First-year receiver named CFL star
Rookie one of three players of the week
It hasn’t taken DaVaris Daniels long to establish himself as one of Bo Levi Mitchell’s go-to targets.
He hasn’t needed much time to catch the CFL’s attention either, as the 23-year-old receiver was named one of the league’s three top performers of the week on Tuesday after a six-reception, 113-yard and two-touchdown performance against the Edmonton Eskimos.
Ask the rookie receiver to explain how he’s gone from backup to star in only four weeks as a starter, and he’ll immediately credit his teammates.
Ask his team mates, though, and they’re happy to explain.
“I think you can see it, it’s the speed, he’s got big-play ability,” said Stamps quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell. “But to me, what makes him successful in our offence is he has it up top. He understands the game and understands what he needs to be.
“He’s not taking a long time to understand Canadian defences compared to the American game.
“Right now if you underestimate a guy, typically they go out and beat you and he’s done a good job of taking advantage of that.”
If CFL defences have been underestimating Daniels so far, it’s unlikely that they’ll be doing so for long.
In four games, Daniels has piled up 344 yards and three touchdowns, while averaging 17.8 yards per reception and giving Mitchell a reliable downfield option. The game against the Eskimos was his best yet, as he helped the Stamps rally back from a rough first half and caught a two-point conversion to tie the game in overtime, giving them a chance to later secure the 34-28 win.
That performance earned him a shout-out as one of the CFL’s three top performers of the week, alongside the B.C. Lions’ Jeremiah Johnson and T.J. Heath of the Toronto Argonauts.
His strong play has also relegated veteran Stamps receiver Joe West to a backup spot, as head coach Dave Dickenson admitted on Tuesday that he didn’t have much choice other than slotting Daniels in on the starting lineup.
“We really are a team that we like to take care of our veterans and Joe West is back and healthy, but I don’t feel like I can, at this point, that DaVaris can come off the roster,” Dickenson said.
“He’s a dynamic player that’s given consistent good games, and Joe realizes that and is competing.”
“We felt (Daniels) would be good and he’s definitely showing the things we saw on film.”
As for Daniels, the only explanation the Notre Dame Fighting Irish product would provide for his impressive numbers was that the veterans on the Stamps offence have made it easy. He credited Mitchell, Marquay McDaniel and Bakari Grant for helping him transition to the CFL game and said there were plenty of other players around the Stamps team with the ability to break through as well.
“I’ve always had confidence in myself, I was just waiting for my opportunity,” Daniels said at Tuesday’s practice at McMahon Stadium.
“Just like everyone else, I think we’ve got a lot of talent on this team that has yet to be seen with the practice squad guys, so it wasn’t really news to me. I knew I could go out there and make plays, it was just getting my opportunity to do it.”
MOVING AHEAD
It doesn’t sound as if the Calgary Stampeders are ready to cut ties with Quinn Smith.
The defensive tackle is serving a three-game suspension after failing a drug test, and Dickenson told reporters that Smith would be back with the team next week.
“He needs to understand that he made a mistake, which he does,” Dickenson said.
“He won’t be a part of this team until next week, where we’ll go through the process of having him practise twice and go to some meetings. We’re going to keep in touch with him. We’re not deserting the guy but we understand a mistake was made, and we’re moving forward.”