EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — A little over three months ago, when the Washington Commanders plucked LSU’s Jayden Daniels with the No. 2 pick in the NFL Draft, general manager Adam Peters called back to his first impressions of the quarterback. Among many things, a particular trait stuck out.
“He’s the best deep-ball thrower in the draft,” Peters said last May. “And that’s even before we start watching him run — and the way he runs, he just takes your soul as a defense.”
More than three months later, Daniels took it upon himself to present an illustration in the first drive of his NFL career in the Commanders’ 20-17 preseason loss to the New York Jets on Saturday.
Facing third-and-6 from his own 34-yard line, Daniels checked out of a screen pass into a deep go route along the right sideline, then dropped a perfectly arched deep pass to wideout Dyami Brown in single coverage.
After the 42-yard gain, he turned and looked at the sideline with a smile. Most likely because he didn’t ask to go off script at the line of scrimmage. Instead, he just did it.
Surely, it had to be an encouraging moment for new head coach Dan Quinn if not the entire Washington Commanders franchise and faithful as they pin their hopes to a player who has the potential to change the next decade and beyond.
“It’s an interesting question, checking into it. I thought of [the movie] ‘Top Gun,’ [when Tom Cruise asks] ‘Do I have permission to buzz the tower?’” Quinn said, drawing laughter. “[And the answer is] ‘No Ghost Rider, the pattern is full.’ I think on that one, [Jayden] wanted to ask for forgiveness and not permission, and then throw an absolute dime over the top to Dyami to go. It was a really cool play. I think it probably illustrates for him, the awareness and checks and things that go into it. So, yeah, he did not ask for permission. He went ahead and buzzed the tower anyway. … He was smiling back at us [on the sideline]. He knew he went off…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/jayden-daniels-commanders-debut-showcases-one-of-the-traits-team-brass-extolled-most-213439008.html
Author : Yahoo Sports
Publish date : 2024-08-10 21:34:39
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
