Byron Leftwich never played for the Redskins/WFT/Commanders, but as a DC kid, he knows what it’s like to be a signal-caller in town from his high school career as HD Woodson – and he admitted he ‘lived and died’ for Washington football in the 1980s and early 1990s.
“We were everything, not just in the city but really around the league the way that the Redskins were viewed at the time,” Leftwich remembered with BMitch & Finlay Wednesday. “It was a great time to grow up in the city as a kid. I remember the Super Bowl parade, I watched every game – I remember when you played quarterback, B! But it was fun growing up in the city being a fan of that team.”
And now, after 10 NFL seasons of his own and another seven as a coach, a time that includes two Super Bowl rings, Leftwich can’t help but be amazed at the current DC QB.
“All I can really say is wow; to watch this young man play at the level that he's playing at is unique,” Leftwich said of Jayden Daniels. “I know how tough a job it is coming in as a rookie, and for him to come in and see how well he's playing, he’s been playing lights out. What’s really special about him is that I think he plays with an exceptional awareness; he has an understanding that looks like he sees all-22 on the field. I think he’s doing a great job.”
Leftwich’s coaching career included four seasons as the offensive coordinator in Tampa Bay, three of which were with a gentleman named Brady – so he knows the importance of crafting an offense around your signal-caller, and is impressed with how Kliff Kingsbury is doing it for Daniels.
4:05, Byron when you, when you look at Washington's offense as somebody that called plays and was an offensive coordinator at the highest level after playing in the league, at the highest levels.
“From afar, with their no-huddle, it looks like they're getting to a lot f their offense; to see all the different concepts and different things that they get to out of the no-huddle is really great,” Leftwich said. “The looks are always clean to him, and teams are trying to pressure out of some of those looks, but he’s doing a good job of having a great understanding of where the ball needs to be. That's what I think that's so exceptional about this kid is his awareness of what's happening to him, the timing that the ball needs to get out of his hand, and him having the awareness of who it needs to go to. It's been exceptional for what I've seen so far.”
And, another trait that has gotten a lot of praise for Jayden got some more from Leftwich: poise.
“The way that he's moving, you see him go from a passer to a runner, and he does it right every time; you never see him take his eyes and drop his eyes and start running when he shouldn't,” Leftwich said. “When it's time to run, he runs, and he's able to sit in the pocket and play with awareness. He has a great feel to know when he needs to be a passer and when he needs to be a runner, and that's really hard to do in this league, especially when you're talking about your first five games of the season. To see him have that awareness and be able to play like a veteran guy would play is really good to watch.”
Listen to Leftwich’s entire visit above, which includes Leftwich’s thoughts on rookies recognizing defenses,