If Jayden Daniels’ historically torrid start to his NFL career hasn’t yet swayed you, or his pleasant balance of humility and swagger off the field haven’t seduced you into buying in (literally and figuratively) to No. 5, perhaps pulling off the most miraculous win in recent franchise history on Sunday moved you.
A;FK;JD;KJF;LAKEJFLKJVAL;KEJL;JF;EFJ;LFAKJ
JAYDEN DANIELS HAIL MARY! @COMMANDERS WIN! pic.twitter.com/BsQ0Z84Rko
— NFL (@NFL) October 27, 2024
Daniels is the second player with 1,500 pass yards and 400 rush yards in his first eight career games. Many other stats support the notion that he’s close to having the best rookie season by a quarterback ever, making him a legit MVP candidate is his maiden voyage as a pro (a case I’ll make further in the D.C. Sports Huddle on Thursday).
But this isn’t about stats. This is a matter of the heart. And Daniels’ arrival signals something we haven’t truly been able to say in many, many years: It’s OK to love the Burgundy and Gold again.
.@Foxworth24 says he is choosing Jayden Daniels over Josh Allen for MVP 👀 pic.twitter.com/5aZEo2Tm4K
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) October 29, 2024
Though a significant number of fans refuse to warm up to the new nickname, it’s objectively noncontroversial. There’s no scandal afoot involving an owner who mistreated colleagues, employees and fans alike. No talking yourself into a mediocre quarterback or holding your nose to rally around an unlikable and/or ineffective player. The coach isn’t a know-it-all or a blithering idiot. There’s no born-on-third-base front office executive gaslighting us with proclamations that “the culture is damn good” or that his losing team is somehow “winning off the field.”
The first step in healing from a dysfunctional and toxic relationship is ending it. Check! Next, we surround ourselves with the right people.
By all accounts, the Commanders have done that. Washington is 6-2 for the first time since coach Jim Zorn hip-hip-hooray’ed his way to that mark in 2008. The 4-0 start at home is the franchise’s best since 2005 — the last season that included a playoff win.
The Commanders aren’t the NFL’s most talented team. But general manager Adam Peters has quickly turned over the roster and assembled players with the correct chemistry. Head coach Dan Quinn and his staff are getting the most out of the available talent and, as evidenced by the walk-off win over the Bears, he has his team thoroughly prepared for anything.
Whatever’s in that “secret sauce” should be bottled and sold.
As I said when Quinn was hired, he doesn’t have to be the NFL’s best coach to get things headed in the right direction. But what’s quickly catapulted Washington to national relevance and resuscitated its dying fan base is primarily Daniels, who projects to be a generational superstar.
His work ethic is the stuff of legend. His calming influence, both on and off the field, have given the Commanders the leadership it has sorely lacked at quarterback for years, if not generations. But what has his jersey a bestseller and is making the Commanders draw in box office numbers is the fact that he’s the most electric and aesthetically pleasing, dual-threat QB this side of Lamar Jackson.
I know we’ve been here before with Robert Griffin III. He was a scintillating talent who went on to beat out first overall pick Andrew Luck for Offensive Rookie of the Year. But as RGIII recently reminded us, he’s always grabbed for the spotlight while Daniels tries to deflect it — but nonetheless attracts it — and delivers appropriately.
Furthermore, Daniels’ success seems more sustainable because he operates so well from the pocket. Anyone who’s watched him closely can see that he’s a passer who happens to have running ability, not a runner who can throw.
Jayden Daniels: This is a performance you’re going to remember for a long time.
Never seen a rookie with the courage in the pocket to deliver a DIME while he’s getting crushed. Look when he releases it!! pic.twitter.com/k1FJ3gU3d9
— Chase Daniel (@ChaseDaniel) September 24, 2024
And like any new love should, he understands where you’ve been, Washington fans. Remember the Doug Williams jersey prior to his preseason debut? He knows the team’s history and embraces it in the same warmth he does the challenge of writing new championship tales for Ol’ D.C.
The only way to truly trust such a fantastic love is with time — time for them to prove themselves and time for the injured party to heal. As much as we’re enjoying this wave of success, the stress dreams over the previous regime haven’t fully subsided yet.
But Jayden is an obvious catch, Washington fans. All that guarantees is that it’s really OK to love again.
And for now, that’s enough.
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