TMQ: Coronation for the King of the Vagabond Quarterbacks
Plus cheers for Mr. Bunny
Early on, Tuesday Morning Quarterback proclaimed this the Year of the Vagabond Quarterback, with quarterbacks who were shown the door by more than one club – Baker Mayfield, Daniel Jones, Jacoby Brissett, Aaron Rodgers, Mac Jones, Sam Darnold – having strong seasons.
The Year of the Vagabond Quarterbacks concludes with Darnold, the King of the Vagabond Quarterbacks – he’s Sam the First to this space – winning the Super Bowl.
Darnold carried the torch for vagabonds at all levels of the sport. He’s been shown the door – practically shot out of a cannon – by four NFL clubs. Now he’s crowned as Super Bowl victor.
Since the start of the 2024 season, Darnold 31-7. During the regular season, Darnold led the league with 20 turnovers – cynics felt sure a meltdown was coming. Instead Darnold committed zero turnovers in the Seahawks’ playoff run.
At the depths of his rejection, after being benched by the second-echelon Carolina Panthers, who would have believed Darnold would win a Super Bowl before Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson or Justin Herbert?
With Sam the First at the reins, Seattle finished the season on a 10-0 run. It’s hard to get north of that.
Next Darnold will hold court by appearing in pretty much every TV ad you see.
Darnold exemplifies the best lesson sports can teach: Never give up.
Photo courtesy ESPN.
TMQ contends that at the Super Bowl level, defense trumps offense. On Sunday this happened, emphatically. For the second consecutive Super Bowl, the deciding factor was a dominant front seven – Philadelphia last year, Seattle this year.
The Seattle defense posted six sacks, 11 quarterback hits, three turnovers, a defensive touchdown, eight forced punts, six three-and-outs. Seattle did not give up an explosive play to Flying Elvii speed merchant TreVeyon Henderson.
New England ran up some yards in fourth quarter garbage time when the Seahawks shifted to a soft zone to force the Patriots to throw short and grind the clock. During the contested portion of the contest, the Seattle defense was in control.
Seattle relentlessly attacked the weakness in New England’s armor, that both the left and left guard are rookies. Left tackle Will Campbell, fourth overall choice in the 2025 draft, allowed a sack on New England’s first possession, plus allowed 14 total pressures, a high number. At times Campbell appeared lost, unsure of whether to turn in or out.
Two straight Super Bowls won by the front seven will make NFL teams crazy to draft or sign front seven performers this offseason. It’s a great time to be a defender seeking a contract!
Teams that were first against points in the regular season are now 15-4 in Super Bowl. When the intensity cranks up, defense trumps offense.
In halftime news, let’s get something straight. Bad Bunny is a U.S. citizen. Everyone born in Puerto Rico is.
TMQ contends that using New York Times stylebook, on second reference the entertainer should be Mr. Bunny.
It’s more than a century since Congress granted citizenship to Puerto Ricans, yet people still get this wrong. West Side Story has scenes that make absolutely no sense if you know (as dialogue writer Arthur Laurents later acknowledged he did not) that Puerto Ricans are American citizens. Commentary about Mr. Bunny got this wrong too.
Mr. Bunny and Lady Gaga in the halftime show. Photo courtesy People magazine.
