Ryan Clark questions whether Sam Darnold is really injured

ESPN analyst Ryan Clark questioned whether the Seattle Seahawks are setting up Sam Darnold for excuses if he does not play well in the NFC Divisional round against the San Francisco 49ers.

In an appearance on ESPN’s “First Take,” Clark raised questions about whether Darnold and the Seahawks are being genuine after the quarterback showed up on the injury report Thursday with an oblique injury. Officially, Darnold was limited in practice, though he said there was virtually no chance he would miss the team’s playoff game.

To Clark, even the suggestion of an injury was cause for concern about Darnold’s mental state.

“My concern level is not high, but there is some concern, because it sounds like the setup for an excuse,” Clark said. “It sounds like the things that you say before a game when you don’t play well, when the throws aren’t where they are supposed to be. Everybody can point back, ‘But you have to remember, he didn’t get those first-team reps in. His oblique was tight on Thursday.’

“This is the biggest game of Sam Darnold’s career. This is another opportunity to exorcise some of those demons that finished the season along with him when Minnesota lost to Detroit or when Minnesota lost to the Los Angeles Rams in the playoffs. If you are the Seattle Seahawks, you have to be extremely concerned about where Sam Darnold is, not only physically, but mentally.”

It is entirely possible, if not likely, that Darnold did have something flare up on him. In that instance, the Seahawks would not be faking anything. Clark’s belief is that the quarterback or the team is anticipating a poor performance and preparing a way to explain it.

Darnold has gained a reputation for being a quarterback who folds in big games. It happened at the end of last season, and the narrative resurfaced in some of the Seahawks’ biggest regular season games as well.

The biggest argument against Clark’s case is that nobody will really buy the excuses if Darnold struggles again. He either has to perform well or risk the reputation sticking to him completely.