Daniels knows his time will come
He’s been held in check so far, but expects to break out soon
CALGARY — Chances are we’ll look back at Week 5 of the Calgary Stampeders’ season and see it as an aberration for DaVaris Daniels.
The second-year receiver finished the game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders with only one reception for 17 yards, but there’s simply no way the Stamps won’t be looking for him more often in the games ahead.
Daniels is just too fast, hits his routes too hard and is too reliable a threat for quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell to continue being marginalized in big games.
“Last couple weeks, I think teams are really scheming to take away me and (fellow Stamps pass-catcher Marquay McDaniel),” Daniels said after Saturday evening’s 27-10 victory at McMahon Stadium.
“It’s tough right now in my mind, but I’m happy with the win. However we get it, I’m happy with that.”
Daniels’ one-catch game wasn’t consistent with his three previous performances this season.
He opened the season with a fourcatch, 90-yard showing against the Ottawa Redblacks, then he slowed down a bit with a three-catch, 39-yard performance against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in Week 3 before putting up an impressive five-catch, 79-yard game in a Week 4 loss to the host Montreal Alouettes.
Daniels has clearly been productive, despite garnering considerably more focus from opposing defences than he did last year when he burst onto the scene and earned CFL Most Outstanding Rookie honours after finishing with 885 yards receiving in 11 games.
It’s also not as if he’s the only Stampeders receiver to have a game this season in which his touches were limited and yards were hard to come by.
In Week 2 against the Redblacks, the reigning Grey Cup champions did everything they could to keep McDaniel covered, and he finished with three catches for 15 yards.
“(The Riders on Saturday) ran coverage to take certain people away,” Mitchell said.
“That’s why you’ve gotta see and throw what you see, and that’s what we saw. We had some plays in there for DaVaris, but they did a good job when he was out there of covering him up.”
Speaking with the Stampeders, it’s clear that nobody on the team expects him to continue playing a reduced role.
With Daniels and McDaniel getting increased attention from defences, teammate Kamar Jorden has taken advantage of the balls being thrown to him and burst into the national consciousness.
Jorden is leading the CFL in receiving touchdowns and is second in the league in receiving yards, so defences will definitely begin shifting more attention his way soon.
“As long as we’re winning, it really doesn’t matter,” Daniels said.
“Guys are going out there and making plays when the ball goes their way. I think things will heat up (for me) eventually.
“For right now, all we care about is the win.”