Confession of a Dalton Defender

[t3r3e3]

(05-26-2015, 02:36 PM)WhoDeyWho Wrote: Really?  He's been so bad his first four seasons in the league it's "far fetched" to hope he can improve?

It's not that he can't, and I hope that he can. However, 68 starts into an NFL career, the portrait of who a player is fairly clear. It might not be finished, but it's closer to finished than blank. While exceptions to the rule can be found, most guys are who they are after almost 70 starts. Obviously system changes can benefit players, and sometimes QB's take longer than other players to develop. The average player doesn't last that long, and many QB's (including backups) don't make that many starts. While Andy could improve, cut down on turnovers, play better late in the year, and not dumpster fire the Playoffs, how long until enough is enough? This year? Three years from now? The end of his contract?

The reason there is criticism on Dalton is he's highly erratic, and has never shown the ability to come up big in the biggest moments. Combine that with his turnover propensity, less than ideal measurables, average accuracy, and you get the criticism from many sides. It's not that Andy is terrible, he's just not a quality, upper tier NFL starter either. He's a journeyman type guy thrust into a long term starting role. We've had that guy play here before. Their names were Fitzpatrick and Kitna. Those types of QB's can win you games, but their obvious flaws have to be protected.