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Hail! Magazine: DaVaris Daniels looks to follow in his father's footsteps

themurf

By themurf
in The Stadium

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themurf

themurf

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You don’t last 15 seasons in the National Football League without learning a thing or two about life on and off a football field. That’s why defensive end Phillip Daniels is one of the most respected players in the Washington Redskins’ locker room.

Sure, he might be 37, but Daniels is still one of the strongest players on the Redskins and he’s also one of the team’s hardest workers. So when Daniels speaks, his teammates listen.

On the field, Daniels also commands respect as well. The 6-foot-6, 305-pounder had 615 tackles, 60 sacks, 16 forced fumbles and 12 fumble recoveries in 187 games played prior to this season.

Now, if you’re the son of an established NFL player such as Daniels and you dream of one day following in your father’s footsteps, you’d probably want to follow suit and pay attention to your old man as well, right? Apparently not.

DaVaris Daniels, a senior at Vernon Hills High School in Illinois, fully admits it took some time and some growing up before he was ready to listen to his father when it came to football.

“When you’re younger, you don’t always take criticism the right way,” he said. “He’d try to give me some feedback or advice after a game, but I didn’t want to hear what I’d done wrong. I only wanted to hear the positives from him. It took me a while to get out of that mindset, but once I did, it really helped me out.”

“He’s definitely been there and done it all,” DaVaris continued. “He’s taught me the ropes along the way and he’s always been willing to give me advice, but at the same time, he’s always left it in my hands to go out and do it.”

That was by design, says Daniels. While he went through the same process back in 1992 before opting to go with the Georgia Bulldogs, Daniels didn’t want to be one of those parents who tries to dictate to their children where they go and what they do with their lives.

“Ultimately, it’s his decision,” Daniels said. “He’s got to be the one making the decision. If he has questions, I’m more than happy to help, but as far as choosing what school he wants to go to, it’s up to him.

“I’ve got nothing to do with it,” Daniels continued. “I even told the University of Georgia, it’s all about how you recruit him and what school he falls in love with. It’s not up to me, it’s up to the coaches and everyone involved in the recruiting process. I’m just here to support him throughout the process.”

Even though Daniels stays in Virginia during the season and his family lives in Illinois, the father and son are in constant contact. Because of the demanding NFL schedule, Daniels was able to see just one of DaVaris’ games this season in person. For the rest of the games, Daniels has to settle for watching a feed on the internet.

“We talk a couple times a week though,” DaVaris said. “And no matter what we start the conversation talking about, it always gets to football at some point.”

At 6-foot-3 and 180 pounds, DaVaris isn’t built like a defensive lineman. Instead, the younger Daniels plays wide receiver well enough that he’s considered one of the top prospects heading into college.

When asked which professional football player he most resembles on the field, DaVaris says Indianapolis receiver Reggie Wayne, who is considered one of the best all-around wide outs in the game.

“But I don’t see it,” Daniels said. “I really don’t. It’s hard to pick a guy in the NFL right now because, really, he could be anybody. I’m not sure who I’d say he plays like, but I know he plays well.”

Regardless of whether he’s the second coming of Wayne or not, DaVaris has proven to be an impact player in whatever situation his coaches put him in. This season alone, he’s thrown, caught, rushed, returned a punt for a touchdown and even scored a defensive touchdown for the Cougars.

To read the rest of this feature click here and subscribe to Hail! magazine.

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themurf

themurf

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Exciting stuff...PD93 is one of my all time favorite Skins...hope DeVaris does well...

Glad to hear. Daniels is easily one of the most down-to-earth people in the Redskins locker room and I always enjoy chatting with him. Once I learned about his son being a standout, I knew this was a feature story we wanted to highlight in the magazine. Thanks for the support.

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themurf

themurf

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Nice going Murf...!!

Now, Smoot will know Phillip Daniels' real age..lol

If we should blame anyone, I'd suggest it would be Anthony Armstrong who on Twitter pointed out that Daniels was old enough to play with everyone on the NFL's top 100 players list. hehehe.

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paloosa

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That is a rarity in this day and age. Sometimes it takes a little longer to get it through to younger people and that Dad or Mom is not just saying those things to make you feel bad. Kids want to be praised and made to feel good all the time which leads to never hearing what needs to be said. So good for DaVaris for listening and understanding because he is truly blessed. I hope he does just as well as his father or even better. A team would be lucky to have him. With that said, I think that Daniels needs to go even with this feel good story. He can pass on the knowledge but we need some youth on the DL and he isn't getting the job done. He isn't the only one that needs to go. I respect him and like his attitude but he is just not in the plans for the future if we want to win.

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themurf

themurf

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Can we just sign him straight outta high school? :)

Only if the Redskins don't need to use a draft pick to get him. We don't really have any of those lying around the office at the moment.

That is a rarity in this day and age. Sometimes it takes a little longer to get it through to younger people and that Dad or Mom is not just saying those things to make you feel bad. Kids want to be praised and made to feel good all the time which leads to never hearing what needs to be said. So good for DaVaris for listening and understanding because he is truly blessed. I hope he does just as well as his father or even better. A team would be lucky to have him. With that said, I think that Daniels needs to go even with this feel good story. He can pass on the knowledge but we need some youth on the DL and he isn't getting the job done. He isn't the only one that needs to go. I respect him and like his attitude but he is just not in the plans for the future if we want to win.

Having Phillip Daniels on the roster isn't the problem. Having the oldest roster in the NFL is. You want to have a well-respected veteran like Daniels around to mentor the younger guys, etc. He's got Adam Carriker ahead of him on the depth chart and he's more than happy to contribute in whatever role the team asks of him. If you're looking to cut the fat on the Redskins, I'd suggest there are plenty of other options.

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themurf

themurf

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Murf - I didn't get to catch the game, how'd he do? I looked for a box score/stats everywhere and can't seem to track one down...

He had three catches for 23 yards for Mike Ditka's team. Nearly had a touchdown catch on a fade route in the back corner of the end zone, but couldn't get feet in-bounds.

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