Green Bay Packers’ fifth-year defensive tackle Mike Daniels is not resting on his laurels.
First it was first-round pick Kenny Clark who got a tongue lashing from Daniels in Wednesday’s practice. Tackle Don Barckley felt the force of Daniels’ wrath on Thursday, getting punched in the helmet soon after the team’s first full-pads practice was underway.
Daniels’ rise to the top of his profession is proceeding nicely. He is clearly not satisfied with being ranked No. 95 on the NFL Network’s Top 100 Players of 2016 list.
A fourth-round draft choice in 2012, his tackles over the past three years have risen from 28 to 47 to 49 in 2015. Daniels has also notched 16 sacks in that time.
For both his leadership and strong play, the Packers awarded Daniels with a lucrative contract extension before the end of last season. The four-year deal was for $42 million, and it came with a $12 million signing bonus.
The trash-talking, bull-rushing, disruptive overachiever plays with aggression and physicality, and he wants his teammates to do the same.
All offseason Daniels talked about the need for the defense to play nasty.
This week Daniels has been practicing what he preaches.