THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: If Sam can grip it, Seattle can rip through NFC

Joel Klatt had an interesting phrase for it.

“Beggers can’t be choosers,” the Fox football analyst said.

He was talking about NFL teams that aren’t winning, and their desperation to improve.

Specifically, he meant getting better at quarterback.

If you can’t get production at the game’s most important position, basically you’re going nowhere.

What about the league’s other half, then?

“It comes down to the very best quarterbacks, to the very elite,” Klatt said. “There are the ones at the tops, and the next level after that.”

So, why these particular tiers at QB?

Well, there’s a bit of a clamor in the Northwest these days.

The rock-solid Seahawks have morphed into one of the NFL’s very best teams — and Klatt was being honest about whether the Hawks are a legit Super Bowl contender.

His verdict?

Maybe.

But some things have to go right.

In particular, quarterback Sam Darnold has to lean on his strengths — there are times he can be fantastic — while avoiding the rash of hideous turnovers that have bitten him throughout a roller-coaster career.

IT TURNS out that you can dump the turnover bug.

Even at age 28, Darnold has a chance to tweak his mechanics and decision-making.

He can still throw rockets downfield and hit postage stamps, a skill that lifts him above all but a tiny group of league QBs.

You can hear the frustration in Klatt’s voice when he says: “Sam can be SO special. He really can.”

Even as the Seahawks are sailing along at 10-3 with a chance to win the NFC West, there are times when Seattle’s deep and talented roster simply carries its quarterback.

Darnold looked like a lost walk-on during the first half of last week’s win over Atlanta.

Seahawks fans were shaking their heads in frustration when the teams trudged off in a 6-6 tie at halftime.

However.

It didn’t take long for the Hawks to liven up their fans and complete a total season change in the third quarter.

Newcomer Rashid Sheheed exploded for a 100-yard kickoff return to start the festivities, and the Seahawks (the real Seahawks) took it from there.

Darnold whipped three TD passes, including a pair to Jaxon Smith-Njigba, en route to Sam’s total of 249 yards, and the 37-9 rout was on.

Yes, we have to concede that the Falcons basically gave up somewhere prior to the fourth quarter — but the startling change in Darnold’s whole game was almost shocking.

How can he play like the best in the game for amazing stretches, and then suffer a rash of turnovers when you least expect it?

Klatt has an explanation.

IT’S ALL about gripping the football.

Klatt points out that Darnold goes through streaks where his elbows are too wide.

“It causes the ball to be lower — down where people can get at it — and more rigid. In other words, easier to knock loose.

“Think of figure skaters, and the speed and strength they generate when their elbows are in tight.

“For quarterbacks, that holding the ball up high also gives you the power and torque to straighten your shoulders and throw on the run.”

Darnold, meanwhile, falls into the trap of getting comfortable and carrying the ball too low.

It pulls him off balance if he wants to throw while moving (some of his most awful interceptions) and robs him of arm strength.

Some throws that MIGHT find their way through a crowd lose velocity, and get tipped in the secondary.

That’s another recipe for disaster.

“Habits can be fixed with practice and repetition,” Klatt said.

For now, Seattle must be considered a slight underdog to the Rams in the NFC West — solely because vet Matthew Stafford has proven he can remain steady and sharp with games on the line.

So far, Darnold has not done it.

The same situation exists in the AFC, where Buffalo’s Josh Allen is a survivor of fourth-quarter thrillers.

Patrick Mahomes is the best in these situations, but this year’s Chiefs don’t have the talent to get him there.

“It’s really tough to win it all without a special quarterback,” Klatt said.

The question now is simple: Can Sam Darnold avoid the goofs and play to the gift of his right arm?

If he can …

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Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns appear in The Press three times each week, normally Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday unless, you know, stuff happens.

Steve suggests you take his opinions in the spirit of a Jimmy Buffett song: “Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On.”