Phillip Daniels is not returning for a final bow. He’s back to deliver a few blows.
The defensive end is the oldest Washington Redskin, one of the few who remember the ’70s. Yet he’s not simply trying to reach his third decade in the NFL. No, Daniels has even more in mind.
“I could play another four or five years,” he said. “I have a son who’s a junior in high school. We joke about I might still be in the pros when you get there. That would be crazy. You know the team would have to draft him. I wouldn’t let him go nowhere else.”
Daniels isn’t going anywhere else, either. The 36-year-old scares even new teammate Albert Haynesworth, despite the latter $100 million man outweighing his linemate by 45 pounds. Daniels was a national champion power lifter last year whose rock hard 6-foot-6 frame makes everyone seem small. With Haynesworth clogging the middle, Daniels will see even more collisions on the outside.
Daniels never worried about returning after the first snap of the 2008 training camp caused a freak knee injury that would have ended the careers of many in their mid-30s. Instead, 10-hour days in the gym were the short ones, causing even his wife to wonder when Daniels was returning. Indeed, he never left the locker room despite being placed on injured reserve, even traveling to games at his own expense.
“I love the game,” Daniels said. “I’ve been with [defensive coordinator Greg] Blache for 10 years. I want to go out and win a Super Bowl. I think this is our year to do that.”
Teammates don’t believe Daniels is really 36, but he played with teammate H.B. Blades’ father and uncle. The gentle giant avoids a generational gap by programming younger teammates’ iPods. He knows Hood Surgeon is no mechanic.
“A lot of guys don’t know my age,” Daniels said. “[Receiver] Malcolm Kelly thought I was 28. Sometimes I have to pull out the driver’s license.”
Or maybe his AARP card one day. Daniels is pondering a second career as an agent or coach, but hopes to first become the oldest Redskin since Ray Brown (43) in 2005.
“I might play to 50,” he said. “I might be the oldest player out here. If that’s my ticket to the Hall of Fame, I’ll take it.”
Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Read more at TheRickSniderReport.com or e-mail [email protected].
