For much of Saturday’s broadcast of the NFL game between the Washington Commandersand the Detroit Lions, announcers Tom Brady and Kevin Burkhardt talked about the composure and demeanor of rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, who ended up having what many have called the greatest playoff performance ever by a rookie at that position in the team’s win over the favored Lions.
The broadcasting duo wasn’t telling anybody in Arizona anything they didn’t already know.
Daniels, likely to earn NFL Rookie of the Year honors for his role in the organization’s resurgence, spent three years in Tempe as the starting quarterback for the Arizona State Sun Devils from 2019 through 2021. Composure was in the slenderly-built signal-caller out of San Bernardino, California, from the moment he stepped on campus.
Sure, he finished his college career with two seasons at LSU, winning the Heisman Trophy and going No. 2 overall in the draft less than a year ago, but the nation got its first glimpse of Daniels’ potential while he was wearing the maroon and gold.
Just what do locals think of Jayden Daniels and his success now? That’s a difficult question with a complicated answer.
He gave ASU three years, even when the Sun Devils changed offensive coordinators and it was evident the new offensive scheme wasn’t suited for his skill set.
It seems much of the dislike, or indifference if you want to call it that, has to do with the Herm Edwards era, which ended because of an NCAA recruiting scandal during the COVID-19 pandemic that threw the program into chaos.Daniels’ mother was implicated in that, although there has been no indication Daniels himself knew what was transpiring.
Some spectators didn’t appreciate his demeanor. Television cameras would catch him smiling on the sideline, which didn’t sit well in cases where the team was losing. He’s not focused. He doesn’t care. That was how it came off to some, but Daniels did the same thing at LSU and does the same thing now. It doesn’t mean he isn’t focused or doesn’t care. He enjoys playing the game and isn’t fazed by the pressure. There is nothing wrong with that.
No doubt Daniels’ happiest times and an indication of what he was made of came during his freshman season. The third game of his career was also the first road game and came against then-No. 18 Michigan State in East Lansing. The offense struggled mightily but ASU was in the game because of its defense and only trailed 7-3 late in the fourth quarter. ASU got the ball back with 3:34 left and went 75 yards in 10 plays. The go-ahead score came on a 1-yard run by Eno Benjamin after a run by Daniels got the ball to the 1.
Daniels rallied ASU past No. 15 California late in the fourth quarter two weeks later.
Then, the next week he propeled the Sun Devils past visiting Washington State 38-34 — scoring on a 17-yard run with 34 seconds left to cap off a 75-yard game-winning drive.
No doubt Daniels’ signature game in his three Tempe seasons came at the end of his freshman year when the Oregon Ducks, led by future first-round draft pick Justin Herbert at quarterback, marched in with a No. 6 national ranking and aspirations of a college football playoff berth. ASU turned in a 31-28 stunner to derail Oregon’s national title hopes with Daniels outplaying his veteran counterpart.
So, yes, winning close games, and delivering in the clutch were common occurrences with Daniels heading the offense. The numbers his freshman year were astounding — 60.6% completions, 2,943 passing yards with 17 touchdowns, and only two — two — interceptions in 13 games.
Unfortunately, it didn’t get better with Daniels’ development his sophomore year stunted by the pandemic and ASU playing only four games.
It wasn’t until he moved to LSU that he started building on that stellar freshman campaign.
Now at 24, he’s a star in the NFL. His numbers this season are impressive, especially for a rookie playing at the game’s highest level. He’s thrown for 3,568 yards and completed 69% of his passes with 25 touchdowns and nine interceptions in 17 games. He’s also scrambled for another 891 yards and six touchdowns.
Next up for the Commanders (12-5) is an NFC Championship showdown against the Philadelphia Eagles (14-3) on Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field. A trip to the Super Bowl is on the line. The Commanders are the underdog but don’t put anything past Daniels’ ability to ignite an upset. One thing is for sure, the moment will not be too big for him.