"The more you can do."
B.J. Daniels isn't just familiar with the phrase often uttered in NFL circles, he's practically the poster child for it, and the Seahawks' 31-21 victory in the 2015 preseason finale against the Oakland Raiders was a prime example of all the things Daniels can do.
Daniels, in his third year out of South Florida, spent 2014 as a quarterback on the Seahawks' practice squad. He was converted to wide receiver toward the tail-end of last year because Seattle liked his athleticism, and Daniels worked at the spot this past offseason and through the first month of preseason play.
Heading into Thursday's game against the Raiders, it was Daniels who was leading all Seattle wideouts with seven catches, having racked up 51 yards receiving through three exhibition games while also finding time to contribute on special teams coverage units and in the kick- and punt-return game behind Tyler Lockett.
But against the Raiders, with starter Russell Wilson exiting the game after throwing a 63-yard touchdown to Lockett on Seattle's second play from scrimmage and backup Tarvaris Jackson still nursing an ankle injury he suffered in the preseason opener, Daniels was asked to return to his quarterback roots, replacing third-stringer R.J. Archer in the game's third quarter.
"It's just like riding a bike," Daniels said after the game. "It's something I've been doing all my life. Just really trying to do what I can to help the offense move the ball."
Daniels finished Thursday's game 6-of-14 for 45 yards, showing nice touch on a 15-yard touchdown pass to rookie wideout Kasen Williams to cap an 80-yard scoring drive on his first series of the night. Daniels finished with a 75.0 quarterback rating, getting it done with both his arm and legs as he carried seven times for 75 yards. All in all, not bad production at the position for a guy whose only recent practice reps under center have come during the team's walk thru workouts.
"That was a fantastic showing tonight," said Seattle coach Pete Carroll. "Honestly, [quarterbacks coach] Carl Smith has been saying the whole time that B.J. would be able to do that for us if we put him in the game and let him play like that, and he was right.
"It was really clear that we've got a guy who's a threat for us, if we can keep him on the team."
While he was called upon to play quarterback against Oakland, most of Daniels' focus has been placed on making the Seahawks as a wide receiver, a position group that currently holds eight spots on Seattle's 75-man roster. Not all of them are likely to survive the team's roster reduction to 53 players, which has to happen by 1 p.m. PT this Saturday, Sept. 5.
"I put a lot of hard work into it," Daniels said of his position switch. "I had to change my body and do different things. A lot of the receivers are track athletes, they can run for days. So that's one of the things I definitely had to do to adjust. Try to be successful and make this team."
Daniels said he was prepared to fill a variety of roles against the Raiders - the coaching staff hinted to him earlier in the week that he might be called upon to take snaps at quarterback. He said he's open to whatever Seahawks coaches ask of him moving forward, even offering up one more area that could help him crack Seattle's final roster.
"I probably need to learn how to kick a field goal, that'll help," the versatile Daniels offered with a laugh before taking a more serious tone. "I've just been practicing. Practicing and practicing. It sounds cliche, but I really have been dedicating myself to working hard on my body and on my craft. So whatever they ask me to do, I've done the best I could to try to fulfill that."
The Seahawks took to CenturyLink Field for their last 2015 preseason game against the Oakland Raiders and finished victoriously.