(04-27-2020, 11:13 AM)BacknDaDey Wrote: I don't get why some people think Dalton will be thrilled and enthused to set behind Burrow to back him up or so called "mentor" him. You all are going to be mad if Dalton outplays Burrow and ends up starting!

(04-27-2020, 12:24 PM)Nicomo Cosca Wrote: The same Andy Dalton that threw 14 INT’s in 13 games last season? He’s going to beat out Joe Burrow? Right...

(04-27-2020, 01:47 PM)Luvnit2 Wrote: He may not, but why not let him try since no financial risk other than fear he does in fact beat him out. If he beat him out it would not say something wrong with Burrow, it will say AD is a vet QB with a winning record for a lousy franchise who is an expert on Zac's playbook.

Again, no risk in letting the two compete versus cutting AD and get nothing in return. That can still be done prior to week#1.

Quote:The Bengals suggesting publicly that they could keep Andy Dalton is simply BS (Basic Smokescreen), a means of persuading any team interested in cherry-picking Dalton that it will have to give up something, anything to get him. Of course, no team believes that, so Dalton is still a Bengal.

“Now that the draft’s over, we’ll let the dust settle and talk through it,” Zac Taylor said.

Ah, c’mon.

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton (14) smiles as he heads for the locker room after the fourth quarter of the NFL Week 17 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Cleveland Browns at Paul Brown Stadium in downtown Cincinnati on Sunday, Dec. 29, 2019. The Bengals finished their 2019 campaign with a 33-23 win over the Browns.
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton (14) smiles as he heads for the locker room after the fourth quarter of the NFL Week 17 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Cleveland Browns at Paul Brown Stadium in downtown Cincinnati on Sunday, Dec. 29, 2019. The Bengals finished their 2019 campaign with a 33-23 win over the Browns.

There’s only one reason to keep the nine-year veteran Dalton and only one rational way to do it. Declare him Joe Burrow’s backup and pay him something less than half of the $17.7 million he’s owed.

If Andy Dalton agreed to that, he’d also agree to wear a red KICK ME jersey in practice.

The trade deadline represented the Bengals best chance to get something for Dalton. They overestimated his value. They infamously suggested they weren’t in the business of making other teams better. In March, the abundance of free-agent QBs made it a buyer’s market. When the musical chairs settled, Dalton was an odd man out.

Teams know the Bengals can’t afford to pay their estranged QB what he’s owed. Teams know, too, that the Bengals would prefer not to have Dalton on a roster of players they want desperately to rally around Burrow. The Jaguars and possibly the Patriots are buzzards circling the carcass.

Dalton already was making bargain-bin money. He has never done anything in the NFL but be a starting quarterback. By Bengals standards, he did a remarkably good job. The longevity of QBs being what it is, he’s barely in his prime.

Pride goeth before the fall, but not even a modest, humble Dalton would return to a clipboard and a half-full wallet. Would he?

Stop with any notion that Saint Joe and Dalton would compete for the job. Can you imagine the boos if Dalton started the home opener and was anything less than perfect?

This franchise can’t afford another season like last season. It ranked 31st in the league in attendance, ahead of only the L.A. Chargers, who played in a 25,000-seat soccer stadium in a Los Angeles suburb. The Bengals cannot risk toying with the patience of what remains of their fan base.

Any notion that Dalton could “groom’’ Burrow needs to disappear. Burrow needs the same situation Dalton enjoyed. He’s going to be looking over his shoulder anyway. Literally, given the offensive line he’s inheriting. Figuratively, his mind needs to be clear. And if there ever is a training camp, Burrow needs to own the reps, not share them.

Besides what sort of competition would it be if everyone inside and outside of PBS wanted Burrow to win?

Dalton isn’t Jon Kitna mentoring Carson Palmer. Dalton is better than Kitna was, by miles. There is a determination in the building to begin distancing this group of players from the last group. Taylor’s total obsession with character and culture can’t bloom fully if the team’s most important player is a holdover from the previous regime.

It’s not that Andy Dalton’s character was anything less than high. It’s that Joe Burrow is Zac Taylor’s version. And that is important to Zac Taylor.

(I wonder what Marvin Lewis has made of the rampant implications that his teams’ players were somehow lacking character and a winning culture. But we digress.)

“I feel like we're starting something new,” said offensive lineman Hakeem Adeniji, the sixth-round pick. “I think in a few years here you're going to see the tide's turned. I think we're going to be a team that shocks somebody.”

That’s a pretty good representation of the thinking in the building. The collective self-assurance in the coaching offices was not diminished by 2-14. They might be right. For now, they have a quarterback dilemma.

I still think the Patriots will be interested in Dalton. Dalton is smart and exceptional at reading defenses. There is nothing Bill Belichick could throw at Dalton that he couldn’t master. He is the sort of Me-2nd player that Belichick likes and demands.

But the Bengals will have to cut Dalton first.

Regardless, Andy Dalton shouldn’t be in stripes. It’s not good for Dalton or Burrow or the future of anyone involved. All Basic Smokescreen aside.

(04-26-2020, 09:38 PM)Nicomo Cosca Wrote: That our head coach isn’t Andy Reid after one season? You thought that needed explaining?

(04-27-2020, 05:19 PM)Shake n Blake Wrote:  I wish Mike would just do the right thing and stop overvaluing Dalton (like he did with McCarron).

(04-27-2020, 05:43 PM)fredtoast Wrote: Mike played that perfectly.  The Browns just screwed it up.

In fact the deal he got for McCarron is another reason why he has confidence to hold onto Dalton waiting for a trade.

(04-27-2020, 05:19 PM)Shake n Blake Wrote: Unfortunately, Mike held out for a trade that wasn't coming, and now that $18 mil is less valuable (from a roster standpoint) than it was in March. We could still use it towards a Mixon extension and/or June cuts though, and that's what we should (and probably will) do.

Right now, I believe there's a game of chicken going on between Mike Brown, the Jags and probably the Pats. Those teams likely don't want to part with a pick nor do they want to pay Andy $18 million, so they're waiting it out. That said, Mike has incredible stubbornness "patience" and no dire need to rush yet, at least until training camp nears.

It's going to be interesting to see how this plays out, but I wish Mike would just do the right thing and stop overvaluing Dalton (like he did with McCarron). It's obvious that Dalton is likely out, so we need to get a veteran in there immediately and start focusing on Mixon's extension and moving forward with Burrow.

(04-27-2020, 02:18 PM)Synric Wrote: Pual Daugherty article about keeping Dalton



https://amp.cincinnati.com/amp/3030235001

(04-27-2020, 06:28 PM)bfine32 Wrote: You know I like you Synric, but there has been no one more full of shit during this entire process than Paul Daugherty. If he were to have any credibility in his reporting Andy would be home shopping in NE and we'd have an extra 2nd rounder. Dude, just throws shit against the wall hoping something might stick.

As to can't afford him: The Saints have Drew Brees at a $45 Mil cap this year and just signed Hill to $10 Mil per year and who knows what they are giving Winston. I think we can find a way to keep Andy and his $17 Mil and a kid on a rookie deal.

(04-27-2020, 06:48 PM)Synric Wrote: It's just a recent article on the subject lol.

I do know one thing. Andy Dalton might be the nicest guy in the world but stepping into a backseat role could be tough after running the show for nearly a decade.

(04-27-2020, 06:55 PM)McC Wrote: One thing I don't understand is why people are expecting Andy to be a damn saint and willingly accept being the demoted top dog and to add insult to injury, tutor the guy who took his job.

Imagine you're the president of a company and the CEO comes to you and tells you you're being demoted to vice president and they want you to stay on and tutor the guy they gave your job to.  That wouldn't be awkward at all, would it?

(04-27-2020, 06:55 PM)McC Wrote: One thing I don't understand is why people are expecting Andy to be a damn saint and willingly accept being the demoted top dog and to add insult to injury, tutor the guy who took his job.

Imagine you're the president of a company and the CEO comes to you and tells you you're being demoted to vice president and they want you to stay on and tutor the guy they gave your job to.  That wouldn't be awkward at all, would it?

(04-27-2020, 07:10 PM)Nicomo Cosca Wrote: People seem to forget how pissed Andy was about getting benched last year. He openly stated that the team should have given him a chance to go elsewhere at the trade deadline. Then he came out with the “not real fans” bs when people were worried about winning meaningless games and not getting Burrow (which is exactly what happened to Miami). Keeping him around is just a terrible idea on so many levels.

(04-27-2020, 07:46 PM)fredtoast Wrote: He was not happy, but he didn't refuse to play or split the poison the locker room.

When he was reinstated as starter he led the team to two victories and an amazing 23 point fourth quarter comeback on the road against Miami.

(04-27-2020, 07:38 PM)fredtoast Wrote: Andy will accept it because it is his only choice.  He is under contract.

It is not like the situation in your hypothetical were I could just say "Screw you I am going to work for another company."

(04-27-2020, 07:38 PM)fredtoast Wrote: Andy will accept it because it is his only choice.  He is under contract.

It is not like the situation in your hypothetical were I could just say "Screw you I am going to work for another company."