The hearts of Washington Commanders fans jumped into their throats Sunday seeing quarterback Jayden Daniels writhing in pain and grabbing his right leg immediately after being sacked by the Dallas Cowboys.
Like a tidal wave, the nearly 13-year-old images of brighter days gone dark flooded many a mind: Prized quarterback Robert Griffin III lying on the mangled FedEx Field turf during a game he had no business playing in, the ligaments of his right knee ruptured, and the hopes of a long-suffering franchise shattered.
And Sunday wasn’t the first triggering moment for the burgundy and gold faithful.
Despite the growing collection of highlights that Daniels — the No. 2 pick of the 2024 draft and NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year — has delivered in the last season and a half, every stumble, bump and bruise sparks panic in the mind of Washington fans. “No, not again,” they shriek in fear that Daniels is headed down the same path as Griffin, who, after blowing out his knee at the end of his rookie season, never recaptured his superhero form.
Sunday’s fan-driven angst over what turned out was a hamstring injury — and nothing believed to be “significant” or “long term” for Daniels — inspired Daniels’ mother to take to social media to plead for understanding.
“I wish you would stop manifesting RGIII on my son,” Regina Jackson posted on X. “Words are powerful and that’s all that’s talked about.”
Ever the opportunist, Griffin posted on X: “I have always supported Jayden Daniels and want nothing but the best for him. Being QB1 in Washington DC comes with an intense spotlight that I know well. You love your son and the real fans do (too). I want a long healthy career for him. He will always have my support.”
Let’s take a breath, shall we?
The trauma suffered by this fan base during Daniel Snyder’s 24 years as owner is real. On his way out, the NFL truly should have required Snyder to pay for therapy sessions for every burgundy-and-gold-loving DMV resident. But since they didn’t, and because those bills aren’t cheap, here’s a therapy session on me.
It really is time to lay the ghosts of quarterbacks past to rest. Stop looking back and holding your breath.
It’s not easy to move on from emotional distress, to let old wounds heal. Born into a burgundy-and-gold family and having spent the bulk of my life in the D.C. area, I get it.
But history isn’t repeating itself . Yes, there are similarities: They’re both Black, can run, were Heisman Trophy winners drafted No. 2 overall, have a visible parent and led their teams to the playoffs as rookies after the teams finished last in the NFC East the previous season.
But the circumstances surrounding Griffin and Daniels greatly differ as well. Given the dramatic differences between the way Snyder and Josh Harris run football teams, it’s almost like they have played for different organizations.
Griffin tried hard to tie himself to Daniels’ success last season, and on Sunday, he jumped at the opportunity to continue a narrative of similar plights. But Daniels isn’t at all Griffin Part 2. The latter isn’t carrying the torch for the former. Stop wasting energy on fearful comparisons.
They’re both mobile, both can throw and both infused a franchise with life. But the similarities end there, both in terms of how each goes about his business and the way their bosses handle them.
Far more than a bum knee caused the RGIII era to go up in flames, and it’ll take a lot more than a knee sprain, bruised ribs or hamstring strain to disrupt Daniels’ trajectory.
In some ways, given his mental makeup as he entered the NFL and all of the dysfunction that plagued the organization, you can make the argument that Griffin may never have truly had a chance. The same doesn’t apply to Daniels.
There is no meddlesome owner and team president pressuring the coaching staff into decisions and causing the power struggle that took place between Snyder, crony Bruce Allen and coach Mike Shanahan and his assistants. Harris has entrusted Adam Peters and Dan Quinn with the construction and operation of the team and supports their decisions.
There is no Kirk Cousins for Daniels to sneak glances over his shoulder towards, no paranoid father warning of a coaching staff’s ill intentions as RGII did with RGIII. There’s no Snyder urging his star to stand up to his coach and dictate how he would be used.
There is no coach acting against his better judgment and playing an injured quarterback rather than protecting the kid from himself because of an intense fear that the empowered QB would run upstairs to the owner to get him fired if he didn’t get his way.
Kill off that paranoia, and Griffin probably never tries to rush back from injury after that initial blow he sustained during the regular season. Eliminate the toxicity bred by Snyder and Griffin probably trusts his coaches and trainers’ timeline for recovery entering Year 2 rather than hobbling around in games and jeopardizing his career.
Daniels is as fierce a competitor as was Griffin. But he understands that Quinn and Peters have his best interests in mind. That’s why he missed two games with a knee sprain rather than try to force his coaches to keep him in the lineup. It’s why on Sunday, Daniels didn’t evade team doctors who wanted to examine his hamstring and limp back into the game against Dallas before anyone realized what was going on (see RGIII-Shanahan-Dr. James Andrews episode).
Unity, patience and professionalism prevail within D.C.’s beloved football team nowadays. The powers that be understand the investment made in Daniels, and that the long term far outweighs the short term. Because of that, Daniels has a chance. Even if he has to miss more games than anyone would prefer and more losses than expected pile up, his future will remain intact.
Had adults run the organization back in 2012 and 2013, Griffin’s knee injury may have represented a temporary setback, and not a kiss of death. It truly is a new day in the DMV. Harris, Peters, Quinn and Daniels want to win as badly as anyone. But trust that they’re not going to commit the level of malpractice that Washington’s brain trust did the last time a generational talent graced the city.
That chapter of incompetence is closed. That volume is firmly locked, the key thrown away. Jayden Daniels will bounce back, and so too will the Commanders, as long as they can fix their defense and get their receivers healthy.
Breathe. Just breathe.
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