+- Cincinnati Bengals Message Board / Forums - Home of Jungle Noise (https://thebengalsboard.com)
+-- Forum: Cincinnati Bengals / NFL (https://thebengalsboard.com/forum-3.html)
+--- Forum: JUNGLE NOISE (https://thebengalsboard.com/forum-2.html)
+--- Thread: AJ McCarron is a future star (/thread-980.html)
AJ McCarron is a future star - BayouBengal - 07-12-2015
First off let me say that I don’t want this to turn into a Dalton thread. I’m not claiming AJ should replace Dalton this season, in fact I think it would be a mistake to put AJ in too soon. I do however want to make this thread before the preseason starts so that I can say told you so afterwards.
AJ McCarron is a future star and soon the rest of Cincy Jungle will be on board the hype train too. I watched every game AJ played in college and I just want to state now for the record that he will be great someday. He was already an NFL caliber signal caller his senior year at Alabama. He was like the college version of Payton Manning. He was known to read defenses and call the right audible in crucial situations and was often praised for his ability to hit his 3rd and 4th checkdowns on pro style timing routes. Although he never won the Heisman he was able to run plays in college that the redskins still can’t teach RGIII to run.
The average Bengal fan does not appreciate the steal that the organization got when they drafted AJ McCarron in the 5th round. For starters he was projected to go in the 2nd round in a draft class that was abnormally loaded with talented quarterbacks. See his draft projections in this article, his highest draft attributes where his intangibles, decision-making and ability to carry an offense when needed. http://www.nfl.com/draft/2012/profiles/aj-mccarron?id=2543497
His draft stock was only hurt by a couple of interviews and a slew of bad press surrounding those interviews. Basically he was described as “cocky” by some of the teams he met, yet this is exactly the kind of swagger the Bengals have stated they needed. Regardless of his attitude off the field, on game day he is a team player that leads with confidence and plays to his team’s strengths not his own. But that doesn’t mean that he isn’t ultra-competitive and eager to take things into his own hands and sling the ball around. His game manager label combined with his 5th round draft status caused people to overlook him. The truth is that AJ was relied on heavily at times to win for Alabama but he did win with such consistency that people assumed he must have been a product of his surroundings and tend to withhold the credit that he was due.
http://www.al.com/alabamafootball/index.ssf/2014/05/reports_aj_mccarron_rubbed_tea.html
A Quote from analyst Charles Davis in the above article; “When people say he's surrounded by so much talent, he didn't have to do anything, I don't think that's totally the case," he said. "I plug in some game tape and you can't tell me Texas A&M this year he was surrounded by talent and they won the game and he was just along for the ride. I thought he made a lot of big time plays to get that done.”
Here’s the box score from that 2013 college shootout the article mentions. Alabama uncharacteristically relied on AJ’s arm to win against Johnny Manziel’s unpredictable football hijinks. Despite both QBs having big games AJ outperformed Johnny in every category that day. http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=332570245
People who didn’t watch college football don’t understand that Alabama relied on him to win games often. His tenure at Alabama coincided with the absolute height of SEC dominance in college football and there were a number of great teams that Alabama had to overcome. It can be argued that he was not a main factor in his first national championship as a starter but that could never be said of his second national championship. He made Notre Dame look like a high school team in the national championship and was still (literally) pushing his team to execute perfection despite their complete domination of ND. He outgunned a prolific Aaron Murray in another offensive shootout in the SEC championship the game before.
Basically he helped Alabama rise to the top of a tightly contested pack of national contenders that all just happened to play in the same division of the same conference. The SEC West became known as the “mini-NFL” at the time and this was a trial by fire that McCarron passed with flying colors.
Veteran players know that it takes more than raw talent to perform well at the QB position in the NFL. Another piece of evidence I will give in support of AJ’s football prowess is the comment by CB Pacman Jones. http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2015/07/the_difference_between_winning.html
Adam Jones saw McCarron’s intangibles first hand while running against him during camp and commented on his “it” factor. Pacman isn’t a former college teammate nor does he have any prior connection to AJ. There is no reason for Pacman to hype McCarron unless he believes it. So unlike many of the other comments made about AJ during OTAs this one is sure to have the least bias and it is coming from a seasoned veteran CB.
Though he might be like Andy in a lot of physical ways he is the polar opposite in terms of consistency and big game performances. This article gives a fair assessment of AJ’s primetime prowess. http://espn.go.com/blog/sec/post/_/id/73817/take-two-big-game-aj-mccarron Though the authors disagreed on whether he was the best big-game quarterback of the era they both agreed he was consistently good. One writer argued, “But there’s not a better big-game quarterback in college football than McCarron, and he’s proved that time and time again. When the Crimson Tide have needed him most, he has almost always delivered, which is why coach Nick Saban has so much faith in McCarron. Saban has said repeatedly that McCarron doesn’t get the credit outside the program that he deserves. Then again, McCarron will gladly take rings over credit.”
So that pretty much sums up why I believe McCarron will start sometime in the near future. But I would be remiss if I didn’t point out his other characteristics that will make him a good franchise figure. If AJ ever assumed the role of Bengals franchise QB you could rest assured that he would know how to talk to the media and connect with fans. I will leave you with some examples of the press falling in love with McCarron (and not just his girlfriend who got plenty of press as well).
Starla’s story
http://espn.go.com/college-football/bowls12/story/_/id/8812751/aj-mccarron-special-bond-starla-chapman-college-football
AJ Starr’s Story
http://www.al.com/alabamafootball/index.ssf/2013/12/the_story_behind_aj_mccarron_h.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAHW44xVsVg
TLDR; AJ had a historic college career where he showed an NFL caliber ability to read defenses and make decisions. His tenure at Alabama exposed him to more media than the average college QB yet he always exhibited poise and proved himself to be a good teammate and leader. Though he is like Dalton in many ways he is the polar opposite in terms of his consistency and his propensity for stellar primetime performances.
RE: AJ McCarron is a future star - Bengalholic - 07-12-2015
Not a bad read at all, but it would be easier on the eyes if you separated the paragraphs.
Also, welcome aboard!
RE: AJ McCarron is a future star - Devils Advocate - 07-12-2015
(07-12-2015, 12:47 AM)Bengalholic Wrote: Not a bad read at all, but it would be easier on the eyes if you separated the paragraphs.
Also, welcome aboard!
Get back with us after .... you know ... he throws a pass.
RE: AJ McCarron is a future star - Stormborn - 07-12-2015
I refuse to believe college prime time performers automatically make good pro primetime performers.
Because it sure hasn't happened here the last dozen years.
RE: AJ McCarron is a future star - RoyleRedlegs - 07-12-2015
(07-12-2015, 01:41 AM)Stormborn Wrote: I refuse to believe college prime time performers automatically make good pro primetime performers.
Because it sure hasn't happened here the last dozen years.
That's the part that cracks me up the most.
Dalton was big game money in college.
RE: AJ McCarron is a future star - wolfkaosaun - 07-12-2015
(07-12-2015, 01:49 AM)RoyleRedlegs Wrote: That's the part that cracks me up the most.
Dalton was big game money in college.
BUT SEC
RE: AJ McCarron is a future star - Stormborn - 07-12-2015
(07-12-2015, 01:49 AM)RoyleRedlegs Wrote: That's the part that cracks me up the most.
Dalton was big game money in college.
If the A.J. era does take off, I just hope it's under a coach. It might give him a chance.
RE: AJ McCarron is a future star - RoyleRedlegs - 07-12-2015
(07-12-2015, 01:53 AM)wolfkaosaun Wrote: BUT SEC
More like "He did it on ESPN!"
RE: AJ McCarron is a future star - RoyleRedlegs - 07-12-2015
(07-12-2015, 01:58 AM)Stormborn Wrote: If the A.J. era does take off, I just hope it's under a coach. It might give him a chance.
Right. I'd love to be wrong but I really see no reason to be as optimistic (and borderline obsessive) about him being a messiah of some kind
RE: AJ McCarron is a future star - bfine32 - 07-12-2015
I think the difference between AJ and Andy is: If AJ had to give the team a final minute pep talk in the tunnel before a playoff game; it wouldn't be "Let's good have fun".
I have no idea why folks hate AJ so much but they have ever since his name was called on draft day.
RE: AJ McCarron is a future star - Stormborn - 07-12-2015
(07-12-2015, 02:04 AM)bfine32 Wrote: I think the difference between AJ and Andy is: If AJ had to give the team a final minute pep talk in the tunnel before a playoff game; it wouldn't be "Let's good have fun".
I have no idea why folks hate AJ so much but they have ever since his name was called on draft day.
Gotta be honest, it's the tats.
RE: AJ McCarron is a future star - RoyleRedlegs - 07-12-2015
(07-12-2015, 02:04 AM)bfine32 Wrote: I think the difference between AJ and Andy is: If AJ had to give the team a final minute pep talk in the tunnel before a playoff game; it wouldn't be "Let's good have fun".
I have no idea why folks hate AJ so much but they have ever since his name was called on draft day.
I don't hate him. I don't think he's a very good QB.
And I'm certainly not going to dub him before has thrown even a pre-season NFL pass.
RE: AJ McCarron is a future star - Murdock2420 - 07-12-2015
(07-12-2015, 01:53 AM)wolfkaosaun Wrote: BUT SEC
Just a small list of "SEC" big game QB's who won the Heisman award.
Johnny Manziel
Cam Newton
Tim Tebow
Danny Wuerffel
This list is the SEC QBs taken in round one since the 90's
1994
Heath Shuler
Tennessee
1998
Peyton Manning
Tennessee
1999
Tim Couch
Kentucky
2003
Rex Grossman
Florida
2004
Eli Manning
Ole Miss
2005
Jason Campbell
Auburn
2006
Jay Cutler
Vanderbilt
2007
JaMarcus Russell
LSU
2008
Matthew Stafford
Georgia
2010
Tim Tebow
Florida
2011
Cam Newton
Auburn
2011
Blaine Gabbert#
Missouri
2012
Ryan Tannehill#
Texas A&M
2014
Johnny Manziel
Texas A&M
The SEC has a great deal of NFL ready talent, but rarely has NFL ready QBs. The exception being Peyton. SEC teams are stacked, and the QBs there I think get used to having the best at every position. It's a different game in the NFL, where the QB has to really be the driving force.
McCarron looks like he might be a decent back-up. Time will tell, I just don't see a guy who never really had to be the deciding factor in a game, suddenly becoming a high level NFL QB.
Look at the top QBs in the league and you'll see a trend. They didn't come from stacked teams, they learned how to win with less and over come challenges.
Rodgers played for Cal. Good school, but more known for the basketball history, and not the top school in their conference.
Rapeburger, from Miami of Ohio. Talk about winning with limited talent. Yeah, never trust him with your daughter, but the guy knows how to get it done.
Brees, played at Purdue. When was the last time Purdue was near the top of the Big 10? Exactly.
Flacco from Delaware....not a joke...dude played at Delaware.
Brady, yeah he came out of Michigan, and is the closest you can find to a big time talent team. Let's be fair though, at the time Brady was there the shift had begun. The SEC and ACC where getting more players and Ohio State, Michigan State, and at the time Penn State were all rivals for Michigan in terms of talent.
It's just rare to find a guy who had the talents around him that a guy like McCarron had at Alabama and see that translate to NFL success.
RE: AJ McCarron is a future star - bfine32 - 07-12-2015
(07-12-2015, 02:00 AM)RoyleRedlegs Wrote: Right. I'd love to be wrong but I really see no reason to be as optimistic (and borderline obsessive) about him being a messiah of some kind
(07-12-2015, 02:10 AM)RoyleRedlegs Wrote: I don't hate him. I don't think he's a very good QB.
And I'm certainly not going to dub him before has thrown even a pre-season NFL pass.
Oh, I didn't mean you. I was talking about all those others that run him down before he takes a snap in the NFL.
RE: AJ McCarron is a future star - EatonFan - 07-12-2015
I guess we'll see here in about a month what McCarron has at the NFL level. Some college stars can adjust and some can't. It is amazing how some are big time stars at college only to completely flop on the NFL stage. I'm hoping McCarron tears it up. Dalton gets dinged a bit. AJ comes in and we win five straight super bowls. I just don't see that happening.
RE: AJ McCarron is a future star - EatonFan - 07-12-2015
So then Dalton would become the prototypical good backup QB. That seems odd. I know a lot of people don't like Andy but he does not seem like a backup.
RE: AJ McCarron is a future star - Shake n Blake - 07-12-2015
(07-12-2015, 02:18 AM)Murdock2420 Wrote: Peyton Manning
Eli Manning
Jay Cutler
Matthew Stafford
Cam Newton
Ryan Tannehill
The SEC has a great deal of NFL ready talent, but rarely has NFL ready QBs. The exception being Peyton.
I don't think this list is really helping your cause. Starting NFL QB's are pretty rare period for college teams. Narrowing it down to a single conference is going to limit it even further, yet there's still a good amount of good QB's from the SEC starting in the NFL right now.
How many QB's from the PAC-12, BIG 10, ACC, etc are currently NFL starters? I'm betting less than 6.
RE: AJ McCarron is a future star - EatonFan - 07-12-2015
(07-12-2015, 09:19 AM)Shake n Blake Wrote: I don't think this list is really helping your cause. Starting NFL QB's are pretty rare period for college teams. Narrowing it down to a single conference is going to limit it even further, yet there's still a good amount of good QB's from the SEC starting in the NFL right now.
How many QB's from the PAC-12, BIG 10, ACC, etc are currently NFL starters? I'm betting less than 6.
Pac 10 – 6
SEC – 6
Big 10 – 5
ACC – 5
Other conferences have 3 or less.
RE: AJ McCarron is a future star - McC - 07-12-2015
Apparently, the fact that he's never played a down in the NFL makes it acceptable to say he'll never be any good but not acceptable to say he will be good.
RE: AJ McCarron is a future star - SHRacerX - 07-12-2015
I am anxious to watch McCarron in the preseason. I like the guy's character and I think he has a bit of Brady in him in the sense of all he has done is win and still people doubt him. I mean, Tom Savage was drafted before him???
I don't see him overtaking Dalton, but I would love to see him develop and perhaps end up being traded for a higher draft pick in a couple years to a desperate team.