.....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. 

It's the McCarron show from here on out and judging by yesterday coming in cold I think he did quite well putting up 20 on Shitzburg. If AJ gets injured the season is over, end of story. They might as well use Wenning or Sanu for that matter.
It's going to be very interesting if AJ takes us deep in the playoffs and even better if we win the whole shooting match. If THAT happens there will be no shortage of people wanting to trade Andy which would be the dumbest move possible. Very few teams have the luxury of having two top shelf starting QBs. That would be a real life wet dream come true.
I'm all behind AJ at this point and realize he's going to throw some picks and make lots of mistakes, but never forget the team motto, 'THERE'S ALWAYS NEXT SEASON! '

I'm excited about what AJ can do. He looked good yesterday given that he hadn't practiced at all with the first team. I think he is going to come out and light a fire. Its going to be exciting to watch!

(12-14-2015, 12:58 PM)BengirlVal Wrote: I'm excited about what AJ can do. He looked good yesterday given that he hadn't practiced at all with the first team. I think he is going to come out and light a fire. Its going to be exciting to watch!

I was busy with a kids Christmas party, but I could sneak a peek at some of it....One play he could have ran for a first down with Bengals behind by 13 with time left to come back. Instead he threw deep and just to far out of bounds and we punted.  That would have been a great play a few inches more in bounds, I don't blame his choice.  A vet might have taken the easy first down yards.  Then again, with no real back-up, maybe they told him to avoid running. ....It is what it is, and fans should get behind him, but be prepared for him to look more like a first game rookie than a proven vet. ...I can see fans soon coming on here saying he stinks, but he needs time to be coached up for the play-offs.  Don't expect him to read defenses and change plays like a Peyton Manning as some Bengals fans will, not knowing college and NFL are far apart in talent and speed of the game. ....Look for Dalton to be on the sidelines in street clothes to help him on the sidelines, going over what the defenses are throwing at him. Dalton now becomes a QB coach, and he can still help his team greatly as a coach to McCarron. 

Will be interesting to see what he brings. I was encouraged how he stepped in after the injury.

Will be some growing pains but the rest of the team has to step up their game and make it easier for him.

May I point out that Washington won a Super Bowl with their starting QB out and used a QB that had played for Tampa and been out of work, and he was Doug Williams and ended up Super Bowl MVP......and may I point out in Super Bowl 1, that Green Bay had their top WR's injured and the WR that ended up Super Bowl MVP was old and had to be brought in from retirement, and he was that star of the game......The 1970 Colts lost their top RB, and the back-up guy tore Bengals and everybody up in the Play-offs to win Super Bowl.....I'm sure there are many more stories like this....Johnny Unitas injured and Earl Morral leads 1968 Colts to the Super Bowl........Super Bowls are often played by teams that had injuries, but other players stepped in and THE TEAM NEVER QUIT.

I'm looking forward to seeing how AJ does in his official first start on Sunday. I could see Hue still trying to be cute and actually running the read option with AJ since no one would expect a pocket passer to do that.

If he wins Sunday, he will be the first Alabama QB to win an NFL game since 1987.

(12-14-2015, 05:06 PM)Harmening Wrote: If he wins Sunday, he will be the first Alabama QB to win an NFL game since 1987.

It would be alright by me if he is the first Alabama QB to win a Super since Joe Namath. 

(12-14-2015, 08:10 PM)kevin Wrote: It would be alright by me if he is the first Alabama QB to win a Super since Joe Namath. 

As long as he stays sober and doesn't hit on the sideline reporter, the sky's the limit. 

(12-14-2015, 08:12 PM)Awful Llama Wrote: As long as he stays sober and doesn't hit on the sideline reporter, the sky's the limit. 

Oh the sideline reporter, who is she kidding.  She loved Broadway Joe flirting with her. He wasn't doing any Bill Cosby on her....If Bama McCarron plays anything close to Bama Super Joe, we should be so lucky. 

(12-14-2015, 08:12 PM)Awful Llama Wrote: As long as he stays sober and doesn't hit on the sideline reporter, the sky's the limit. 

LOL, he's not Joe Namath or Johnny Wiskey.

(12-14-2015, 08:12 PM)Awful Llama Wrote: As long as he stays sober and doesn't hit on the sideline reporter, the sky's the limit. 

Have you seen his wife?  I don't think he'll be hitting on anyone else but her.

(12-14-2015, 01:11 PM)kevin Wrote: I was busy with a kids Christmas party, but I could sneak a peek at some of it....One play he could have ran for a first down with Bengals behind by 13 with time left to come back. Instead he threw deep and just to far out of bounds and we punted.  That would have been a great play a few inches more in bounds, I don't blame his choice.  A vet might have taken the easy first down yards.  Then again, with no real back-up, maybe they told him to avoid running. ....It is what it is, and fans should get behind him, but be prepared for him to look more like a first game rookie than a proven vet. ...I can see fans soon coming on here saying he stinks, but he needs time to be coached up for the play-offs.  Don't expect him to read defenses and change plays like a Peyton Manning as some Bengals fans will, not knowing college and NFL are far apart in talent and speed of the game. ....Look for Dalton to be on the sidelines in street clothes to help him on the sidelines, going over what the defenses are throwing at him. Dalton now becomes a QB coach, and he can still help his team greatly as a coach to McCarron. 

Damn, good post Kevin!!! I don't think anyone wants to see AJM, fail. Many wants a qb controversy, but don't think that will be the case. This is andy's team. AJM has a chance to show what he can do. Let's see what he does with it. 

(12-14-2015, 08:10 PM)okevin Wrote: It would be alright by me if hein) is the first Alabama QB to win a Super since Joe Namath. 

Off the top of my head and no Google,  wasn't Ken Stabler from bama and didn't he win (or at least play Ieast play in) a super bowl? Believe he hit the sauce, too.

(12-15-2015, 10:36 AM)TGISunday Wrote: Off the top of my head and no Google,  wasn't Ken Stabler from bama and didn't he win (or at least play Ieast play in) a super bowl? Believe he hit the sauce, too.

You are correct sir....and here's to AJM breaking that 28 year old Bama QB curse.  

Namath...Stabler...now AJ McCarron.....Alabama Super Bowl quarterbacks ????....GO BENGALS

Ignore Stabler and Broadway, can he even be Jeff Rutledge?

(12-15-2015, 03:25 PM)kevin Wrote: Namath...Stabler...now AJ McCarron.....Alabama Super Bowl quarterbacks ????....GO BENGALS

You are forgetting one. Bart Starr played at Alabama and won 2 Superbowls. 

From Wiki-
Bryan Bartlett "Bart" Starr (born January 9, 1934) is a former professional American football player and coach. He wore #15 and he was the quarterback for the Green Bay Packers from 1956 to 1971, during which time he became the only quarterback in NFL history to lead a team to five championships (1961–62, 1965–67) as well as Super Bowls I and II

I still think todays game is about this....if Dalton was starting, to me it would be about the 49ers. I met Anthony Munoz at a Bengals camp once and he mentioned the 49ers to everybody. Bengals lost 2 Super Bowls to them and also always came up short in regular season games to Bill Walsh and Joe Montana. It's a part of his career he has to live with.  I was hoping we could climb towards the play-offs and put a loss on 49ers for a change.

Todays game isn't about 49ers games of the past now....it is simply AJ McCarron getting his first NFL start under his belt....it may not be a pretty thing to watch today, but it has to be done. With Dalton injured, McCarron who I still consider a rookie gets thrown into the fire. ...I consider him a rookie because he spent his first year injured all last year and not even on the regular team but the injured list. This is his first year on the regular team, hence-rookie...and making his first start.

Get him out there, see what his strengths and weaknesses are, and coach him up for the play-offs the 3 games after this one. He can at least get 4 games under his belt with the starting team and try to get some timing down with the starting receivers.  The timing is the key thing, getting his passes in jive with the timing and moves of the receivers. Timing is everything, and can't be learned on the bench.  A half a second or an inch off makes the difference between a completion and an incomplete pass or an interception.  The difference between 1st downs or punting....This game is all about starting to work on the timing of these plays in the playbook, and he has 4 games to get ready for the play-offs. ....The play-offs will be his 5th start.....There is much work to be done from his very limited action against Rams and Browns and his longer action against Steelers, and now these 4 games he will start....He will have at least been in 7 straight games going into play-offs, so that is an upside......These games are like preseason games to the play-offs now, 4 games to get McCarron ready for the play-offs in a very short time.