Andy Dalton is our franchise QB. There's no doubt about it now. I'm hoping for him to pull through with his recovery so he get get this team over the playoff hump.

Anything lower than that and we all know the season is another dud.

Has anyone heard anything about Eiffert?

Quote:#Bengals QB Andy Dalton won't have surgery on his injured thumb, source said. The hope is he's back for the playoffs. Depends how he heals.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet)

Andy Dalton’s visit to a specialist is set for Monday afternoon, a league source told PFT, and after the appointment the Bengals and Dalton believe they’ll have a better idea if Dalton has a chance to return in four weeks or if the Bengals will have to shut him down for the season.

A.J. McCarron becomes the starter and is the only other quarterback on the active roster. The Bengals have reached out to Ryan Mallett and Christian Ponder though no decision by any side has been reached, the source said. Jason Campbell, who was the Bengals’ backup last season, retired last summer and has previously been clear that he’s not interested in a return.

The Bengals have Keith Wenning on the practice squad.

Dalton suffered a fractured right thumb during Sunday’s loss to the Steelers. Though the source said there’s some level of optimism that the trip to the specialist will reveal a four-week timetable, the Bengals know the timing of the injury and the calendar make it more likely that he won’t play again until next season.

Ponder was recently released by the Broncos. Mallett recently worked out for the Ravens; he was cut by the Texans earlier in the season.

http://www.cincyjungle.com/2015/12/14/10110140/bengals-are-in-touch-with-quarterbacks-ryan-mallett-christian-ponder

You can do it AJ!!! I have confidence in you. You are a winner... and I know the circumstance suck, but your time to shine buddy!! You have my support 100%. You are a champ and always have been a champ!! Seriously look at your life compared to most of us here on this board. You are WINNER!!! And WINNERS WIN!!! and right now I need you to win the Super Bowl. You can do this I have FAITH in you buddy!!!! You are a CHAMP!!!! You have my support!!!



AJ McCARRON!!!!! = Winner!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What if the Bengals win the Super Bowl THIS year with AJ McCarron as the starting QB?

Obviously, this is predicated on the assumption that Dalton is out for the rest of the season. But, let's also assume that McCarron plays okay, but doesn't light up the scoreboard (like a slightly better 2000 Trent Dilfer, for example).

What happens? Do we look to trade Dalton in the offseason and go with McCarron? Do we go BACK to Dalton and try to trade McCarron? Or do we keep him?

What do you think the Bengals would do? And what would YOU do?

I know it's not likely, but still, What if?

Bengals have reportedly contacted with Christian Ponder and Ryan Mallet after Dalton's injury.

Do you think we sign any of them?

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/12/14/bengals-call-ponder-mallett/

Hue Jackson, in my opinion, has been a bad play caller/ game planner all year. I think he maybe one of the more overrated coaches in the league.

Im getting a little tired of his crazy formations, splitting Whit out wide only to run the ball when your best offensive lineman isnt even on the line. How does that make sense? Why do screen passes to Fisher, an offensive lineman, when you have a guy like Bernard who is leaps and bounds more of a play maker? I just don't get it.

Hue is getting too cute. He is trying to trick his opponent when we should just be lining up and letting our skill guys, who are some of the best in the league, do their job. 2nd and goal at the 4 and we do a little shuffle pass play? Really? Line up your guy and run the damn ball. Have some faith in your players.

Andy went out of the game yesterday and what do we do? Pass the ball 3 straight times. Why not lean on the run at that point? Even when we do run, why are we continuing to lean on Hill? Its OBVIOUS that Gio has been a significantly better runner than hill this year and can do so much more, yet he has gotten a fraction of the touches lately. Are we afraid to hurt Hill's feelings?

I'm just getting tired of it. We talk all the time about how "talented" this team is, yet we do some bullshit on offense where we don't even get our best players involved. C'mon Hue.

This is NOT an Andy thread. It's a contract thread.

Anyone know how his injury affects his contact incentives?

http://www.cincyjungle.com/2015/12/2/9836498/reviewing-andy-daltons-postseason-contract-incentives-and-other-nfl

That article spells them out pretty clearly.

Are they all off the table at this point? He will have played 80% of the snaps, right? If the record now is good enough to get them in the playoffs, does the Brown family pay him?

Any ideas?

.....So of course I root for McCarron. ....Dalton had started 80 straight Bengals games of regular season and play-offs.  That was an Iron Man streak for the injury prone NFL....So now he has a broken thumb, doctors still not sure if he will be out 4 to 6 weeks or not play again until 2016 preseason. ....So we do know that for the rest of the year and going into play-offs it is McCarron.....We now do need to pick up a solid QB out of work right now. Someone with some experience to help us. Weeden was cut for example, but he has starting experience. We now need a solid back-up in case McCarron gets injured, which is possible, this is the NFL, this is football.  That Jackson guy that was Hue's back-up last season when McCarron injured at least knows our plays.

Threads saying this is a good thing or a bad thing, I'm not posting to....It is what it is.....McCarron now starts his first game. The trick is to coach him up in time for the play-offs. That falls on coaching and McCarron doing a lot of work.  You can bet Dalton will be right there to help McCarron and his team....No matter what happens, Dalton comes back from his injury the starting QB.  That is just a fact that is not worth fans discussing.  I was afraid it might be a separated shoulder or an arm injury. I was hoping he was sidelined for a very minor concussion thing and he was fine for next week. The good news I see no problem of Dalton coming back from a thumb injury when it is healed.

So everybody get behind McCarron. He will look like a rookie in his first start because that is what he is. He is not a veteran of reps and playing time and the NFL defenses will confuse him. Do not expect him to play like Brady or Manning....and Bengals need to pick up a QB that has played with the Bengals lately or a QB that has starting experience to be a back-up. This is needed because they can't just play to avoid McCarron from getting injured, they have to go all out in the play-offs. ... As Urban Meyer said last year after losing 2 QB's going into play-offs, " It is now on me an the coaches, and that is what we get paid for ". They went on to win it all......

So GO BENGALS !!!......Coach McCarron up and get in a solid back-up and coach him up as well. Time for coaches to earn their pay until Dalton is back from thumb injury this year or next. McCarron is raw and green and lacks experience, but so did Dalton in 2011.  McCarron did show some talent coming in yesterday.  We will hit the play-offs with basically a raw, green rookie QB with only 4 NFL starts, so coach him up as best as can be done.  Do not judge him on his first start being a road game. Just get him coached up. .....Washington won Super Bowl after QB injury with NFL vet Doug Williams, and if there is such a QB out there, get him in here. 

One thing McCarron has going for him....even though he was injured all 2014 his first year, he has had 2 years learning Hue Jackson's playbook...an he was in Spring and Summer camps and Preseason running these plays, and got some playing time the last 3 games. Now none of this is the same as starting, but it helps what I consider a rookie starting his first NFL game this Sunday. ....GO BENGALS...NO EXCUSES.....THERE WAS NO QUIT YESTERDAY.....THERE WAS NO QUIT IN 2012 at 3-5......THIS TEAM HAS NO QUIT.....NO QUIT.....NO EXCUSES....GO BENGALS  !!!....We still have all our weapons and playbook, with McCarron at the helm now. ...NO QUIT.