Sam Darnold has made his feelings clear following the Seattle Seahawks redemption Super Bowl victory against the New England Patriots.
The quarterback's journey to Super Bowl champion represents one of American football's most remarkable turnarounds.
The 28-year-old quarterback, once selected third overall by the New York Jets in 2018, saw his career spiral downwards before reaching its lowest point against these same Patriots in 2019.
Following a dismal performance against New England's pressure, Darnold infamously admitted, "I'm seeing ghosts," raising questions over his ability to perform at a high level.
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Now a Super Bowl champion, Darnold praised his team but admitted his offence could have been better during the big game.
He said: "I can’t say enough great things about our defence, our special teams
"I know we won the Super Bowl, but we could’ve been a little bit better on offence.
"I don’t care about that right now. "
Sam Darnold has made his feelings clear following the Seattle Seahawks redemption Super Bowl victory against the New England Patriots
|GETTY
Darnold added: "It’s an unbelievable feeling, man.
"I’m just so happy for the guys in the locker room, and the coaches, that put in so much effort throughout the whole season.”
"I thank all my teammates, all my coaches, I’ve ever had for always believing in me.
"I’ve always believed in myself because of my family and my friends, so it’s as simple as that. As long as you believe in yourself, anything is possible."
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Sam Darnold's journey to Super Bowl champion represents one of American football's most remarkable turnarounds.
|GETTY
Darnold became the first quarterback to win the Super Bowl after playing for more than four teams.
Cast aside by the Jets and Carolina Panthers, he served as a reserve in San Francisco before Minnesota gave him another opportunity.
Despite guiding the Vikings to a 14-3 record last season, they released him following a playoff disappointment.
Seattle then became his fifth franchise in eight seasons.
Darnold became the first quarterback to win the Super Bowl after playing for more than four teams
|GETTY
Yet in his debut campaign with the Seahawks, the former third overall pick has claimed American football's ultimate prize.
Darnold told NBC: "My team-mates and my coaches, they believed in me. Since the first training camp, every single day we came to work. Shout-out to our offensive line for everything they did in the game. But I've also got to shout out our defence. We did it. It's been such a special journey with these guys. So much hard work has been out into this and we did it."
The victory carries particular significance given Seattle's painful history with New England.
When these teams contested the 2015 Super Bowl, the Seahawks squandered a chance to triumph in the dying moments, opting to throw rather than run from the one-yard line.
Malcolm Butler's famous interception left Seattle supporters agonising over that defeat for 11 years.
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