The Washington Commanders believed they could turn things around quickly last season if they picked the right quarterback. Holding to the No. 2 overall pick in the NFL draft, the Commanders took the guy they rated as the No. 1 overall player on their board: quarterback Jayden Daniels.
They were correct. With a new head coach, a new general manager, and a rookie quarterback, Washington went from 4-13 to 12-5 and an NFC championship game appearance. It was the franchise’s best season in 33 years.
There is no bigger team sport than football. But, it’s difficult to imagine the Commanders have that type of success last season with any rookie other than Daniels.
So, when did head coach Dan Quinn know Daniels had that special “it-factor?”
Quinn joined “The Jim Rome Show” on Tuesday and opened up about his star quarterback.
“Yeah, he’s remarkable, Jim,” Quinn said. “I probably didn’t know all along, OTAs, working at it hard, and then training camp, and we got worked our first game. We were down in Tampa Bay and lost. And then going into our next game, we needed a field goal to go win it; it was a tied game. And like, you could see the smile, right before our two-minute drill began, ‘I have been waiting for this chance, Q.’ So, OK, let’s see how he does. And from that moment on, you really felt him step into those spaces. And to me, that’s what separates the quarterback position, those guys, in those spaces at the end of the half, the end of the game, where they’re able to do their thing. Whether the play breaks down, they’re outside using their legs; they convert a first down that way. He has that quality, that it-factor in the biggest moments. So, I learned it early, maybe it was our second game, we ended up beating the Giants here in our home opener. But that was the start of it for me, when I saw it get really tight. That was like exactly the space he was supposed to be in.”
After Quinn told Rome that Daniels had the it-factor, Rome asked Quinn where it came from? Quinn credited all the work Daniels puts in instead of just natural ability.
“You know, I probably think it’s unique to the person, but for him, it does come from the preparation,” Quinn said. “That’s where that confidence comes from. There were many mornings, Jim, that the very first one here was him. To make sure he dialed down what he wanted to get done that day, go through the install with [OC] Kliff [Kingsbury] before things are really getting ripping.”
There’s a lot of talk about Daniels and a potential sophomore slump. With Daniels’ talent, Washington’s offensive playmakers, Kingsbury, and, most importantly, Daniels’ preparation, don’t bet on a sophomore slump.