In honor of Bob Dylan, and the movie that was released about his life, it is an opportune time to quote his words from The Times They Are A-Changin’: “Come writers and critics who prophesize with your pen, and keep your eyes wide [because] the chance won’t come again. And don’t speak too soon for the wheel’s still in spin, and there’s no tellin’ who that it’s namin’. For the loser now — will be later to win, for the times they are a-changin’.” Dylan believed that cycles could go from losing to winning. Dylan Crews talked about the same from his time at LSU when he won the National Championship in his final season.
There are such similar dynamics from a dozen years ago when both the Washington Nationals and Washington Redskins went to the playoffs with their new rookie stars with Bryce Harper and Robert Griffin III in their debut seasons. They didn’t do it on their own as it takes a team to win together. After their respective seasons, both Harper and Griffin were named Rookie of the Year. They brought hope for times that were a-changing.
Now you look at the new Dylan in Washington, and Crews will enter 2025 as a rookie with his classmate from LSU, Jayden Daniels, up the street as the rookie star for the Washington Commanders. The names and faces changed in those dozen years, and as Dylan sung, “Are beyond your command, and your old road is rapidly agin’ — please get out of the new one.” As manager Dave Martinez would say, “Bumpy roads lead to beautiful places.”
While the Commanders could be heading to beautiful places, they have already clinched their first winning season since 2016. Daniels’ team have their eyes focused on more than a winning record. They want a postseason berth. Daniels, as a quarterback, has transformed his team. Crews can hopefully do the same for the Washington Nationals.
Some think it is a lock that Daniels will win the Rookie of the Year in the NFL. He just set a record for wining the most Rookie of the Week honors. Crews has not begun his rookie campaign, and he is also younger than Daniels. Time will tell on if Crews can match what Daniels has done.
The two were together this past weekend in New Orleans — about 80-miles from the LSU campus. The Commanders surprised Crews with a custom Commanders’ jersey. Daniels got a custom jersey from the Nationals on June 9 when he threw out the ceremonial first pitch — before he ever threw his first pro pass in a game for the Commanders. Crews was not on Nationals at that time. It was finally at that game in New Orleans, that the pair met up. Crews and Daniels also did a jersey swap, and Crews said last night that he is now a Commanders fan as he was ripping packs of football cards in search of a special Daniels card.
Sustained success is also a key in what both players have discussed. They talk a lot alike. Both have recently discussed in separate interviews that “Pressure is a privilege” with Crews stating that after he hit his first pro home run in Fredericksburg shortly after he was drafted in 2023, and Daniels said the same in an interview for Boardroom that was published this week.
Put the last names of Daniels and Crews together and then subtract their jersey numbers, 5-3=2 and you get D.C. 2. Both Crews and Daniels were drafted at №2 in the first round for their teams. Of course Crews’ initials are already D.C., and he debuted his new DC necklace when he met up with Daniels in New Orleans. Crews said last night that he will only wear that necklace on special occasions. Let’s hope the pair meets up soon at another special occasion.
Winners.
