Like a gambler chasing his losses with an impulse bet or a basketball team trying to erase a 20-point lead by getting it all back with a single hero possession, the tendency when trying to crawl out of tough spots often is to go big.
But in the case of Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels, who has been plagued by costly interceptions during the Jayhawks’ unexpected 1-2 start to the season, it seems as if remaining calm and staying grounded is the best course of action.
Daniels himself pledged to do just that in the aftermath of last Friday’s 23-20 loss to UNLV, citing his confidence and maturity as reasons to remain calm.
On Monday, during a meeting with the local media, KU coach Lance Leipold talked of getting back to basics and focusing on what’s in front of them rather than projecting too far into the future.
“We haven’t taken care of the moment yet,” Leipold said, noting that an overall lack of rhythm and untimely penalties have hurt the Jayhawks as much as any of Daniels’ turnovers.
For three years, Daniels has done exactly what he knows he needs to do today.
He was extremely patient as a young rookie in 2020, while suffering sack after sack, always hopping right back up with a smile on his face, ready to try to go get the next play.
And he didn’t flinch while suffering serious injuries in back-to-back seasons that cost him huge chunks of the 2022 and 2023 seasons, choosing to remain loyal to his team and supportive of his teammates even when
Even in 2021, when he started the final three games of his sophomore season, his patience paid off and actually paved the way for his breakout 2022 season after he took over following Jason Bean’s injury in the Jayhawks’ loss to K-State.
One of those starts was the improbable OT win over Texas in Austin, where Daniels flashed his skills as an electric, game-breaking QB.
He’s shown even more and better than that in the days since that victory, but suddenly appears to be searching for a return to his old ways.
Finding it under first-year Kansas offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes is not a given. Grimes is new to Daniels and Daniels is new to Grimes. Together, they’re both painting the portrait of what the Kansas offense will be this season.
“The thing to remember,” Leipold explained, “is that every team is different, not just at one position, one coach.”
The KU coach added: “When you have a coordinator with you for 11 years (in former OC Andy Kotelnicki), there’s a level of consistency. That’s what we used to stand in here and talk about. Well, we don’t have all that consistency right now. Can’t change that. The nice thing is, if there is a nice thing in this, is that I know we have open-minded people that are continually working hard, and there’s not a player or coach saying, this is this or this is that. We have to find that (and) we continue to search for all the answers of everyone being comfortable and being productive.”
While the recent funk has led to many Kansas fans calling for Daniels’ benching, Leipold has expressed patience and a steadfast approach to finding the key that unlocks JD6 in 2024.
“Are we probably going through a growing pain of some sort? Yeah. Obviously,” Leipold said on Monday.
What he and the Kansas offense do about it from this point forward is far more important than sulking about the fact that it has happened.
To that end, Leipold explained that the Jayhawks are doing everything they can to help Daniels and the entire Kansas offense get back on track.
“What are we doing to help Jalon if he’s not seeing something,” he asked, mentioning mechanics as one of the things they’re looking at. "We're looking at everything. And we always do. It just gets highlighted when you're not successful."
There’s no time table for how long it will take for Daniels and Grimes to get this offense humming again and no guarantee that it will even happen.
But Leipold, with all of the national championships at Wisconsin-Whitewater, the turnaround at Buffalo and the unthinkable at Kansas, did not get to this point by drastically deviating from his system or the culture within it.
And, at least as of today, he won’t do that with Daniels or Grimes either. There may and probably should be tweaks and changes, operationally, in practice or even on game day.
But those will be more of a fine-tuning to the framework of continuing to stress staying in the moment, getting 1% better each day and stacking positive days and progress.
“I understand the offensive coordinator, besides the head coach, is the most scrutinized position on a coaching staff in college football or football in general today,” he said. “It’s what we both sign up for. But, at the same time, nobody’s asked a question about our new offensive line coach. That hasn’t been asked yet. So, there’s more people working together (on different) thoughts.”
You win and lose as a team, Leipold reminded the room.
And right now, that team is led by Daniels and that offense by Grimes.
Throughout the offseason — winter workouts, spring football, summer practices and preseason camp — there were plenty of reasons to believe that the pairing would be a good one. And it still might.
The two seem to respect and trust each other, and Daniels has talked plenty about his love of the offense KU runs and how impressed he was by the way it looked and how he and his teammates had picked it up.
Most of that came in camp and practice and in walk-through type situations.
Now, it’s time to unleash it in games, one snap, play, series, quarter and half at a time.
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