Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels addressed the media after practice on Oct. 16. Here is a full transcript of the press conference.
On his comfort throwing in tight windows:
"I just think that just comes with the nature of playing quarterback at this league. Guys aren't open. You got to throw some guys open and there's guys that have played in this league a long time that are very savvy and know what's coming, all the patterning and stuff like that. So, you got to make some tight window throws. So that's what you got to do in this league.
On how the defense has started to adjust to him:
"I think it's still going out there, still trying to adjust to how they want to play us. Everybody's scheme is different, so everybody has different players, different schemes. So, you kind of just go in the game and you kind of get a feel for it and then try to adjust from there."
On when he started to feel comfortable throwing in tight windows:
"I don't know. Honestly, it is just kind of the feel for it. You got to just really just have a feel for space and where guys are at, where guys are going to be. You got to trust yourself and throw the ball."
On how he liked the competitive aspect of the game going against Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson:
"Yeah, I mean just as a competitor, you want to compete. When guys are able to go out there and score, you want to be able to match and rightfully so. The ultimate goal is to win the game. So, if you don't score and they keep scoring, you're going to lose. So, it's not more so who I'm playing against, it's just more so just the competitor me and wanting to win."
On RB Brian Robinson Jr. and how he changes the offense's approach:
"Yeah, I think it's still the same approach. Regardless [if] he's here or not, we want to be able to go out there and be dominant in the run game. But for him, I mean B-Rob is a special player. How he is able to run the ball, how he's able to break tackles and things like that. And people don't give him a lot of credit for his hands out of the back from the passing game. So, it is going to be helpful to have B-Rob back, looking forward to it. But we gotta continue to execute our game plan and play our game."
On how teams defend him on the run game:
"Yeah, I think so. Teams might not try to let me pull the ball on read option plays and you got to play the game. You got to see how they're playing you, how the defense ends up playing and stuff like that. And when your opportunities there, you got to capitalize on them. But I mean it's good if they want to take away me on a read option, man, hopefully I'm able to pull a linebacker something out the box so our running backs could hit it for a bigger gain."
On the most challenging aspect of the Baltimore Ravens' defense:
"For them, it was kind of frustrating for watching back at the game. We weren't that good on third down, they did a good job of getting off the field on third down. So, kudos to them. Tips and passes got us in some third-and-longer situations. So just going back to that, watching the film is going out there, how can we be better as a unit? I think third down was one of the main emphases that we didn't execute a high level at."
On what he knows he has to do against the Carolina Panthers:
"For us, we just got to go out there and play our game and execute. At the end of the day, it's the NFL. Any given Sunday, you could lose any game against any opponent. So, it doesn't matter who you play, you got to go out there, have the same process, respect the process, respect the grind, put your best foot forward on Sunday."
On what he sees from the Carolina Panthers' defense:
"Yeah, a team that is able to fly around. [Carolina Panthers CB] Jaycee Horn is a good player, very physical, and they like to get the hands on the ball. They're a good tackling team. There's not a lot of missed tackles that they miss. So, going out there, manage how can we break some leveraging and get some extra yards after the catch run? So, it's going to be fun to be able to play against him this week.
On his relationship with Carolina Panthers QB Bryce Young:
"I do, yeah. I played against Bryce. I grew up with Bryce too. Yeah, I mean that's my dog, man. Growing up with Bryce, it's awesome to see him in the league also. I'm always praying for him and I'm always here to talk to him regardless. That's one of my closest friends."
On how he relaxes:
"For me, it's watching basketball and stuff like that. I like watching basketball, but for me it's when I leave the building, I put in the work throughout the day. When I leave the building, that's my time to relax and regroup and get ready for the next day."
On when he accepted seeing conversations about him in the media:
"Yeah, I would say kind of last year, around this time, maybe later in the year or you just go on social media. It wasn't to the magnitude that the coverage that the NFL gets, but you just go on the media, you go anywhere, you scroll, you see people talking about you, good or bad, regardless. So, for me, it's normal that last year I was exposed to that and then you go through pre-draft, you go through everything. You could turn on the TV and people could be talking about you. It's kind of awkward to see people talk about you. I don't really like it, so I kind of try to stay away from that. But it's kind of normal to me now."
On his process for watching film:
"Yeah, I think just the first time watching it. You just get the flow and kind of look back at, man, what did we miss? What didn't we capitalize on and how could we be better? And like I said, third down was a huge win that kind of affected the game where we weren't sustaining drives, we weren't on the field, we weren't converting on third down. So, that was a huge emphasis that I took away from that game."
On what he does with his Rookie of the Week belts:
"They're just in the house. I let my mom and the people kind of take care of that. I don't really put too much effort or focus to it. If it was me, they would just be sitting in the boxes in the garage. But that's just what my family's for. They're proud of the accomplishments that I have so far. So, they like, what my mom said, those are all hers so she could have them."
On any advice he has given to Young:
"Man, I just told him, man, I'm always praying for him. I'm always here to talk to him. It's a tough situation and can't really speak too much on it, but for him, it's like, man, keep God very close. Keep your faith. It is all going to work out."
On the craziest thing he has about himself on social media:
"I don't know. It's a lot. I mean, I see it. I don't really pay attention. I don't look too much into it, but just know I'll be seeing some stuff for sure. It is in the back of my mind for sure."
