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Watch the film, and Jayden Daniels’s rushing isn’t so alarming
Let’s break down the rookie’s 16 runs from his debut Sunday in Tampa. Actually, make that 14 runs.
[A] deeper look at Daniels’s running during the Commanders’ 37-20 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday should soothe some concerns.
Let’s start here: Two rushes weren’t real. One was a kneel before halftime, and another was a swing pass that went backward and was therefore labeled a fumbled rush.
Of his 14 actual runs, seven were scrambles.
Scrambling seven times in one game is a lot. It happens only a few times each season. But in his NFL debut, against a blitz-heavy defense, it made sense that Daniels would lean on his legs as a security blanket.
Now let’s look at the seven designed runs. Three were zone-read keepers, a concept Daniels has excelled at since Pop Warner, and perhaps surprisingly Kingsbury ran him four times in short-yardage situations.
Going forward, the Commanders will have to grapple with the risks and rewards of using Daniels in short-yardage situations, especially near the goal line, where he could take big hits. But Arizona State and LSU used Daniels similarly; he even regularly sneaked successfully.
Kingsbury’s most curious calls were two runs that seemed targeted inside, where Daniels wouldn’t have much space.
It’s easy to understand the concerns. It’s valid to have PTSD from Robert Griffin III. But after a thorough review, the worry over Daniels is a bit overstated.
Commanders.com
Practice notes | Jayden Daniels reflects on highs, and lows, of Week 1
While the media, coaches and teammates had positive takeaways from the rookie’s first outing, Daniels isn’t satisfied with his performance in the Washington Commanders’ 37-20 loss.
“I grade myself hard,” Daniels said in his press conference following the game. “We didn’t win. I’m a competitor. I like to win, but overall it went well, pretty well. There’s some stuff that as an offense we left on the field. We have to execute better, but it’s a long season. We’re going to move on from this.”
Daniels made it clear that if the team isn’t winning, he won’t be happy no matter how well he might be playing. His standard for the team and drive to win overshadows anything else that might be going on in his head, such as nerves or outside noise.
“Once that ball was snapped, it [nerves] goes away and you are playing football again,” Daniels said. “It’s the same game I’ve been playing since I was a kid. Even though the stakes are higher, I still revert back to the time where I was 7 years old playing against my friends.”
“I’m going to do whatever it takes to try to win the football game,” Daniels said. “I don’t put a number or anything on how many times I’m going to run and stuff like that, but I just try to do whatever it takes to help the team win the game.”
Big Blue View
Giants-Commanders first look: Is Daniel Jones playing for his job vs. Washington?
Here is a look at that and other Week 2 storylines
Coach Brian Daboll announced Monday that Jones will continue to be the starter. But for how much longer? If he plays as poorly as he did against the Vikings and if the don’t look like a functional offense, which they did not while being the only team in Week 1 not to score double-digit points, Daboll might have no choice but to turn to Drew Lock and effectively end the Jones era.
Fortunately for Jones, the Commanders have often functioned as an elixir for him and the Giants. Jones is 5-1-1 in seven starts against Washington. For reference, he is 2-3 against the Dallas Cowboys and 1-7 against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Jones has thrown 10 of his 62 career touchdown passes against Washington and has been intercepted just three times. He has a 98.0 passer rating against Washington. The only team he has been better against, in terms of passer rating, is the Detroit Lions. He has a 98.3 passer rating against Detroit, but only a two-game sample size.
Yes, these are not the same Commanders we are used to. Josh Harris replaced Dan Snyder as the owner. Dan Quinn is in his first year as head coach. Jayden Daniels, the No. 2 overall pick in the draft, is the new franchise quarterback.
Still, Washington has always been a comfortable landing spot for Jones. He threw for 352 yards and a career-best five touchdowns against Washington as a rookie in 2019. He has never had a truly awful game statistically against Washington.
Podcasts & videos
Week 2 Preview: New York Giants + Hail Yeah or Hail Nawww! | Podcast | Washington Commanders | NFL
Washington Commanders Need More Jayden Daniels Passing and Strong Defense vs. Giants Daniel Jones
The John Riggins Show 09.11.24
.@Coach_JayGruden w/ me on Jayden Daniels on @team980 this week.
“[Daniels] kinda resorted back to his Arizona State days where he looked at one guy and then he turned into a runner. And I think that’s what’s gonna be the case early in his career..”
AUDIOhttps://t.co/LgfdVh2Jub— Chris Russell AKA the ! (@Russellmania621) September 11, 2024
Photos
Commanders.com
PHOTOS | Turning the page
The Washington Commanders have begun their week of prep for the Week 2 matchup against the New York Giants.
NFC East links
Bleeding Green Nation
Saquon Barkley earns NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors from his Eagles debut
I’m sure Giants fans are taking this well.
Making his Philadelphia Eagles debut, Barkley logged 26 total touches for 132 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns. He carried the ball 24 times as a runner, looking both physical and elusive when different situations called for different styles. One of Barkley’s two catches was a leaping effort along the left sideline to give the Eagles their first points of their 2024 campaign.
Simply put, Barkley was a difference-maker for the Birds in their 34 to 29 win over the Green Bay Packers. He figures to be a huge part of the Eagles’ offense this year.
NFL.com
Giants QB Daniel Jones blocking outside noise: ‘I’m concerned about the people in this building’
“In terms of other people and what they have to say, what they think and their perspective and what their observations are not really important to me.”
Jones’ comments come one day after Vikings linebacker Jonathan Greenard said that Minnesota defenders “started to feel a little bit bad for him” as Jones struggled and New York faced boos in the regular-season opener.
If Jones were to spend even a minute of his time listening to outside noise and criticism, however, he’d likely be doing himself a disservice. He’s already found the going to be difficult enough, and adding any negativity to the equation would seemingly only worsen the situation.
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Front Office Sports
Amazon’s NFL Differentiation Plan in Year 3: It’s All About AI
New features for TNF using AI include:
- An expansion of its previously introduced defensive alerts feature, highlighting likely blitzing players, from its “Prime Vision” alternate broadcast to the main feed. This will be supplemented on the alternate feed with another similar feature showcasing defensive players likely to disrupt plays.
- A defensive vulnerability feature identifies areas of the field where teams are susceptible to offensive attack.
- A coverage ID element shows viewers in real time what type of defensive scheme, such as zone or man-to-man, teams are using on a play.
The enhancements, quite unlike what is seen on a traditional linear NFL broadcast, will debut with the 2024 start of TNF on Thursday with the Bills-Dolphins game to open Week 2. These features add to Amazon’s existing components, such as highlighting open receivers, and have helped garner Amazon a reputation as a destination for fans looking to understand the sport at a deeper level.
Discussion topics
New injury research at @FTNFantasy from @binney_z and his team at @EmoryUniversity. We think there are more injuries in NFL games as it gets later in the game. But is this actually true?https://t.co/yEcevVfBtn
— Aaron Schatz (@ASchatzNFL) September 11, 2024