12-20-2017, 09:52 AM
After the Pittsburgh game, Dalton joined the Steelers in a kneel-down prayer for Ryan Shazier. As a human being, I commend Dalton for his decency and strength of character. As a Cincinnati Bengals fan, it made me just a little bit sick (and I appreciate how awful this makes me sound). Look, you guys gave up a 17-3 halftime lead at home against a heated rival with any shred of playoff hopes on the line. The last thing anyone in this city needs to see is you rushing over to the sidelines to pray with them. Offer some quick condolences, wish Shazier a speedy recovery in your post-game interview, and move on.
Removing talent from the equation for a moment, I think the indictment I have against Dalton that has my patience wearing thin is that he is toothless. In the first few years of Dalton's career, Whitworth always made a point of saying that Dalton needed to take charge of the offense. That he needed to be a leader. Yet we never saw it. Fortunately, we still had Whitworth to hold the reins. But ever since Whitworth left, it has become abundantly clear that Dalton is never going to be the sort of vocal, take-charge kind of leader he needs to be. He's not the kind of QB that can put this team on his back and almost will them to victory. He's not the kind of guy who holds other players responsible for botched plays. He's not the kind of guy that's going to rally the troops on the sidelines. When he throws an interception, whether it's his fault or not, he unstraps his chin strap and trots meekly over to the sideline. Then he stands there with his hands tucked into his pads and with the same glazed-over look on his face. Every single time.
Andy Dalton is a nice guy. I'm not sure that's what I want a QB. I want confidence and a little bit of swagger in my QB. I want a QB who isn't afraid to trade barbs with the Steelers. I want a QB who will hold others accountable for their mistakes (without being a douche about it, mind you). I want a QB with an on-field attitude that says, "We are not losing this ***** game." I want a QB that the guys in the locker room will rally behind and a QB that other teams in the league respect and actually worry about. I doubt anybody in this league is worried about having to play Andy Dalton.
Given all of the deficiencies this team has (not active in bringing free agents in, letting their own free agents walk, not putting long-term value in the offensive line), it's becoming more and more apparent to me that a game-managing QB like Dalton simply isn't going to cut it here. Other teams are run in such a way that someone like Dalton could be plugged in and they'd be able to compete in the playoffs. We are not one of those teams. I know every team wants an elite, big-play QB, but I honestly believe that is the only way we are ever going to see sustained post-season success. If we just luck into an elite QB that can put this team on his back. I've seen great quarterbacks play on shitty teams and still put up incredible numbers. Dalton, meanwhile, is very much the product of whatever offense is put around him. The offense elevates him, not vice versa. I don't think that's enough.
Removing talent from the equation for a moment, I think the indictment I have against Dalton that has my patience wearing thin is that he is toothless. In the first few years of Dalton's career, Whitworth always made a point of saying that Dalton needed to take charge of the offense. That he needed to be a leader. Yet we never saw it. Fortunately, we still had Whitworth to hold the reins. But ever since Whitworth left, it has become abundantly clear that Dalton is never going to be the sort of vocal, take-charge kind of leader he needs to be. He's not the kind of QB that can put this team on his back and almost will them to victory. He's not the kind of guy who holds other players responsible for botched plays. He's not the kind of guy that's going to rally the troops on the sidelines. When he throws an interception, whether it's his fault or not, he unstraps his chin strap and trots meekly over to the sideline. Then he stands there with his hands tucked into his pads and with the same glazed-over look on his face. Every single time.
Andy Dalton is a nice guy. I'm not sure that's what I want a QB. I want confidence and a little bit of swagger in my QB. I want a QB who isn't afraid to trade barbs with the Steelers. I want a QB who will hold others accountable for their mistakes (without being a douche about it, mind you). I want a QB with an on-field attitude that says, "We are not losing this ***** game." I want a QB that the guys in the locker room will rally behind and a QB that other teams in the league respect and actually worry about. I doubt anybody in this league is worried about having to play Andy Dalton.
Given all of the deficiencies this team has (not active in bringing free agents in, letting their own free agents walk, not putting long-term value in the offensive line), it's becoming more and more apparent to me that a game-managing QB like Dalton simply isn't going to cut it here. Other teams are run in such a way that someone like Dalton could be plugged in and they'd be able to compete in the playoffs. We are not one of those teams. I know every team wants an elite, big-play QB, but I honestly believe that is the only way we are ever going to see sustained post-season success. If we just luck into an elite QB that can put this team on his back. I've seen great quarterbacks play on shitty teams and still put up incredible numbers. Dalton, meanwhile, is very much the product of whatever offense is put around him. The offense elevates him, not vice versa. I don't think that's enough.
Everything in this post is my fault.
