When Chase Daniel arrived in New Orleans as a 22-year-old undrafted rookie in 2009, he quickly realized that when Drew Brees speaks, you listen.
 
And do whatever he asks.
 
“Drew was like, ‘Hey we’re going to be here at 5:30 in the morning, this is what we’re going to watch on Wednesdays, this is what we’re going to watch on Thursdays, this is what we’re going to watch on Fridays,’” Daniel recalled.
 
“I was like, ‘OK, yes, absolutely, I’ll do whatever you say.’ I’m a rookie and he’s throwing for 5,000 yards a season.”
 
Seven years later, Daniel is taking all the lessons he learned from Brees and teaching them to another young rookie, 23-year-old Carson Wentz.
 
If all goes well for the Eagles, Daniel won’t play a snap this year. He’s barely played any snaps in his seven NFL seasons.
 
But he has a defined and important role here, helping Wentz prepare on a daily basis, and much of what he’s sharing with Wentz is what he picked up from Brees.
 
“I have two pages of notes on the schedule, exactly what we’re supposed to do,” Daniel said. “Brought it to Kansas City and Alex [Smith] really loved it, felt he was really prepared. It’s sort of what I’ve tried to bring here with Carson, especially as a rookie and he’s never done it.
 
“There’s a difference in preparing in college and preparing in the NFL level. I think you have to take it up a notch. Carson was already a film nerd. He was already getting into film, diving into film, but it’s sort of taking it up a notch and having it structured in a way so you know exactly what you’re doing at 6 a.m. on a Thursday and you know exactly what you’re doing at 6 p.m. on a Thursday.
 
“It’s not written down, it’s just, ‘Let’s go this way, let’s do this,’ and he’s responded pretty well. Obviously the schedule is not what made him play well [Sunday]. His superior athletic ability, his intangibles, his smarts, his arm strength, that’s what made him play well. But you’d love to think that the preparation part is pretty important too. I think it’s just in this league that’s what it takes to win at this level.”
 
Wentz, the second pick in this year's draft, became only the sixth rookie to record a passer rating over 100 on opening day of his rookie year when the Eagles beat the Browns 29-10 Sunday at the Linc.
 
He passed for 278 yards and threw two touchdowns and no interceptions in a near-flawless NFL debut.
 
Daniel said Wentz has been incredibly receptive to what he’s brought from New Orleans and Kansas City. And that’s a very structured, very regimented approach to film study and game preparation.
 
“Tuesdays, off days, we’re up here six or seven hours a day getting a head start on film,” Daniel said on Thursday. “What I like to tell Carson, what I’ve told a lot of people, us as quarterbacks, we’re always staying one day ahead. We’re always one day ahead of the team.
 
“That way, today, we put base behind us and got started on third down. Tomorrow we put third down behind us and get started on red zone, which will be Friday. So we’re always staying one day ahead. So we have this schedule that just fits.
 
“It works well for the mental reps, the mental side of things. I think so far Carson likes it and enjoys it. It’s stuff we’ve done the past eight years and Doug is sort of familiar with the schedule we kept in Kansas City so he understands it as well.”
 
Daniel, who has thrown only 77 passes and one touchdown in his career, is earning $7 million this year, which is good money to serve as a sort of player-coach.
 
But if he’s pivotal in Wentz’s development, then it’s money well-spent.
 
“I know a lot of people want to say I haven’t played in a lot of games, which is true,” Daniel said. “I’ve started two games. But I’ve been around a future Hall of Famer, first ballot in Drew Brees. I backed him up for four years and I backed up Alex Smith for three years, so I sort of know what that takes and entails with an in-season schedule, and that’s sort of what I brought to Carson last week.
 
“'Hey, let’s get in here early, let’s get a head start on this film. This is what we’ve done in the past, this is what Drew’s done in the past, this is what we’ve sort of done in Kansas City in the past and it’s shown and worked out.’
 
“So there’s a set schedule that we’ve followed everywhere I’ve been and I approach it with Carson and he’s been very open to it. ‘Hey, let’s try this and let’s see how it goes,’ and he liked it and he played well, so we’re just going to keep doing that. And there’ll obviously be some tweaks along the way with what he likes because he’s the starter, but he loves it so far.”
 
As well as Wentz played Sunday, the challenge will grow exponentially this weekend.
 
There’s a reason rookies are 1-15 in road Monday night games since 1988, the only win coming three years ago courtesy of Geno Smith in Atlanta.
 
Not only will Wentz be facing a more formidable defense in the Bears, he’ll also be playing in a loud stadium on the road on a Monday night.
 
And now there’s a book on Wentz.
 
“I think defenses in general, the more film you get of any quarterback the more they’re going to try and pinpoint his weaknesses, so we have to work on that too,” Daniel said.
 
“Not only do we have to get ready for the Chicago Bears but we have to figure out, ‘Hey, what did we do that wasn’t so great in this game?’ And not just him but in general just as an offense, and we have to work on those.
 
“We have to make our weaknesses our strengths, we preach that all the time, and make our strengths even stronger. You’re always trying to get better. You never stay the same. You’re either getting better or you’re getting worse. That sounds cliche but it’s so, so true at this level.
 
“And the difference between good and great is not very much but it’s that extra time, that extra film session, that extra throwing after practice, all that adds up.”