will tell a lot about how not only Darnold but the team as a whole responds to adversity. After getting punched in the mouth on day one, do they strike back or get outworked again?

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