Ted Hurst: Jalon Daniels Has High Confidence
October 1st, 2026
Bucs QB Jalon Daniels.
One thing Joe noticed yesterday at One Buc Palace about Bucs quarterback Jalon Daniels is that the guy just couldn’t hide a smile.
Part of that smile is he knows he’s just a few days from making his first NFL start. And Joe is sure Daniels never dreamed it would come so quickly.
Daniels is an undrafted rookie. Since he first showed up for rookie minicamp back in May, he’s been throwing to Bucs receiver Ted Hurst.
Due to injuries and his production, Hurst is a starter. Hurst was asked yesterday what makes him confident Daniels can deliver the mail.
It’s all about belief, Hurst said.
“He believes he can do, whatever,” Hurst said of Daniels. “You know, he’s here and he knows he’s destined to be here for a reason.
“And you can see it on the field with how he approaches everything. He’s never down on himself. He’s always competitive and in high spirits.”
Those high spirits were apparent yesterday. Daniels spoke proudly, confidently, without any cockiness. He knows he has a monster task ahead. Knows he’s just keeping Mayfield’s seat warm.
But now it’s Daniels’ chance to show he belongs with the big boys. No more throwing against NFL camp meat: Geek Squad techs, Amazon truck drivers and accountants.
October 1st, 2026 at 7:06 am
Fingers crossed.
October 1st, 2026 at 7:16 am
The Packers were awful against the Dixie Chickens. You never know. Unknown rookies and trash backups beat us all the time. Big hill to climb, I know. Let’s go, young man!
October 1st, 2026 at 7:21 am
Hopium will be replaced by reality no later than the 2nd quarter.
Don’t get me wrong. I would LOVE to see Daniels shine like no other.
But he is a a UDFA.
Daniels, just show us you can be competitive and maybe an answer to the future.
If Daniels can do that, WOW, won’t the Baker haters like Rod Muncher be going crazy.
October 1st, 2026 at 7:28 am
I hope he tears it up, but I’m not putting unreal expectations on him….especially with our turnstile inner o line.
October 1st, 2026 at 7:31 am
Show Daniels the first 2 games of Case Keenum for his NFL career. Who was an UDFA. That should give him confidence.
October 1st, 2026 at 7:39 am
So if he beats the Packers that’s because the packers are just that bad? Has nothing to do with the actually did pretty good?
October 1st, 2026 at 7:45 am
How can you not love this kid. He’s a refreshing voice. Intelligent, thoughtful, honest..
Sure he was little to no chance to be great with a Zac Robinson led offense. But this offense and team had grown stale with Baker. I think the oline, while none will say it out loud, were growing tired of their QB holding the ball, never being in his spot and scrambling into sacks. I think we just might see a more energetic group of players Sunday.
Do I expect a win? Not at all. But I do expect things offensively can’t really look as stale as they have since Week 9 last year.
October 1st, 2026 at 7:45 am
Suddenly Drew Bledsoe is on Bakers mind.
October 1st, 2026 at 8:01 am
I hope he wins the last 14 games, on his way to a SuperBowl title.
I really do.
I’ll be rocking his Jersey to every game! I’ll retract every critism I’ve ever voiced about the team and Management. I’ll be the happiest Buc fan in Tampa Bay Area!
It starts Sunday. Good luck Kid.
October 1st, 2026 at 8:12 am
I believe!!!
October 1st, 2026 at 8:15 am
Super Bowels will have him ready. By now he has seen the majority of the blitz from our defense. 🤞🏼
October 1st, 2026 at 8:16 am
A smile is a frown turned upside down. When he’s on his head Sunday he’ll be frowning.
October 1st, 2026 at 8:16 am
No matter what happens, keeping him over Jake Browning was the right thing to do.
October 1st, 2026 at 8:19 am
Run the plays and throw it away when you need to. BTW Daniels is an Academic All American so decision making is not a weakness.
October 1st, 2026 at 8:21 am
Zac Robinson. What numb skull HC would hire an OC from a division rival? Did it ever cross their mind that Blank could have easily sabotaged our team. All it would take is say a brown bag filled with money and handed over to Zac at he was packing his Atlanta office. Hahahahahah Idiots This offensive scheme is just that, offensive. Phew
October 1st, 2026 at 8:22 am
Bowles probably wants to hold off on unleashing all his talents until year 7.
October 1st, 2026 at 8:23 am
I saw that USA Today has Daniels ranked as the 32nd best quarterback this week. Yikes!
October 1st, 2026 at 8:26 am
Gonna see endless loaded boxes/blitzes. Prepare yourselves for the most swing passes to RB’s you’ve ever seen in your lives
October 1st, 2026 at 8:38 am
Kind of a wild thought, but Jason L is fortunate we are 0-3. Follow along with me:
There were chances in each of these three games to win them. Ugly, horrible wins but wins just the same. Now if we are 1-2 or 2-1 the conversation in a month turns to how a team that had playoff aspirations is on a three game losing streak because once again the front office fails to obtain a quality backup qb.
But because we are 0-3 and the year is shot to hell we are all, “Sure why not, at least the rookie will be fun to watch because the season is over anyway “
October 1st, 2026 at 8:41 am
🤣
2 naive rookies!
October 1st, 2026 at 8:50 am
Jalon Daniels is one player
The other 10 players on offense has to do their job
The 11 defensive players has to do their job
The 11 special teams players has to do their jobs
The coaching staff has to do their job
If everyone do their job, Daniels can have success
If everyone sucks, Daniels will sucks
My biggest problem with Todd Bowles
He tolerate players not doing their job
And it’s toxic for the players that’s actually doing their job
October 1st, 2026 at 8:53 am
Riddle me this Lakeland: True, Jalen Daniels is but one player. Name the two guys that touch the ball on every single offensive snap? His position is hugely important to the success of the offense.
October 1st, 2026 at 8:55 am
Packer-17
Bucs-31
a star is born….baker is fried!!!!!
GO BUCS!!!!
October 1st, 2026 at 8:59 am
I watched Daniels play at Kansas and the results varied. Some good and some bad.
Kind of like our $165 million dollar Mr Mid QB that has a busted paw.
We will likely see some great plays along with some head scratching moments.
And Todd will be there to guide his hand picked QB2 to another glorious loss.
Queue the Price Is Right fail horn!
October 1st, 2026 at 9:06 am
FUBAR fail
October 1st, 2026 at 9:10 am
There are reasons no team spent a 7th round pick on him. Easton Stick will probably be on the field by 3rd quarter. And I am asking this in all seriousness:
Is starting Daniels Bowels decision or Zac’s? I cannot imagine Zac saying yes to this decision when Easton Stick has started NFL games and knows the full offense as he was with the Falcons last year. Starting Daniels gives Todd another excuse for losing.
October 1st, 2026 at 9:16 am
@Henry..Dumb Azz! WTF!
October 1st, 2026 at 9:29 am
Play clean, and don’t be the reason we lose. It’s really simple.
I think there’s a 50/50 chance we see Daniels show the better and not so better sides of his game and by that I mean his ability to throw off platform. Daniels also has the not so great habit of seeing tight windows and still trying to throw the ball through the window.
RayJay is going to go crazy if he can complete his first deep ball, and unlike a certain someone Daniels doesn’t have reservations about throwing the ball over the middle of the formation.
We’ll see he does and how his teammates rally around him.
October 1st, 2026 at 9:29 am
It’s a long shot for him so the defense needs to step up and give him a chance
October 1st, 2026 at 9:37 am
“Everybody has a plan until they get hit in the face.”
-Iron Mike
October 1st, 2026 at 9:59 am
folks are writing this kid off before he even takes the field lol….
as Boomer says; THATS WHY THEY PLAY THE GAME!!!!!
GO BUCS!!!!!
October 1st, 2026 at 10:04 am
Kinda reminds me of Shaun king. Of course wearing #10 doesn’t help lol
October 1st, 2026 at 10:08 am
0-4
October 1st, 2026 at 10:12 am
@Henry..Dumb Azz! WTF!
Hey Steve, you got be creative and have an imagination man.
October 1st, 2026 at 10:13 am
Oh wait, I forgot, I am a dumb azz. Idiot
October 1st, 2026 at 10:14 am
What are you Steve, 12 years old?
October 1st, 2026 at 10:30 am
He missed his chance to be a hall monitor.
October 1st, 2026 at 10:32 am
He has to do better than preseason 3 against 2-3 stringers,at least. The best the cheapskates could do was Rypien. I was,thinking Garrapolo.
October 1st, 2026 at 10:55 am
Old enough to know your conspiracy theory, is ludacris !
October 1st, 2026 at 11:25 am
Jalon Daniels > Baker Mayfield.
October 1st, 2026 at 11:42 am
Brock Purdy was Mr Irrelevant ( One pick from an UDFA)
When opportunity knocked at the door, he was prepared
He didn’t have to do anything extraordinary
He only had to do his job as an NFL QB
Everyone else did their jobs also, and they destroyed the Bucs
And he haven’t looked back in the rear view mirror
October 1st, 2026 at 12:03 pm
LMAO here. So what? I had confidence when I asked my boss for a raise last month. He looked at me, laughed and said, I like your style Big Mike. Maybe next year and dismissed me. Confidence? Its overrated.
October 1st, 2026 at 1:01 pm
Test
October 1st, 2026 at 1:02 pm
Lets talk in 2 games
October 1st, 2026 at 2:07 pm
They better run the hell out of the ball to give this kid a chance. If they can’t run it will be a long day.
October 1st, 2026 at 2:29 pm
The Bucs will win Sunday and the defense will dominate. The defense is ahead of the offense but both are headed in the right direction and that improvement will show up on Sunday. The Cowboys should be a much tougher game, in Dallas ,on a short week, but you never know, sometimes nothing falls your way and other times everything does. Cowboys are in for a war this Sunday against a desperate Texans team in Houston and they might just beat the crap out of Dak, making Thursday’s game a tough one for the Cowboys.
October 1st, 2026 at 2:32 pm
LeFleur’s seat will replace Bowles as the hottest seat in all the land after Sunday!
October 1st, 2026 at 5:54 pm
Lmfao!
Lakeland saying Jalon Daniels is just one of 11 players,
After clueless blaming Mayfield for the entirety of the Bucs problems.
Shut up dude, that level of stupidity makes the rest of us look bad