Rank our Backup QB

[muskiesfan]

I find it funny that McCarron's playoff game proves he's a stud, but simply switch the name to Andy Dalton with the EXACT performance and stat line and people would have been going ape shit. McCarron's wobbly ass lame duck throw for the go ahead TD was just that. It wasn't a great throw. Green had to wait on it and come back for it, but because his name isn't Andy Dalton it was the most amazing play ever! Had Dalton made the exact same throw, the noodle arm jokes and inaccuracies about Dalton's deep ball would still be thrown around.

That is my entire issue. It kills me that anyone not named Andy Dalton can take snaps at QB and is given some wiggle room and an opportunity. Dalton is held to ridiculously high standards. This past season, he proved he can reach those standards. However, fans were still picking apart single throws for not being perfect, slightly overthrown, slightly overthrown, or whatever. Marvin Jones and AJ Green tried their best to bail McCarron out with the shitty throws he made against Denver, but everyone went on and on about how great McCarron was playing while complaining about games where Dalton had incredible performances because of a missed pass.

I completely understand having different standards for a proven, franchise QB and an unproven backup QB. That argument could almost hold water if the same people that are beating the McCarron drum would have ever gave Dalton the same chance. Because Dalton wasn't Mallett or Kaepernick or whoever the hell else they wanted, Dalton never got a fair shake with many fans from Day 1. McCarron comes in and was compared to Dalton. Dalton was considered to be the level of play to expect from McCarron. Since he isn't Dalton, a lot of fans don't care and greatly overexaggerate McCarron's play and abilities.

AJ McCarron is a good backup QB. He may be a starting QB in the NFL, but it will be after he leaves Cincinnati. Instead, fans can stay unhappy with their current QB who has helped turn the franchise around, helped lead the franchise to 50 regular season wins, helped get the team into the playoffs for 5 consecutive seasons, and who was having an MVP caliber season before injury. You can bring up the playoff futility all you want, but looking at the heights Andy has helped THIS organization reach, I'm astounded at how people legitimately entertain the idea of replacing him with McCarron.