Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels addressed the media after practice on Oct. 2. Here is a full transcript of the press conference.
*On how he would describe the first quarter of his rookie season: *"Eventful and still room to grow, yeah."
*On his relationship with LB Bobby Wagner: *"I will say we have that bond and connection based off of the area that we're from. We're from the Inland Empire, so we kind of already bond off of that. But it's like a big brother, little brother thing."
*On his early impressions of OC Kliff Kingsbury's offense: *"Yeah, I mean, Kliff has been calling a hell of a game, games I should say. He puts us in the right position and we just gotta go out there and execute. I like what we're doing so far and we gotta keep improving and keep going."
*On what he sees from the defense: *"I don't know. I mean, I just react of what the defense does. I mean, I can't really explain what do I see from defenses. Some teams might have spies out there. That's what I see. But other than that, you're just reacting and adjusting to what they're doing too."
*On how the offensive line is helping him so far: *"[Laugh] I mean, they're keeping me upright. I mean everything starts with them. So, we wouldn't be in any of this position without them. So, shout out to them."
*On what has been key in building a relationship with C Tyler Biadasz: *"Communication. I mean, that's the biggest thing. That's what we preach on the offensive side of the ball, especially the quarterback, center and running backs because we all got to communicate where we're going, what we're doing. I'm going to be on the same page."
*On the next step in his growth process: *"Keep improving. Finding little ways to keep growing. I wouldn't say it's a finished product, but it's just a start and, I mean, I don't really look at everything that people talk about. I mean, I see it, but other than that, man, none of that matters. That was last week's stuff. You only as good as the last game you played and everybody going to look at what can you do the week prior and the weeks after that."
*On the pride and responsibility he feels in being part of the evolution of the Black quarterback: *"A great sense of responsibility. It means a lot to me to be a part of a fraternity like that and see those guys that paved the way for me to come and be me in this league. So obviously it's a great sense of responsibility to go out there and inspire the next generation."
*On how they maintain staying ahead of the chains and avoiding 3rd-and-long situations: *"Yeah, I mean, nobody wants to be in 3rd-and-longs and stuff like that, behind the chains. So, we do our best, man, to stay ahead of the chains. That's what defenses are trying to do is knock us back behind the chains, get us in longer situations. So, from that it's like, man, how can we maybe not take a first or second down sack or get the ball out. We call stuff like dirty throwaways, just little stuff to stay ahead of the chains to give ourselves a chance."
*On how much he has appreciated having fans on the road and is looking forward to being back home: *"I'm for sure looking forward to playing at home. Obviously, we want all the support, packed-out, sold-out stadium, so we'll appreciate if all the fans come out this weekend and show the real home field advantage. But it is great, man, the traveling that the fans are doing, how deep they're coming. How deep they're traveling and stuff like that. So, I mean, I appreciate the fan base for sure."
On the quarterback-center relationship with Biadasz:
"Yeah, I mean, it's been good, man. Anything I ever needed, man, Tyler is always there, always checking up on me. We check up on each other, so we're just building that relationship outside of football because, man, that's important for us to, not just me, but me and the whole line to get to know each other outside of football."
On the process of building the offense with Kingsbury:
"Yeah, I mean, Kliff is very open-minded. Anything that he feels is going to work, he'll try it out, man. And kudos to Kliff being selfless because, obviously, he could be that type of person like, 'Man, this is my system, this is how we're going to run it. This is how we're going to do things.' But nah, he just back there. He gives us the freedom to go out there and play ball."
On what the offense needs to do to get out to a fast start against Cleveland:
"Yeah, it is a very good defense. They have good players out there on the edge. I mean, obviously people know who they have, [DE] Myles Garrett and what he's done in this league. And you got some other guys up front, very good linebackers that like to play downhill, very fast. And then outside, the corners, man, they believe in them a lot and they're good players. So, it'd be a good test for us."
On how he manages the national attention:
"Yeah, I mean, thank God to be able to be in that position, be able to impact people's lives and stuff like that. But man, the main thing is keeping the main thing, the main thing, man, that's football. How can I get better each and every week? Not get caught up in what people are saying or anything because none of that really matters. Because I could be playing good and then playing bad and people would be thinking the opposite. So, it's staying levelheaded. Go out there and just focus on what's up, what's now and be where my feet are."
On if people can call him a star rookie and on how he feels about his success:
"Man, y'all can say whatever y'all want. I'm still a rookie in my eyes, so I let everybody else do the talking for me. I don't get caught up in that stuff. But man, it's just, it's a blessing. Just the preparation, obviously the team believing in me and we going out there and competing every Sunday."
On how he's modeled his game after QB Deshaun Watson:
"Yeah, I would say it's kind of different, but man, back in those days just the swagger that he played with. What he did at Clemson and how he led those guys to back-to-back national title games and won the last one. Man, just that swagger that he played with."
On what a packed home stadium can do for the team and on his expectations for Sunday:
"Hopefully sold out. And I was kind of spoiled within the college scene of LSU and the SEC and stuff like that. So, I mean, just going back to that, man, just the home field advantage. Being loud, being on the field with the defense on the field, just giving us that energy as you walk in the stadium, and you feel that energy. You feel everybody's there and you want to put on a show. So, hopefully it's sold out and we're able to go out there and perform in front of the fans."
On how the coaching staff has helped him be where his feet are during the winning streak:
"Man, honestly, we don't even really be talking about football. Obviously, they tell me how proud they are of me and stuff like that. But the main conversation like, 'Man, how'd you feel? What do you think you can improve on?' Stuff like that. So, I appreciate those guys to not really tell me what I want to hear, but what I need to hear, stuff like that. So, it is just those honest conversations that we have."
