Through his career in Wisconsin, ‘12 to ‘18, Mike Daniels won a lot of games. He was not the norm at defensive tackle, bullying offensive linemen at all of 6-foot-nothing.
Beyond his impressive numbers, a Pro Bowl bid and high PFF grades, Daniels was also the player forever trying to inject toughness into the Green Bay Packers’ defense. Other teams considered this unit “soft,” and it pained him to his core.
So, he was loud. Very loud.
Daniels jawed with opposing players. (And coaches.)
Daniels never held back in interviews with us in the media. One year, ‘13, he said the Packers needed to start choking people and punching them in their throat. The next, Daniels vowed to hit teammates before they take the field to play meaner. Anyone who watched this team knows, the bombast was always needed. Despite boasting an MVP-caliber quarterback in Aaron Rodgers and weapons galore, Green Bay’s defense often collapsed in the big game.
Wondering why the Packers didn’t win a Super Bowl after 2010? This conversation will help crystallize everything. (He knows his attitude wasn’t for everybody in the building. The atmosphere was different in Green Bay.)
Mike Daniels does not hold back and he’s seeing many of the same problems today.
When I was at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Daniels once took us through an MMA training day for a story — he’s still the same guy. With Daniels, there’s never much of a need to ask questions. He’s got a lot to say. After Green Bay, Daniels played for the Lions and Bengals. He saw Matt Patricia’s cold coaching up close and he was the one giving inspiring speeches through Cincinnati’s Super Bowl run in 2021.
This Go Long Podcast episode is available above, as well as Apple, Spotify and everywhere you get pods.
Video is below.
I’ll post the transcript later today if that’s preferable.
Thanks, all.
Mike Daniels and the psychology of the Green Bay Packers