4 reasons Eagles fans can relax despite a growing Jayden Daniels hype train

Have you heard? This Jayden Daniels guy is damn good, but can we pump the breaks a little?
Jayden Daniels, Philadelphia Eagles
Jayden Daniels, Philadelphia Eagles / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
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Remember how excited we were when Jalen Hurts outplayed Patrick Mahomes in Super Bowl LVII? Remember when we thought he'd lead the Philadelphia Eagles back to the big game a WIN the Vince Lombardi Trophy?

Jalen wasn't originally seen as a sure thing. We all can agree he's better than most thought, but adversity has come. We'll learn much from how he handles it. That might determine if another championship win is possible.

We must mention a rival in the meantime, the Washington Commanders. Friends who cover them tell us their resurgence is still in its infancy. Still, they've been all the rage five weeks into the season.

Jayden Daniels is taking the NFL by storm and striking fear into the hearts of Eagles fans everywhere, but can we ease off the gas pedal slightly?

Every once in a while, generational talents sweep through the NFL, Here's the thing though. They don't come as often as people suggest.

We'll wait to see with Daniels. If the season ended today, he might win the MVP Trophy, but there's still football to play.

Here are four reasons why Birds fans can relax despite the ever-growing hype machine.

Ebbs and flows always arrive at some point.

It's impossible to play football at its highest level and avoid tumult. It happens to everyone. We've seen Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and Aaron Rodgers struggle. Do you really think this young man, as great as he is, will end the season with a 77.1 completion percentage?

He WILL throw picks. Coaches will accumulate tape, and they will devise ways to confuse and limit him.

Now, here's what's funny. We believe Daniels will WIN the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Year trophy. We just don't think he's unstoppable based on an early five-game sample size.

Look past the record, and pay attention to the competition.

Who teams play is often just as important as the outcome. We often gauge just as much by the opponent as the final score.

Who the Commanders play isn't their fault. They can only battle the teams who are on the schedule. While we're marveling at their 4-1 start, let's also mention that they beat the Cleveland Browns, Arizona Cardinals, New York Giants, and a Cincinnati Bengals team that may not be as good as we believed they'd be.

Let's reassess after we see them play the Baltimore Ravens in Week 6.

We've never seen his playing style work permanently.

We've seen runs like this before. Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III were the first and second overall selections in the 2012 NFL Draft. Both exploded out of the gate early.

RG3, a former division rival (and Washington quarterback) won three of six starts versus Philadelphia, but his career was derailed by injury.

Understand what we're saying. We hope Daniels has a long career free from injury, but his play style doesn't always lend itself to sustained health. He has a rocket for an arm, but he'll need to learn the nuances of playing QB1 at the game's highest level.

Though 300 rushing yards from football's most important position is exciting, those frantic last-minute drives and high-pressure situations always end the same way.

QBs, more often than not, have to make throws from the pocket to win games versus better competition, and daniels has thrown four TDs and two interceptions in five games. That isn't terrible, but it isn't great either.

We don't really think Dan Quinn can keep this up, do we?

Dan Quinn is a phenomenal defensive coordinator. We all know that. Our questions are about whether he's a great head coach. We've seen what he did during his time with the Seattle Seahawks' Legion of Boom. He got a Super Bowl ring out of that deal.

His first head-coaching stint led him to the Atlanta Falcons. Another Super Bowl appearance headlined his tenure there. But was that all Quinn's doing, or was he the beneficiary of having Matt Ryan, Kyle Shanahan, Matt LaFleur, and Mike McDaniel? They were among his offensive assistants.

He crafted a 43-42 record during six seasons in Atlanta. He won three of five games during the postseason. He was also impressive during his run with the Dallas Cowboys.

Both stints earned him head coaching opportunities. Both runs started relatively well, but in the end, it's all about consistency.

During his first three seasons, he notched a 29-19 record. Things ended with a thud, two 7-9 seasons (2018 and 2019) and an 0-5 mark in 2020.

We'll see how things go in Washington.

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