Got a story running tomorrow about Chase Daniel and Colt Brennan.
Here are a few thoughts on their competition.
1. Chase Daniel is not ready to be on a 53-man roster.
I like the kid a lot; has a toughness to him and he knows that all he’s done is have a good series or two. He’s humble. He hasn’t exactly lit it up on the practice field, either. Daniel has a decent arm, but nobody knows yet whether he can stand in the pocket and read a defense. If you put him on a practice squad, nobody likely would claim him.
2. Daniel’s size hurts him.
I’m about 5-foot-10 in my shoes; it feels like I’m looking straight at Daniel’s eyes during interviews. The Redskins insist he’s 6-feet; that’s what he was measured at the combine. But there’s no one who has interviewed him who buys that height. Daniel deserves a ton of credit for making it this far given his stature. But it would be an issue in the NFL. He would not have big passing lanes to look through. He’s also not the athlete Doug Flutie was, though he did have a nice run the other night.
3. Brennan needs to pick it up.
Brennan honestly thought he had a shot at the No. 2 job. Not sure that was ever a reality based on what I heard in the offseason. Who knows? Maybe Brennan needed to be knocked down a peg. He is not a difficult guy to deal with by any means. But confident? Heck yes. Perhaps he elevated himself to a spot in his mind that he did not yet belong. He’s been adored by his fans for a while, perhaps more so than any player I’ve seen come here, and that has to have an impact. He still has a ways to go to be anything more than a No. 3.
4. Daniel made some real safe throws the other night.
He threw in rhythm and executed the plays that were called. But none of the throws made anyone say, ‘Wow.’ The fade was thrown well and he did a good job on the play-action. But in order to win a spot he’ll have to show that he can stand in the pocket and make plays, throwing to tight areas with defenders crashing around him.
5. Brennan is better than last year.
Don’t forget, in two of his outings last summer he wasn’t very good. But he made an instant splash and his fame was cemented. He’s better on his drops; he’ll stand in the pocket a little longer; he is being asked to run more of the offense during games. But he hasn’t reproduced last year’s magic when teammates raved about him and his presence. When he came out, most experts or scouts said he would take a couple years to even become a No. 2 quarterback and even then that’s all he might ever be. My guess is they haven’t yet changed their opinions.
