With the Washington Commanders a win over the Philadelphia Eagles in this coming Sunday's NFC Championship Game away from a trip to the Super Bowl, debates have arisen regarding whether or not Washington's Jayden Daniels is the greatest rookie quarterback in NFL history.
During the latest edition of the "Let's Go!" SiriusXM show and podcast, Las Vegas Raiders minority owner Tom Brady compared Daniels to an all-time great athlete who knows plenty about winning on the biggest of stages.
"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," Brady told North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Bill Belichick and legendary broadcaster Jim Gray, as shared by Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post (h/t The Score). "Even though Jayden Daniels is just a rookie, he has that poise and confidence. Look at a young Tiger Woods. He had never proven on the big stage that he was ready for the big moments at the Masters in '97. But he proved that to himself in all those junior amateurs that he won. He didn't care who he was playing. It was him versus him."
As Ryan Lavner once pointed out for NBC Sports, Woods was just 21 years old when he won the 1997 Masters by a whopping 12 strokes. Of course, Woods went on to become a global icon and a billionaire, and he's regarded by many as the greatest professional golfer in history.
As for Daniels, the presumptive Offensive Rookie of the Year Award winner has undeniably performed like a quarterback well beyond his years during the ongoing postseason tournament. In the 23-20 wild-card playoff win at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Jan. 12, he completed 24-of-35 passes for 268 yards and two touchdowns. Daniels then passed for 299 yards with two scores, rushed for 51 yards and recorded zero turnovers in Washington's 45-31 divisional-round victory at the top-seeded Detroit Lions this past weekend.
As of Wednesday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the Commanders as six-point underdogs versus the Eagles. Such forecasts haven't meant much to Daniels throughout January, and there's little reason to believe that the atmosphere at Lincoln Financial Field this Sunday will be too much for him to handle as he looks to guide his club to Super Bowl LIX.
