McCarron hype gaining steam

[BengalChris]

(06-22-2015, 11:25 PM)fredtoast Wrote: But the thing is that he did not even make the playoffs in his first four seasons.

And everyone knows that if a QB does not win a playoff game in his first four seasons he will never ever be able to win one.

He only won 23 games over his first four seasons.  

But here is the worst part.  After a very good season his third year his passer rating dropped from 87.7 to 73.1 his fourth year.  In fact his fourth season he was second in the league in interceptions with 19.  Obviously there was no hope at that point.

Don't get caught up in the passer rating numbers or yards when you are try to compare one era to another.

In Anderson's era he led the NFL in passing, was league MVP, took the team to a SB and was considered one of the top QBs in the league during his time.

Esiaison had similar accomplishments in a different era. Passing rules changed between Anderson's time and Esiaison's time.

Dalton is playing in an era where the rules worship passing as heavenly. Average passing year's for QBs has gone way up in the last 40 years.

Dalton has a ways to go to reach Esiaison and Anderson. He hasn't come close to even being considered for MVP, hasn't come close winning a passing title and leading the team to a SB.

This doesn't mean we give up on Dalton, but it does mean that he's reached a crossroads and he needs to take the next step. I'm not going to claim he can or cannot do it, but I'm not going to treat him as if he has reached an elite level he hasn't even come close.

If you are happy with losing big in the opening round of the playoffs then you should be happy with Dalton. If you see this team as competing for the elite status, then you should be looking at Dalton with a more stern eye. The same is true for Lewis.