is Andy Dalton the best QB we have?

[DanBengalfan]

with all of this talk about how the Bengals don't want to challenge Dalton, now we have 2 QBs on the roster with more talent and promise than Dalton has ever had on the roster.

Is Dalton just our "mediocrity" insurance?

McCarron: better college experience than Dalton had, would have been drafted ahead of Dalton if he had come out that year. better leader.

Pryor: better all around athlete. needs work, but could he ascend to Russel Wilson status?

hoping Dalton catches the flu at some point this season.

 

[cincygrad]

You can't really compare college to pros.... If you could, you're man Tebow would be a starter.

 

[kramer1]

I don't know. I do know Dalton sucks.

 

[alf8478]

By mediocrity insurance do you mean keeping the them in mediocrity

 

[DanBengalfan]

yes, keep the bar at medium seems to be the objective with Dalton. there are teams we can consistently beat, and teams that consistently beat us.

and yes, often times college experience is used to evaluate talent. the only problem with McCarron is that he's really not first round game changing talent. but he is more talented than Dalton. Tebow is a bit of a problem in transitioning to the pros, they took advantage of his ability to game manage when surrounded by a plethora of talent and run the ball when no one was open in Florida. His work ethic and resources may be his salvation but he's getting old, that's really an apples to oranges comparison, comparing Dalton to McCarron on the other hand really is an apples to apples comparison and to say otherwise is wrong.

 

[cincygrad]

I'm not a Dalton fan....

That said, why is McCarron more talented? All the scouts had McCarron as a mid-round prospect and Dalton as a late first early second.

Maybe McCarron is a late round gem? Probably not.

 

[BKBroiler9000]

McCarron is a mediocre talent. His skills as a passer are no better or worse than Dalton's. The only thing that sets him apart is his attitude. The dude plays and acts like he has a pair of balls. That alone is refreshing compared to the usual Dalton pusscake Nancy routine. I'd be willing to give AJ a chance. It'll never happen however. Marv would sooner cut AJ than allow him to push Andy.

 

[cincygrad]

McCarron is a mediocre talent. His skills as a passer are no better or worse than Dalton's. The only thing that sets him apart is his attitude. The dude plays and acts like he has a pair of balls. That alone is refreshing compared to the usual Dalton pusscake Nancy routine. I'd be willing to give AJ a chance. It'll never happen however. Marv would sooner cut AJ than allow him to push Andy.

I wouldn't mind seeing the kid play, but I'm skeptical. It's nice to have guts, but if you don't have the arm or the athleticism to justify those guts, you'll just throw a bunch of picks.

 

[kramer1]

I wouldn't mind seeing the kid play, but I'm skeptical. It's nice to have guts, but if you don't have the arm or the athleticism to justify those guts, you'll just throw a bunch of picks.

Well, I'd argue Tom Brady's physical abilities aren't any better than AJ's.

 

[bengaldoug]

There is nothing to lose in giving AJ a shot. It's not like Dalton's confidence would be shattered. You have to have it first to lose it. Sure, AJ could prove he sucks, but we already know Dalton sucks. As for Pryor, doubtful.......never really thought of him as a leader. With all the teams out there desperate for a quarterback, he would have ended up somewhere else if he really had any potential and wouldn't have been out there for us to grab so easily.

 

[cincygrad]

Well, I'd argue Tom Brady's physical abilities aren't any better than AJ's.

Yeah, but I thought he only won because of deflated footballs or sideline tape.

 

[alf8478]

Yeah, but I thought he only won because of deflated footballs or sideline tape.

Well, it is a little unusual that a guy who didnt play much in college, was a late 6th round pick and basically an afterthought, becomes one of the best qb's ever... on a team with 2 cheating scandals.

 

[BKBroiler9000]

Yeah, but I thought he only won because of deflated footballs or sideline tape.

The people that truely believe this need to give up on football. Or maybe life in general.

 

[BKBroiler9000]

Well, I'd argue Tom Brady's physical abilities aren't any better than AJ's.

There is some truth to this. Brady has never been the most gifted from a athletic talent standpoint. We've all seen video of his combine workout. Joe Montana was the same way coming into the NFL. Both men were tireless workers who got stronger, improved their mechanics, and had the intelligence, leadership, and pocket awareness to play at an elite level despite the physical shortcomings.

AJ appears to be cut from the same cloth from a personality standpoint. I like that. However, there's a far cry from being motivated, and replicating two of the greatest QBs who ever walked the earth. People like to talk about the lack of physical talent with Brady, yet he still goes out there and carves up elite defenses. Pretty sure you have to be talented to throw for 300 and 4 TDs against the Seahawks D.

 

[DanBengalfan]

my dream scenario:

Dalton improves this season
McCarron also improves and inherits job when Brown says no to paying Dalton
Pryor stays as backup and works the 2 point conversions under changed rules.

The thing that seems less likely of the 3 is Dalton improving.

 

[cincygrad]

Have you guys seen a recent pic/video with Pryor? What the fuck is going on with the dude's hair? I think he might be crazy.

 

[kramer1]

Have you guys seen a recent pic/video with Pryor? What the fuck is going on with the dude's hair? I think he might be crazy.

I think he might be queer.

 

[CrashDavisSports]

McCarron threw a total of 15 INT's in a 4 year career at Bama while leading them to two National Championships, is a true leader like Boomer was, has a nasty streak to him where the competitor comes out.

Granted, I wouldn't rank his arm any better than Dalton, I think Dalton might actually be a little more mobile than McCarron is, but McCarron has pocket awareness and played in a pro style offense in 'Bama. Dalton came from more of a spread offense, if I remember correctly, and it shows in his pocket awareness to be able to side step rushes while keeping his eyes down field.

Now, McCarron's arm is no better than Dalton I don't believe, but with his leadership, ability to make a decision, his pocket awareness, and his intelligence to not force throws into heavy coverage, I think McCarron has a leg up on Dalton once he starts getting some real play time. Problem is, when will he be given a chance?

Leadership = McCarron
Pocket Awareness = McCarron
Intelligence = McCarron
Arm = wash
Mobility = Dalton
Experience = Dalton

 

[cincygrad]

McCarron threw a total of 15 INT's in a 4 year career at Bama while leading them to two National Championships, is a true leader like Boomer was, has a nasty streak to him where the competitor comes out.

Granted, I wouldn't rank his arm any better than Dalton, I think Dalton might actually be a little more mobile than McCarron is, but McCarron has pocket awareness and played in a pro style offense in 'Bama. Dalton came from more of a spread offense, if I remember correctly, and it shows in his pocket awareness to be able to side step rushes while keeping his eyes down field.

Now, McCarron's arm is no better than Dalton I don't believe, but with his leadership, ability to make a decision, his pocket awareness, and his intelligence to not force throws into heavy coverage, I think McCarron has a leg up on Dalton once he starts getting some real play time. Problem is, when will he be given a chance?

Leadership = McCarron
Pocket Awareness = McCarron
Intelligence = McCarron
Arm = wash
Mobility = Dalton
Experience = Dalton

If your ratings are correct, why would the scouts label McCarron as a 5th rounder and Dalton as a 1st/2nd? Given AJ's performance in college, his record in big games, and his role in a pro style offense you'd figure the kid would have gone higher unless scouts had a significant problem with his 'pro' abilities.

 

[DanBengalfan]

Andy Dalton's pre-draft grade: 6.87 opinions on Dalton pre-draft were varied (first to fifth) as he played in a spread offense, not a pro-style. and was touted as a mobile QB who didn't feel pocket pressure.
AJ McCarron's pre-draft grade: 5.65 projected 2nd-3rd round, pluses: pro style offense ready negatives: bone headed mistakes. people feared that his supporting cast was really successful for his fame and fortune.

also, you have to consider they weren't drafted the same year and there were other QBs in each draft.

....

Dalton is the Mendoza line. If your QB is worse than Dalton, you have to cut bait and run, if your QB is better than Dalton, you pay him. I'm hoping McCarron can show them enough stuff that they dont' have to pay Dalton a bigillion dollars next year.