As Chase Daniel stepped up to the podium for his turn with the media, the quarterback's excitement couldn't be missed. If it somehow was, one need only look at his Twitter account to state the obvious. He and his wife, Hillary, even moved up their flight to Philadelphia, allowing them to fully immerse themselves in the Eagles' organization.
Now in the City of Brotherly Love for the next three years, Daniel is ready to get to work and reunite with Doug Pederson, whom he credits, along with Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, for allowing him to grow over the past three seasons while backing up Alex Smith.
"In any Andy Reid offense, it's very quarterback specific," Daniel said. "You have to be a very smart quarterback to run his offense. I think learning from him for three years and really getting the notion of what's going on, along with Doug because Doug played a huge part in that. What's going on in that quarterback room, it's made me such a smarter player.
"For me, I might not be the tallest guy in the world, I might not be the fastest guy in the world, but you can't outwork me. That's something I've prided my entire NFL career on. You can't really measure your heart and your will and your determination. And, you have to be smart. I feel like I have all the physical tools in the world to play the position. I've showed it when I've gotten my chances. I'm looking forward to showing the organization what I have."
Daniel understands that as of right now, he's the Eagles' No. 2 quarterback behind Sam Bradford. However, he will still be working hard day in and day out to compete.
He wants his teammates to know he joined this organization to help the team win. It's his ultimate goal. That's why in his mind, gaining the trust and confidence of the players in this locker room is a top priority.
"You have to show how hard you work to your teammates. That's the No. 1 thing to me is how my teammates perceive me and that they know I'm a hardworking, that I'm a great leader and I have no problems leading you to the right place," Daniel explained. "I've been there, I've done it. This is going on my eighth year. I've been around two amazing coaching in Sean Payton and Andy Reid and two amazing quarterbacks in Drew Brees and Alex Smith. And, along with that and Doug and my flavor, I feel like there's a really good mix here in what's going on."
The quarterback is also very familiar with the person he'll be working with on a daily basis. He and Bradford used to play against one another in college. This time around, Daniel is looking forward to the two being on the same side.
"We could never beat him when he was at Oklahoma and I was at Missouri, so he has my number on that," Daniel joked. "Other than that, quarterback camps but just playing each other in college. He was always somebody I really admired from a pure quarterback standpoint. He's a very smart guy, very well liked as I can already tell from his teammates that I've talked to. I'm looking forward to working with someone like that."
Throughout the entirety of his career, Daniel has strived to be the best quarterback he can be. With his knowledge of Pederson's offense, not only will he be a strong player for the team, but he can also assist with the teaching process as the entire Eagles' offense learns a new system.
In a way that also adds to the relationship he and Pederson share. The parallels between their years in the NFL are undeniable. Ultimately though, Daniel wants to see himself and his coach achieve the utmost success in the coming years, leading the Eagles to victory.
"I think with Doug, obviously we followed similar career paths," Daniel said. "He was a backup for a lot of his career, backed up Dan Marino, Brett Favre, some of the greats in the game. We clicked from Day 1 with just that connection in general and just how easygoing he is. He's a pleasure to be around. He's truly a player's coach.
"What I'm most excited about for Doug is I'm excited for Doug to show his personality to the Philadelphia Eagles and not just the coaching staff or the upper-echelon of the organization, but the players. That's what I'm most looking forward to because I know how Doug is. I know how vibrant his personality is around the players, how he cares, how passionate he is, especially about Philadelphia."
