A GRIP ON SPORTS • Monday must be the new Saturday. Or Sunday. At least it seemed that way yesterday – even without a holiday. Down-to-the-wire hoops. Big NFL news. Stock market falling off a ledge … wait, that doesn’t fit. Oh well, life isn’t all July peaches and rich cream, is it? Unless your last name is Darnold.
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• Highlight Monday, March 10, 2025 in your journal. It was the day the Seahawks pushed their chips into the middle of the table holding just one card. Sam Darnold’s from last season in Minnesota.
Will their $100 million wager pay off?
That is a question only time can answer but just maybe it already has. In going all-in with the one-year wonder – or, if you prefer, the 16-game wonder – Seattle front-office boss John Schneider seems to be signaling a series of expectations.
He, and the rest of the Seattle leadership, didn’t want to invest $40-to-$45 million in Geno Smith for three years. Two years for a 34-year-old quarterback seemed to be their ceiling. Instead, they made a trade and a pivot. The latter is to Darnold, 27-years-old, coming off his first great NFL season. A cheaper, albeit relatively, alternative to Smith.
The other part of the equation? Schneider and head coach Mike Macdonald are retooling the offense to fit new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak’s specifications.
Kubiak shares a history with Darnold. They were together in San Francisco two seasons ago. The year Darnold, a disappointment in his first five NFL seasons with the Jets and Panthers, sat the bench, played when needed as Brock Purdy’s understudy and, seemingly, found the magic sauce he poured all over his tater tot casserole of a season with the Vikings.
Was Kubiak the chef? That certainly seems to be the Hawks’ view.
And with Darnold saving the franchise somewhere around $10 million in cap space this season – relative to what it would have paid Smith – maybe Schneider will be able to supply some fresher ingredients up front.
Goodness knows, the Seahawks need them.
It’s not just money Seattle has available to spend on their offensive line. There is also draft capital earned by trading DK Metcalf to the Steelers and Smith to Las Vegas. It’s imperative to invest it wisely, something Schneider’s track record with offensive lineman can boast.
He’s drafted a dozen o-linemen since 2017. Two tackles, Charlies Cross and Washington State’s Abraham Lucas, could be considered smart choices. One guard, Damien Lewis in 2020, seems to fit that category as well. Otherwise? Mostly mid-to-late round projections that haven’t panned out all that well.
Maybe Schneider, Macdonald and Kubiak feel that no matter what ingredients they throw offensive line coach John Benton – who came over from New Orleans with his offensive coordinator – he’ll make a tasty jambalaya. That hope has been on the menu before. And gave most of us heartburn.
Besides, Darnold’s breakout season – 4,319 yards passing, 35 touchdowns – was a feast spoiled by his last two servings.
A 31-9 loss to Detroit with the NFC North title on the line: 18-of-41 for 166 yards.
The wild-card round against the Rams: 25-of-40 for 245 yards, one touchdown, one interception, a fumble and nine sacks. In 18 games, Darnold was sacked 57 times, though he had more time to throw, on average, than Smith, who was sacked 50 times in his 17 games.
By the way, guess which teams the Hawks probably have to beat next season to win the NFC? Ya, the two above – and Super Bowl champion Philadelphia.
• Guess who stands between Gonzaga’s men and the West Coast Conference’s NCAA Tournament automatic bid? If you named anyone other than Saint Mary’s, you haven’t been paying attention – or you’ve been sacked way too many times.
The Zags have made the WCC final 28 consecutive years. They have faced the Gaels in the finals 15 times, including six of the last seven.
For the second consecutive season, Saint Mary’s enters as the favorite. No, not necessarily the betting favorite (despite having lost twice to Saint Mary’s this season, Gonzaga is favored by 3.5 points), but the team wearing the regular season crown.
Last year, the Gaels won their ninth WCC title, easing to a 69-60 victory. And snapped a three-game title-game losing streak to GU.
A Gonzaga win tonight (6 p.m., ESPN)? It might move the Zags up to a sixth or seventh seed in the NCAA tourney. A loss? It could drop them a seed line or two. The Gaels? Same thing. Either way, both will be in the tournament.
But don’t expect either team to settle. With their history, there is more at stake.
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WSU: The Cougar women did what they needed to do on the defensive end for much of the game, but their offense couldn’t keep up with two-time WCC tournament champion Portland on Monday night. As Greg Lee tells us, the second-seeded Pilots clamped down after halftime and rolled to a 72-57 semifinal win over fourth seed Washington State. … Tyler Tjomsland has a photo gallery from the game. … Elsewhere in the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, Jon Wilner has his Best of the West rankings in the Mercury News. He also does a quick look at how hard the ACC’s and Big Ten’s cross-country travel was. … John Canzano answers questions from Las Vegas. That makes his usual Monday mailbag a bit different. … Oregon is back in the men’s polls. … Arizona is no longer the big fish when it comes to fans at its conference postseason tournament. … Colorado State has been on a run as good as anyone’s in the Mountain West. Now can anyone knock them out when it counts most? … It is good to be tall. … In football news, Oregon will start spring practice soon. We can pass along position previews covering the receivers and offensive line. But there was bigger news out of Eugene. Coach Dan Lanning was given another raise. And Wilner believes he may still be a bargain at $10.9 million a year. … Lanning shows up on these two lists of the best college football coaches. … Washington held its Pro Day yesterday. Christian Caple has coverage. … Oregon State hired an offensive line coach who has been in Corvallis before. … Colorado is ready to begin spring football. … So is Boise State. … San Diego State began Monday.
Gonzaga: The last time USF defeated the Zags in a men’s basketball game? Let’s put it this way. Guy Edi started for GU. And if you remember Edi, you are a true Gonzaga aficionado. Anyhow, the Bulldogs topped the Dons for the 33 consecutive time, this one 85-76 in the WCC semifinals. Theo Lawson has the game story and chipped in on the recap with highlights. Jim Meehan has the buzzer beater notebook. Dave Boling wrote an on-deadline column. And Tyler put together his third photo gallery of the day. … Wait, there is more. Jim returns with a preview of tonight’s final, after also covering Saint Mary’s win over upstart Pepperdine in the other semi. … We also can pass along coverage of both games from the Bay Area. … The women weren’t able to earn a finals berth, losing in the afternoon to Oregon State, 63-61, their third consecutive tight game with the Beavers – and the first not to finish in overtime. Greg has the game story, Dave adds a tear-inducing column about, yes, appropriately shed tears, and Tyler supplies another photo gallery. … The women’s final will feature two Oregon schools for the first time, the senior-ladened Pilots and the rebuilt Beavers. … Back to the men. Jim posted his weekly Zags Basketball Insiders Podcast with Richard Fox yesterday. You can listen to it here.
EWU: Sometime in the next few days, former Eastern star Cooper Kupp will move on from the Rams. It won’t be easy for either party.
Idaho: The Vandal men are still playing. They upset Portland 80-70 for their first tournament win since 2017. … The women’s season is over, however. They fell 65-54 to Montana, a team they had defeated twice already this season. … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, the Vandal men will face Montana today. The Griz’s point guard is playing well. … Montana State shot better than it has all in Matt Logie’s tenure and knocked Idaho State out of the tournament. … In women’s play. A healthy Idaho State team routed Weber State 62-42. … On the football field, Northern Colorado is holding a Pro Day. … Sacramento State may not land the five-star recruit, but at least the Hornets talked local quarterback Ryder Lyons into making a visit.
Seahawks: We had our thoughts on Darnold above. There are a lot more, however. The Seattle Times’ Matt Calkins has some. So does Tim Booth. Gregg Bell of the News Tribune. National publications have a perspective as well, including The Athletic’s Michael-Shawn Dugar. … The news stories about the signing come from all over too. … Hey, the Raiders are happy to have Smith. … The Hawks did find some offensive line depth in free agency. … Ernest Jones IV wanted to be in Seattle.
Mariners:The M’s lost to the Brewers yesterday but that is only part of the story. Rick Rizz was nailed with a foul ball in the press box and had to leave the air for a while. Turns out, he had a nasty bump on his head but was OK to continue. … J.P. Crawford seems to be bouncing back from last season’s struggles. … Of all the true contending playoff teams, the M’s fanbase seems to be the most pessimistic. We understand.
Sounders:It’s a big night for Seattle. The Sounders are in Mexico for something of a winner-take-all Champions Cup match with Cruz Azul (5:30 p.m., FS1). The assignment is simple. Put the ball in the back of the net at least once and then finish with nothing worse than a draw from there. A scoreless draw would send it to extra time. A loss and the Cup is over for Seattle.
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• Thank goodness for small favors. Gonzaga’s men are playing at a decent hour tonight. Last night was a chore, mainly because our Circadian rhythms are all messed up by the time change. And, for you Big Sky and late-night fans, they will be off the TV before Idaho and Montana tip (8:30, ESPN2). Until later …