The legendary Tom Brady called last weekend’s NFC divisional-round playoff game between the Detroit Lions and the Washington Commanders. Before the game, Brady came onto the field to speak with Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels. This was the first time this season that Brady was on the call for a Washington game.
Daniels was phenomenal, leading the Commanders to a 45-31 win over the top-seeded Lions and earning their first NFC championship appearance since the 1991 season. Brady interviewed Daniels after the game and honored him with the LFG Player of the Game award, which led to a funny moment between the two.
Fox Sports will be in town for the NFC championship game between the Commanders and Philadelphia Eagles, which means Brady will see Daniels up close again.
On the latest version of the podcast “Let’s Go!” with Jim Gray and his former coach, Bill Belichick, Brady heaped praise on Daniels.
“How do we really evaluate confidence?” Brady asked, courtesy of Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post. “How do we evaluate poise? Because some people have it. The moments aren’t too big for them. They look at the challenge, and they think about, ‘Man, this is gonna be amazing when we go out and beat these guys.’ And the other guys look at the challenge and go, ‘Oh man, I really don’t want to mess up.’ And I think that fear of failure, instilled in a lot of people in early points of their life, keeps them from the ultimate confidence that they have in themselves, which allows them to grow to their maximum potential.”
That’s where the conversation specifically turned to Daniels.
“So even though Jayden Daniels is just a rookie, he has that poise and confidence,” Brady continued. “Imagine, I guess, another correlation, look at a young Tiger Woods. He never had proven on the big stage that he was ready for those big moments in the Masters in ’97, but he had proved that to himself in all those junior amateurs that he won, that he didn’t care who he was playing. It was him versus him.”
Only someone like Brady could draw those parallels. When do we stop viewing Daniels as a rookie and instead as an exceptional talent? Every great athlete has this moment where they’re forever viewed differently. Daniels’ first two playoff games — both road wins — may be his moment.
That’s why, on Sunday, the Commanders have a chance. That’s why, for the next decade, the Commanders always have a chance. And no one said it better than Tom Brady.
