Jalon Daniels is about to get thrown right into the fire, and Jon Gruden wants him embracing it.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ undrafted rookie quarterback is lined up for his first major NFL opportunity in Week 4 against the Green Bay Packers, with Tampa Bay sitting at 0-3 and badly needing a win. It’s a rough spot for any quarterback, let alone one making his first start-level leap on this stage. But Gruden, who coached the Buccaneers from 2002-2008 and helped lead the franchise to Super Bowl XXXVII, sees something else in it: a chance.
In a post on X, Gruden delivered a blunt, high-energy message aimed at Daniels and the mindset he should bring into Sunday’s game.
"You know, a lot of people are like 'Woe is me, we've got a rookie undrafted quarterback playing for us,' said Gruden. "You can look at it like that.
And I'm sure Daniels can look at it like... 'That is a big burden on my shoulders.'
I don't think so. You can also look at it like this.
What a freaking opportunity this is. This is the opportunity of a lifetime.
You guys ever watch Rocky Balboa? Did you see what happened?
That's what Jalon Daniels has to be thinking.
"You know, the Buccaneers need a spark. They weren't lighting it up with Baker Mayfield at quarterback.
They were turning the ball over. They turned it over seven times.
They had eight holding calls, 13 sacks. Hard time putting it in the end zone.
Maybe this kid can give the Buccaneers a spark they need to wake this team up."
That’s the heart of it for Tampa Bay right now: the offense has been stuck in the mud, and the rookie is stepping in at a moment when the team needs something to change fast.
There’s no sugarcoating the pressure. Daniels is inexperienced at the NFL level, the Buccaneers are already winless, and plenty of fans are bracing for a difficult afternoon against Green Bay. But the numbers Gruden pointed to show why this moment may not be as impossible as it looks.
Through three weeks, the Packers have allowed 30.3 points per game, which ties for the third-most in the league. On paper, that gives Daniels and the Buccaneers a path to make some noise if they can protect the football and string together a few real drives.
If Daniels can do that, the pressure around him could start to ease quickly. And if Tampa Bay finds a way to leave Sunday with a win, the rookie’s first big NFL moment will look a lot bigger than just a desperate start for a 0-3 team.
In Other News...
Packers Fans Just Got A Viral Gameday Distraction They Didn't Expect
A Packers-Buccaneers game already had enough going on with Green Bays early-season struggles, but one fan in the stands managed to steal a different kind of spotlight. A photo of a female Packers supporter dressed in a cheese-themed outfit started making the rounds on social media, quickly turning into one of the most discussed images from the afternoon.
The reaction stretched well beyond the Green Bay crowd, with Buccaneers fans jumping in online as the picture spread. It also fit a familiar pattern for Packers gamedays, where the action on the field sometimes shares space with viral fan moments that take on a life of their own long after the final whistle. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Escaped Tampa But One Problem Could Loom Over Everything
The Packers left Tampa with a hard-fought 17-14 win, and the box score alone does not tell the whole story. There were bright spots worth filing away, including strong showings from Kaleb Johnson, Laken Tomlinson, Brandon Cisse and Tucker Kraft, but the game also exposed a few issues that lingered beneath the result.
Edgerrin Coopers night loomed over much of the conversation, with his status carrying the kind of weight that can change the way a season is viewed in a hurry. Add in the uneven moments from MarShawn Lloyd and some questions around Matt LaFleurs decisions, and the Packers escape felt less like a clean victory lap than a reminder that the next injury report could matter just as much as the final score. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Defense Suddenly Has A Massive Edgerrin Cooper Problem
Edgerrin Cooper had been giving the Packers exactly the kind of impact they need from the second level before his day ended abruptly against Tampa Bay. The linebacker was carted off with a non-contact Achilles injury in Week 4, and the immediate concern now is not just about the game he left, but what Green Bay may have lost if the injury keeps him out longer than expected.
For a defense that has been counting on Cooper to be a difference-maker, the next steps suddenly matter a lot. Green Bay is waiting for more information on the severity, while Zaire Franklin and Isaiah McDuffie are the names most likely to be asked to absorb the workload if Cooper is sidelined long-term. [Read more 🡒]