09-29-2020, 04:41 PM
(09-29-2020, 03:59 PM)fredtoast Wrote: All you have to back up your claim is some vague rumors. The fact that Gruden agreed with the front office does n ot prove that he had any input at all.
But if you want to talk about actual facts instead of rumors Marvin Lewis said ina press conference that Chris Henry would not play for the Bengal again after he got into more trouble while still suspended, but the front office brought him back anyway.
So, just to be clear, your postion is that Jay Gruden had "no say" in the Bengals selecting Andy Dalton? Is that the hill you really want to die on?
Is Andy Dalton a "vague source"? Directly from the horses mouth (Andy Dalton in 2016)...
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“A big reason why I’m here is because of Jay,” Dalton said. “You can’t take that away from him. I’m fortunate he was here and wanted me. From that, I felt like I grew a lot as a player in the three years I was with him. He allowed me a lot of freedom at the line of scrimmage, allowed me to do a lot of stuff. I said last week that Hue did a lot to get me to where I am, but Jay had a lot to do with that as well.”
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Here's an Adam Schefter from the year he was drafted. The guy is generally known as one of the most accurate reporters on league matters. He's hardly a vague source, that would resemble message board rumors.
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During ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown, NFL Insider Adam Schefter reported that Cincinnati Bengals president and owner and general manager Mike Brown favored Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett during the 2011 NFL Draft. Schefter reported that the Bengals coaching staff, specifically offensive coordinator Jay Gruden, were "instrumental" in convincing Brown to take TCU quarterback Andy Dalton over Mallett, which eventually the team did.
If you think you've heard this story before, you have.
Roughly around the 2011 NFL Draft, the same ESPN NFL Insider reported that Brown wanted to draft Mallett, but was convinced by the coaches to select Dalton. So we're not sure why the same story is being rehashed six months later, other than specifically pointing out Gruden's involvement; though that was also pointed out in April.
The larger significance Bengals fans should take from this is that Brown is allowing much more knowledgeable personnel, such as the coaching staff, convince him on how to build the team with personnel they favor. As Marvin Lewis always says, "that's a good thing."
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