Now, growing up watching Texas A&M play in the Big 12, I vaguely remember hearing Chase Daniel’s name every once in a while. He also played for the Chiefs and,, in a week 17 game, eliminated the Chargers from the playoffs by winning a meaningless game for KC. So, moral of the story is that Chase Daniel has been a pain in my side at times, but the guy can sling the ball. Back in the late 2000’s, when Daniel was in college and the NFL, his size was judged and he even had his draft stock effected by this. Fast forward 10 years and we have QBs in the NFL under 6 foot with Super Bowls (Brees, Wilson). If Daniel had been a little younger, with his skills and stature, he might have succeeded in the NFL and had a completely different career. Enough height talk because hand size matters more anyways, enjoy reading TBTQB: Chase Daniel…
High School
(It was 2002, don’t you dare judge the Justin Timberlake Bowl-cut…)
Chase Daniel attended Carroll High School in Southlake, Texas (Not to be confused with Northlake… Ba Dum Tiss). Daniel pulled a reverse Terrell Pryor and after spending two seasons as a wide receiver, he swapped a pair of gloves and cinder blocks hands for a towel and all of the cheerleader’s oooing and awwing over him.(Sidenote: I did this as well, but was a 6’4, slow, possession WR and became a decent QB). In his 2 years as the head honcho, he led his team to a 31-1 record with a beautiful and dare I say dirty stat line: 65.2% completion percentage, 8,298 yards, and 91 TDs through the air, along with 2,954 Yards and 39 TDs on the ground.
With NCAA Football video game numbers, expectations were that Daniel would receive plenty of offers from power 5 schools. Daniel wanted to get recruited to University of Texas, but Mack Brown and Co. never gave an eye to Daniel. He had offers from Texas A&M, Oklahoma State, Stanford, but he ultimately ended up committing to and signing with Missouri.
College
For the 2005 season, Daniel was a backup and saw time in 10 games. He went 38/66 for 247 yards and 1 TD. He wouldn’t see solid amount of playing time until the 2006 season, in which he started all 13 games for the Tigers and even earned them a berth in the Brut Sun Bowl. The Grand Daddy of them all….
2007 is when the Daniel Show had begun. After being put on the Manning Award watch list, Daniel had a stellar season, throwing for 4,306 yards with 33 TD’s and 11 INT’s. He averaged a total of 368 yards per game and led Mizzou to a 12-2 record, the school’s best ever. If it wasn’t for a loss to Sam Bradford and the Oklahoma Sooners in the Big 12 title game, Daniel very well might have led Mizzou all the way to the BCS National Championship. However, the Tigers ended up getting screwed by not even receiving a BCS berth and being passed over in favor of the rival Kansas Jayhawks, despite beating them just weeks earlier. After a 38-7 win over the Razorbacks of Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl, Mizzou ended the season slapped with the number 4 ranking in the AP poll.
After watching some film on him, he almost has a Johnny Football or Tim Tebow feel before it was popular. Plus, he ignited the offense week in and week out. Daniel would finish the 2007 season 4th in Heisman voting and have his name be thrown around for the NFL, but he would stay for his senior year.
The 2008 season would be the one that created the Mizzou Legend. He would break most of the school’s offensive records, passing for a cool 4,400 yards and showing off with 39 TDs delivered from his right arm. He would get Heisman votes again, but not clinch the all covenant “I’m great in college but ass in the NFL” trophy. Daniel would leave Mizzou as the winningest QB in school history and one of the top 10 QBs to ever grace the Big 12.
Pro Career
After a stellar career at Missouri, Daniel was talked about as one of the best arm talents in the 2009 Draft. However, everyone’s favorite measurable came into effect for Daniel…
He was only 6’0… (Also, hand size was 9 1/4)
While his height wasn’t the only thing standing in his way , (Spread Offense couldn’t translate, tried to push plays too far and could be a liability) he didn’t back down from his dream.
Daniel went through the draft without hearing the evil tyrant Rodger Goodell call his name. It didn’t mean his dream was killed. The Washington Redskins signed him as an undrafted free agent and gave him a shot, but he was cut shortly after. The New Orleans Saints would sign the “Short” QB to be a back up to another so-called “Short” QB.
Yes, Daniel was the back up for Drew Brees and he even won a Superbowl with the Saints in 2010. He was the Holder for PATs (#HoldersArePeopleToo #ForTheBrand) and would be the back up for the Saints from 2010 to 2012. He’d learn behind one of the greatest QB’s in NFL history and further develop his accuracy while also still working on mental decisions and footwork. (If you love football trick shots/challenges, look up the Saints QB Challenges in which he is a star in). He would test Free Agency and leave the Saints to go elsewhere following the 2012 season.
Daniel would find a home with the Kansas City Chiefs back in his college home state of Missouri. The “Golden Boy” would be the back up to Alex “Deep Ball” Smith and would even get a start in the 2013 and 2014 seasons against the SD Chargers, earning a win in 2014.
Following his stint with the Chiefs, Daniel signed a new contract with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2016 where he would back up rookie Carson Wentz for the season. He stayed around for the season and in the 2017 off-season, after Nick Foles was singed to the team, Daniel requested a release and was granted it.
Daniel would go back to New Orleans for the 2017 season and reunite with Brees and Co., but following the season he signed a 1-year contract with the Chicago Bears.
So, the Travel Man of the NFL still has a lot of years in front of him. While he may not find a lot of playing time in Chicago, a QB Needy team *COUGH Brows, Jets, Giants, etc. COUGH* may invest in him and take a chance on the once two time Heisman nominee, and hope to strike gold. He may possibly posses the ELITE gene many QB’s lack in today’s NFL.
