When Sam Darnold arrived with the San Francisco 49ers before the 2023 season, his NFL career was at a crossroads. The third pick in 2018 had struggled with the New York Jets and spent two disappointing seasons with the Carolina Panthers before signing with the 49ers to back up Brock Purdy.
During the 2023 season, Purdy shared a piece of advice that transformed Darnold\'s approach to quarterback play. One secret to playing quarterback in the NFL was to think like a point guard, to put the ball in the hands of playmakers and set up others for success.
\"Like, my job is just to play point and get the ball in their hands and let them go do great things with the rock,\" Darnold told reporters in March, relaying the message. \"When I changed my thought process as a quarterback to kind of just getting the ball in my guys\' hands, that\'s really where it unlocked for me.\"
Purdy was not arguing for a change in style but outlining a shift in mindset. The mental trick simplified the position by focusing on how to set up others rather than being the hero in every play.
For Darnold, the change in mentality catalyzed a breakout season in Minnesota in 2024, where he threw for 35 touchdowns and won 14 games. He continued his excellent performance with the Seattle Seahawks, again winning 14 games and leading the team to Sunday\'s NFC championship game against the Los Angeles Rams.
The point guard mentality requires vision, selflessness and tactical awareness. Point guards are facilitators and distributors who see the whole floor and initiate action without needing to do everything themselves.
Former NBA coach Phil Jackson learned this lesson during his first seasons with the Chicago Bulls. When Michael Jordan\'s dominance caused teammates to become passive observers, then-head coach Doug Collins moved Jordan to point guard during the 1988-89 season to create more opportunities for others.
Jackson later elevated the concept through the triangle offense, a scheme where movement flows and everyone shares the ball. The offense embodied what Jackson called a \"Zen Christian attitude of selfless awareness\" in his book \"Sacred Hoops.\"
\"It was awareness in action,\" he wrote.
According to the theory of cognitive load developed by Australian educational psychologist John Sweller in the 1980s, there is value in using a simple mental shortcut to execute a complex task. The most efficient athletes have schemas that reduce mental strain through tricks that simplify technique or calm the mind during complex processing.
Researchers have also found that when people focus on altruistic behavior, they tend to experience a boost in happiness level. The research suggests that thinking selflessly can boost mood and keep athletes in a positive frame of mind during zero-sum competition.
For Darnold, it meant not feeling like he had to be superman and make every big play. He learned to avoid turnovers, find safe outlets in the passing scheme, and let his teammates make plays.
\"You can\'t be a quarterback and fake it,\" Purdy told reporters last week, before his Niners lost to the Seahawks. \"Guys can sniff that out. He\'s a guy that\'s gone to two different places and built up cultures, where they\'re winning cultures.\"
Darnold has not always been perfect in big games. Last year, the Vikings were steamrolled by the Detroit Lions in a pivotal Week 18 matchup before losing 27-9 to the Rams in the wild-card round.
But he has a chance this weekend, for the first time in his career, to guide a team to the Super Bowl. The point guard mentality that once saved his career could now deliver his greatest achievement.
