“In the NFL, There Is No Garbage Time”: Derek Carr Defends Dan Quinn Amid Jayden Daniels’ Gruesome Injury

Jayden Daniels suffered a gruesome arm injury on Sunday Night that may have ended his season. The Commanders have not yet provided a timetable for Daniels’ return.

In the Seattle Seahawks’ 38-14 blowout win, the Washington QB fell awkwardly on his arm, suffering an elbow dislocation. The MRI revealed no fractures or ligament damage, but the Commanders’ head coach, Dan Quinn, has faced a lot of criticism since then for his decision-making on Sunday.

After all, he left Daniels in the middle while the team was in an unwinnable situation. Quinn admitted to the error and said it’s “100% on me.” Almost everyone agrees that the sophomore QB shouldn’t have been left in the game, especially since the Commanders were down by at least four scores with just seven minutes left. However, former quarterback Derek Carr disagrees.

This is the NFL, said Carr, adding that there is no garbage time in the big league. “The worst word that I hate the most is ‘Garbage time,’” he said on his podcast Home Grown.

“In the NFL, there is no garbage time. Every rep matters. Every rep matters for your future, for your teammates, and [for] what you put on tape. Because you’re going to watch all of those clips, no one’s going to worry about the score. We’re correcting, teaching, and getting better,” added Carr, who feels players like Daniels don’t care about the score.

Yes, the true athletes care about playing, for they signed up to play football, not stand on the sidelines, giving up on a game because of the scores. Derek’s brother, David, who is also a former NFL quarterback, agreed. He actually took it one step further. 

“If he would’ve tried pulling Jayden in that game, he would’ve been very upset,” David Carr said. “Probably would’ve caused more problems.”

However, the brothers also admitted that, at the end of the day, coaches need to take care of their players. That would mean, on occasions, forcing guys to sit out when a game is out of reach, because players like Daniels aren’t going to want to do that. Both the Carr brothers know this from firsthand experience in the NFL.

The injury is a reminder that athletes are the ultimate competitors. They will always want to play regardless of the score or situation.

But sometimes, coaches need to step in and pull their guys when things are out of hand. It’s what Quinn should’ve done with Daniels, and now he’s paying a price for it. Kudos to Quinn for taking the blame. But what a crucial error that could end the Commanders’ playoff hopes.