(05-27-2021, 10:08 PM)Crazyjdawg Wrote: Sigh...

I said he would be the perfect back up QB because that would be his ideal role. He was a starter for a decade, but he should not have been. Especially not an unopposed starter. If they drafted players or signed players to compete with him and he beat them out, fair enough but we never even tried.

The Dalton Line is basically exactly how I felt about him. He was the defining mark. If you're better than Dalton, you deserve to be a starting QB. If you're worse, you need to be replaced. He sat in that limbo for his entire career, except for 2016 when people thought he finally "turned the corner," despite all evidence that players don't magically change from an average starter to an elite starter after 6 years in the NFL. Obviously, we were all promptly shown that was not the case in 2016 and beyond.

I see Dalton the same way I see Ryan Fitzpatrick. He'd be an asset to just about any team in the NFL, but you should have a plan other than starting him with no competition for the role.

As for 2015's talent, Eifert, Green, Jones and Sanu was one of the most potent receiving corps in the NFL that year, regardless of what Sanu or Eifert did the following years and their offensive line had Whitworth, Zeitler, Boling and Smith, all of whom were above average or better (with Whitworth being elite) at their position. The offense was absolutely stacked in 2015.

Not to mention the defense that was 2nd in the NFL in points allowed per game.

(05-27-2021, 10:08 PM)Crazyjdawg Wrote: Sigh...

I said he would be the perfect back up QB because that would be his ideal role. He was a starter for a decade, but he should not have been. Especially not an unopposed starter. If they drafted players or signed players to compete with him and he beat them out, fair enough but we never even tried.

The Dalton Line is basically exactly how I felt about him. He was the defining mark. If you're better than Dalton, you deserve to be a starting QB. If you're worse, you need to be replaced. He sat in that limbo for his entire career, except for 2016 when people thought he finally "turned the corner," despite all evidence that players don't magically change from an average starter to an elite starter after 6 years in the NFL. Obviously, we were all promptly shown that was not the case in 2016 and beyond.

I see Dalton the same way I see Ryan Fitzpatrick. He'd be an asset to just about any team in the NFL, but you should have a plan other than starting him with no competition for the role.

As for 2015's talent, Eifert, Green, Jones and Sanu was one of the most potent receiving corps in the NFL that year, regardless of what Sanu or Eifert did the following years and their offensive line had Whitworth, Zeitler, Boling and Smith, all of whom were above average or better (with Whitworth being elite) at their position. The offense was absolutely stacked in 2015.

Not to mention the defense that was 2nd in the NFL in points allowed per game.

(05-28-2021, 08:00 AM)Tony Wrote: Great..... Dalton BS again.... This is embarrassing to still be bringing this guy up.... He's gone... Move on...

(05-28-2021, 01:22 PM)GreenCornBengal Wrote: I’m having some regrets about creating this thread seeing what it has become! Jk, I love a good Dalton debate.

(05-28-2021, 01:25 PM)Shake n Blake Wrote: I really wish we could all see Dalton for what he was: an average starting QB who had good moments and bad. Who could be upgraded, but was also someone you could win with on a good team.

Similar caliber to Jay Cutler, Joe Flacco, Cam Newton, Derek Carr.

If there wasn't guys out here claiming Dalton was trash, a backup, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Jon Kitna, CFL caliber, etc...then there would've never been any "Dalton defenders".

Quote:Joe Burrow took the field at Bengals workouts on Tuesday. That’s all I needed to see. Burrow will hit the ground running with old LSU teammate Ja’Marr Chase. This connection was special in that 2019 national championship run — I can’t wait to see these two make sweet music together once again

Quote:Joe Burrow took the field at Bengals workouts on Tuesday. That’s all I needed to see. Burrow will hit the ground running with old LSU teammate Ja’Marr Chase. This connection was special in that 2019 national championship run — I can’t wait to see these two make sweet music together once again

Quote:Like colleague Gregg Rosenthal said, the offensive line looks better on paper than you think

Quote:Lou Anarumo’s defense remains a big question mark — with a bunch of notable losses and gains in free agency — but the offense has the kind of firepower to win some shootouts.

Quote:All in all, I think the arrow is pointing up in Cincy. Meanwhile, in Pittsburgh ...

Quote:The Steelers still have a Hall of Fame quarterback in Ben Roethlisberger, but he’s not Benjamin Button. Now 39 years old, Big Ben clearly hit a wall down the stretch last year. So did Pittsburgh. From 11-0 to first-round playoff exit.

Quote:And I don’t see the trend reversing for the better in 2021. While first-round pick Najee Harris is a stud runner, the offensive line remains problematic.

Quote:The defense lost Bud Dupree (who’d become a fabulous edge-rushing complement to T.J. Watt) and Mike Hilton (the stud slot corner who just so happened to relocate to Cincy). And it sure doesn’t help that the aging Steelers drew the NFL’s toughest strength of schedule.

Quote:The thing in the NFL is the quarterback is such an important piece to the team. Of course one man can’t do it all, but there is a reason the teams that seem to always be contending have the best quarterbacks.

At the root of Schein’s argument is Ben Roethlisberger is over the hill while Joe Burrow is ascending. That is pretty easily shown by how terribly Pittsburgh’s 2020 season fell apart on the shoulders of Roethlisberger, which included an upset via the Bengals led by Ryan Finley on Monday Night Football.

There was a time where the Steelers seemed untouchable, but this past season showed that their seemingly endless factory of talent is running a bit dry. JuJu Smith-Schuster failed to step in and replace Antonio Brown’s production, which sent a ripple effect across the offense. Suddenly, these receivers weren’t only facing single coverage, and Roethlisberger’s job got that much harder.

Meanwhile, you could see Burrow and this offense starting to click. We even saw Tee Higgins finish the season with some strong performances with Brandon Allen taking snaps.

Now with Ja’Marr Chase coming in to fix on of the Bengals biggest issues from last season (the deep passing game), the only real limit is how quickly he and former college teammate Burrow pick back up that connection.

It also helps that the Steelers didn’t have a strong offseason. They saw key players walk away, and they didn’t really go out and replace them. They also didn’t help rebuild their offensive line that was a major issue in 2020. Najee Harris seems like a great guy, but Bengals fans know what it is like to watch a good running back try and create behind a struggling offensive line that can’t open holes.

It is exciting to see another national writer speak out in support of the Bengals, which seems to becoming more of a popular thing to do. The day will come soon that this won’t be seen as a bold prediction, and it will just become the expectation with Burrow leading the way.

My bold statement would be that if Burrow wasn’t coming off a major knee injury that people wouldn’t even think this was a bold take by Schein.

(05-28-2021, 04:07 PM)George Cantstandya Wrote: I don't think that would be a huge surprise.  Especially if the Steelers play like the did at the end of last year.  Their O-line is suspect now, much like the Bengals.  Their defense though is still very strong IMO.  Ben certainly seems to be on the decline.  So how well the Bengals line up against the Steelers will depend on how much the Bengals improved the O-line and defense.   Honestly I think the Bengals have more to worry about when it comes to the Browns and Ravens.   I would not be content just being better than the Steelers this year.   I know many fans here hate them but being better than a team that may be on the decline should not be the ultimate goal this season.

(05-28-2021, 01:25 PM)Shake n Blake Wrote: I really wish we could all see Dalton for what he was: an average starting QB who had good moments and bad. Who could be upgraded, but was also someone you could win with on a good team.

Similar caliber to Jay Cutler, Joe Flacco, Cam Newton, Derek Carr.

If there wasn't guys out here claiming Dalton was trash, a backup, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Jon Kitna, CFL caliber, etc...then there would've never been any "Dalton defenders".

(05-28-2021, 01:35 PM)Frank Booth Wrote: pretty much

(05-28-2021, 01:11 PM)Shake n Blake Wrote: 1. The Dalton line was garbage logic. How many years did a QB need to be "worse than Dalton" in order to be replaced? Many QBs that were considered better than Dalton finished beneath him (using passer rating) in various years.

Brady was underneath Dalton at least twice. Stafford. Cam Newton. Andrew Luck for most of his career. Should they have been replaced? Or can we assume that Dalton also finished behind some QBs that he was better than?

2. You didn't address 90% of my points. If Burrow has a strong year, are you going to assign all the credit to his weapons, which are clearly better than any year with Dalton? How was Dalton able to produce 3 other top 15 seasons with an overall poor supporting cast?  

3. Dalton is not Ryan Fitzpatrick. His career rating is almost 6 points higher than Fitzpatrick's. Not to mention Ryan has never made the playoffs. The fact that you equate the two is telling.

4. The offense was not "absolutely stacked" in 2015, as I've already shown. Anyways, Dalton produced at an MVP level that year, so I don't see how that can be used against him regardless. Again, if Burrow produces this year, should we give him no credit?

(05-28-2021, 05:37 PM)bengaloo Wrote: I forgot to add