An Ode To Phillip Daniels

Thursday morning I was thrilled to learn that the Redskins had finally shipped Albert Haynesworth out of town and had actually gotten some type of value in return. However, my enjoyment was short lived as the Redskins announced a short time later that they had released veteran defensive end Phillip Daniels.

The difference in jersey numbers worn by AH and PD were separated by just one number, with Al having worn #92 and Daniels having worn #93. The difference between the 2 players characters and hearts on and off the field are separated by miles. While Albert strained a knee taking a dump, Phil was playing an entire season with a torn biceps. While Albert was laying down on the field during the middle of a play, PD was trying to jump just a little bit higher…to block a field goal attempt. While Albert was giving terse “no comments” to media members, Big Phil was doing the first ever radio show by a couple of DC bloggers.

Always one of the most fan friendly Redskins, Daniels took to twitter to announce his release and later tweeted this to his fans:

Thank you to the Redskins organization for 7 great years. It’s tough to say goodbye when you have bled burgundy & gold for so many years. I have no regrets because I left everything on the field. To Redskin Nation who have supported me all this time I got nothing but love for you. God opens doors no man can close and close doors no man can open. I want to keep playing football and proud of what I have accomplished as a Redskin. #HTTR and good luck to all the guys that I loved going to battle with

Daniels was first class all the way and he will be missed. While the door for his return has been left cracked open (injuries may cause an invitation to re-sign, coaching opportunities may exist) it appears that #93’s run in the burgundy and gold is over. He goes out having played 7 seasons and 82 games. His large hands batted down 24 passes and picked up 5 fumble recoveries. The muscles that were built up thru hard work in the gym and the muscles that were torn during battle helped him to 17.5 sacks, 181 tackles and 5 forced fumbles. And, on a magical day in December of 2005…in a performance that I will never forget…Phil had 4 sacks and a fumble recovery against the hated Cowboys. Thank you for effort Phil, best of luck to you.

The highlights of that Cowboy game start around the 1:20 mark of the video:

Cheers and Hail