Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels spoke to the media following his team’s preseason game against the New York Jets. Here is a full transcript of the press conference.
It was fun to go out and play football, at the highest level. That’s basically it, just go out and have fun.
To check his 42-yard pass…
Yeah, I mean, it was just that Coach (Dan Quinn) was always saying throughout practice, throughout my time here, “Hey, if you don’t like this look, check it out.” So they came out with a certain look and we played a game and I didn’t like it, so I just checked it out.
What the planned 42-yard check play was supposed to achieve…
It was a block, but everyone was within five yards of the line of scrimmage, so the play was pretty much dead. So I just checked it and gave my guy a chance to make a play.
When asked if he was nervous before the game…
Yes, I get nervous before every game, like I have butterflies in my stomach. It’s just because you’re human, you’re alive, you never know what’s going to happen. So, yes, definitely.
On the question of whether his successful drive gave him confidence in his game…
Yeah, I think that gives everybody confidence going forward. Obviously not just me, but also being around Dyami (Brown) on the field. I know that gave him confidence. Later on, he made a difficult catch throwing the ball away from Jeff (Driskel), but he just saw the little steps we have to take to be successful and play at a high level. On why he wanted to wear Doug’s jersey today: I don’t know. It was just sitting in my closet before I left. What better way to make my debut in the first game than to represent Doug and what he’s done for this organization.
When asked if he knew his long ball was thrown into coverage by one of his old teammates…
Yeah, I did. I definitely did. I just let things happen, man. On whether the speed and pace of the NFL was noticeably different than the NCAA: No. I felt like it was kind of the same. Obviously the guys up front move at a different speed, but it’s just fun to go out there and play football.
On his cohesion with the line when he is in the pocket…
They give me enough time to get rid of the ball. So I didn’t really focus on anything up front. I have to go back and look at the film, but our (offensive) line did their job.
On the topic of “a big smile on the sidelines” and whether this conveys a message…
I definitely did. It was because they knew it was like they were going out and really just having fun. I joked, “Hey, I might have been watching a game and it just happened.”
When he gave his mother his first touchdown ball…
It was great. She was obviously very excited and I was just happy that I was able to score my first touchdown and throw it to her, so I know she’s happy. Now I have to fight with her to get the ball back, but I know she’s excited.
When asked if he expects to be nervous in the first game of the regular season or every game…
Every game. It’s kind of the same. I can’t explain how I’m going to feel before the first game of the regular season. I couldn’t explain how I felt before this game, so it’s just game by game.
On the words he exchanged during training with New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rogers…
Don’t ride the wave. Obviously he’s been in this league and played at a high level for many years. He just said you’re going to have ups and downs in your first year and don’t ride the wave, just stay the course and you’ll be fine.
