Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels addressed the media on July 26. Here is a full transcript of the press conference.
On how training camp has been:
"It's been fun to go out there and just practice. Football is back, so it's a fun time."
On what he wants to show during training camp:
"Just my competitive nature. Going out there, having fun, and just learning the ins and outs of football. Obviously, these training camp things are ramping up more, and show the grasp of the playbook and all the work that not just myself, but the whole team put in over the summer."
On if his routine has stayed the same from minicamp:
"Oh yeah, for sure. That doesn't change. That's something that worked for me. Everybody has a different routine, different things work for different people. Me getting here early works for me."
* On his mindset being a part of this team:*
"I'll just say, just going out there and not just about me, or about [WR] Terry [McLaurin], or about anybody. If we want to be successful as a team, everybody has to be as one. And just showcasing that, you got guys that have been proven in this league that could come out there and essentially say, 'I'm better than the team,' but they're not. So if the veteran leadership that we have isn't doing that, why do I feel like I have the right to do it? But, that's just me. I'm never going to put myself out there in the spotlight to think I'm bigger than anybody, better than anybody. Everybody's equal on the field and you got to go out there and compete, and show each and every day. And that's what [Head Coach] DQ [Dan Quinn] preaches."
On how it's been working with the offensive staff:
"Yeah, that's kind of for the whole room. Everybody's very active. Not with just me, but with [QB] Marcus [Mariota], and with [QB] Jeff [Driskel], and with [QB] Sam [Hartman]. So, it's just how they coach. To the point, it's a lot of different voices, but they're all preaching the same thing. So it's not like, you go to [Offensive Coordinator] Kliff [Kingsbury] and he's saying one thing, or you go [Quarterbacks Coach] Tavita [Pritchard], or [Assistant Quarterbacks coach David] Blough, and they're saying two opposite things. No, it's all one thing. They're all preaching the same message."
On if he's still using virtual reality training equipment:
"It's here, so I've been doing that still. It's been a great tool, not just for me, but the other quarterbacks, the guys that want to use it to get an edge and get the reps without having to go out there and physically do stuff."
On when he uses the equipment:
"Whenever I find some time. That's kind of where it is now. It's only day three, [still trying] to figure out my routine at camp and stuff like that."
On where he feels he's made progress since the spring:
"Just getting more comfortable with the system. Still have to learn, but the work that I put in over the summer, just trying to go out there and really not think too much. Know what the read is, know what the plays are. So, I could go out there and play faster and not really have to think a lot. That's something that I focused on this past summer."
On if he's noticed places he needs to improve:
"Yeah, it's still a learning curve. Obviously, we're reinstalling the base offense but I know come down the road we're going to be asked to make a lot more checks. Obviously, Kliff and what he does as an offensive coordinator and how active he is trying to showcase our best talents, get the guys the ball in space. But, that still comes with playing the game of football. If we don't like this look and get this run, we got to be able to check out that. So, it's different things and just learning from Marcus and his experience has been a good thing."
On the last time he wasn't officially the starting quarterback:
"Two years ago at LSU."
On his thought process not being the official starting quarterback:
"No, I like competing. I'm a competitor, so regardless if I was announced the starter or not, you still got to compete. You still can't be content of your job, comfortable. I think it is just your job to seal the deal. You got to go out there and compete. So for me it's not a problem at all. I like competing, that's up to DQ and [General Manager] AP [Adam Peters] for the decisions and stuff like that, but for me I can control how hard I go out there and practice and how I compete."
On if there was a moment he took a step back to appreciate where he's made it to:
"I'd probably say when I signed my contract. Just officially being a part of the NFL, that's something that I dreamt about. Signing my name on that line, it meant a lot. It's something that I just realized, I achieved a childhood dream."
On if he's ready to be the face of the franchise:
"Yeah, I'll just say for me I'm ready to embrace the teammates, the fan base, everything that just comes with playing quarterback. Not even here, but anywhere, for any quarterback. Rookie, vet, anybody. You got to be able to embrace everything that comes with it, the good and the bad. So, for me it's how can I prepare myself mentally, physically, emotionally to go out there and compete every day on the practice field and then help out when it comes game time if my name is called."
On how comfortable he's been learning the offense:
"Yeah, the good thing about it is when the rookie class came in, we were all learning a new system, new everything. So, it wasn't just me that had a learning curve or any other rookie class. It was the vets that still had to learn stuff too, and we're all learning. So, it's just going there and helping each other out daily."
On a hypothetical result if Michigan faced LSU last year:
"Leave me alone [jokingly]. Anyways, to answer your question, where you going? Oh no, no, no. Put the camera on [DB Mike Sainristil] please. Anyways, I think it would've been a great matchup. If you look at facts, y'all were like one or two in the country on defense? I think two. LSU was the number one offense, so I like my chances against y'all. Appreciate you, Mike."
On his conversation with LB Bobby Wagner and the value of a veteran's defensive perspective:
"It's very valuable. Me and Bobby, we're from the same area, so we have that connection. The Inland Empire in Southern California, we're from there. So, to be able just to talk to him and get his perspective and we're kind of talking about a check that I made and how he knew when I made the check, he already knew what was going to happen just based off the defense they were in. So, seeing what he's talking about, just hearing his side of the story like, man, I could tell by this alignment, this is what was happening and stuff like that. So, it's awesome just to be able to and have that veteran present in Bobby."
On what Assistant QB's Coach David Blough's perspective provided him:
"Yeah, I mean I think he told me he'd been around three number one overall picks, [Rams QB Matthew] Stafford, [Buccaneers QB] Baker [Mayfield] and [Lions QB Jared] Goff. Everybody's different, but just to experience obviously, you know what Stafford has done and you got Goff and Baker, people who have been playing this game for a minute now. Just to experience it man, this is what defense they run, look for stuff like this, you know. Blough is very smart, so to be able to pick his brain just on different stuff. Like, oh, this DC might have a tendency to do this on first and 10 once you cross the 50 and stuff like that."
On if he feels like the team picked up where they left off after the break in spring:
"A hundred percent and that's a good thing, guys were in their book going over the playbook again, learning the different signals and learning the different calls. For receivers learning a split on a certain play. So it's been great, and then what [Offensive Coordinator] Kliff [Kingsbury] and them do is a great job of when we have our walkthroughs, everybody's paying attention to detail and they make it to a space where it is okay to fail, that's what we're walking through for. So, when we get on the field, everybody can play fast."
On what he does to make sure that his mental aspect is in line with his physical talent:
"Just my preparation on the field as far as like getting here early, making sure I'm doing the right stuff, studying the right stuff, setting time away because this is a job now and you got to be prepared and they expect everybody to come to practice prepared and knowing their stuff. But I say off the field when, you know, I'm just kicking it at home or you know, with guys like [DB] Mikey [Sainristil] and stuff like that, man playing the game. I figure out ways to kind of recharge for the next day and get back because it's a long taxing season and if you don't take care of your mental, it could be a rough season for you. So that's little ways to take care of yourself personally."
On how the upcoming joint and padded practices along with preseason games help grow him as a rookie QB:
"Yeah I mean it's day by day, you know. Taking it day by day when the pads come on that doesn't affect me too much as far as the pads going on because they're not finna hit me hopefully. But, you know, just going out there and just playing football, knowing where I'm going with the football, being decisive. When joint practice come, learning the different coverages that that teams are going to throw because obviously joint practice is a time where you could go out there and see a lot of different coverages, see a lot of different type of players instead of going against your teammates each and every day, you get to go against other people and see where you kind of stand as far as, maybe I can make this throw, I could hold on this a little bit longer, or this window might be a little bit tighter than other ones I've seen before and stuff like that. So it's a learning curve and I'm excited to go out there and learn. And if I fail a little bit, you know, learn from it."
On how happy he is to be here with the Washington Commanders:
"Man, it's been great. I mean, ever since I got draft and came out here for rookie minicamp, it's been happy because you finally done with the draft process, you got a home, and it's time for football. So, I love, I'm very passionate [about] the game of football. I love it. So anytime I could be on the field, I'm always happy."
On how he goes about expressing schematics to OC Kliff Kingsbury to help him on the field:
"I mean they do with me. Just being smart, when to take a shot, when something's not there. You know, if it's first and 10, throw the ball away. Don't take a hit, don't have a negative play. Try to eliminate first and second down sacks. And for us in the quarterback room, our thing is always know where you're hot from and know where your hot answers are and that's something I'm still learning. Obviously, it is a process to learn that. But, you know, we go five wide, we go empty man knowing who can make you hot and know where your hot answer is. Because obviously you don't want to look one way and get ear holed and blindsided from a free runner, that's no fun. So they do a great job of putting us in position to go out there and succeed, giving the answers to the test. And you know, we just got to go out there and do it."
