AJ McCarron is a future star

[Rotobeast]

(07-12-2015, 12:28 AM)BayouBengal Wrote: 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.

It's no secret that I'm totally onboard with ya, homie.
I'm not a Dalton hater, but I just have a feeling, as I've stated before.
I get the feeling that there will be the Bledsoe/Brady scenario and AJ ends up being the next Brett Favre.

[*Awful Llama*]

(07-12-2015, 06:16 PM)bfine32 Wrote: I don't know if it's SEC hate, Alabama hate, Andy love, girlfriend hate, tattoos, or folks just don't like the guy. I think the closest to it I've sen is when we picked up Burfict.

Some of it may be Andy devotion, but the majority of it strikes me as being the Alabama/SEC thing. If every single thing about this kid were exactly the same except that he had attended UCLA or Colorado instead, then I trully believe most of the vitriol would disappear.

[RoyleRedlegs]

(07-12-2015, 09:07 PM)Awful Llama Wrote: Some of it may be Andy devotion, but the majority of it strikes me as being the Alabama/SEC thing.  If every single thing about this kid were exactly the same except that he had attended UCLA or Colorado instead, then I trully believe most of the vitriol would disappear.

That's not true. 
Many of the people who dislike McCarron disliked Hundley from UCLA. 

Why can't it just be that people don't like his skillset? 

[Johnny Cupcakes]

Good college QB, for sure, but I want to see him play a bit in the NFL first before I declare him a future star.

[BigPapaKain]

(07-12-2015, 06:16 PM)bfine32 Wrote: Don't think that's it. Bengal fans have been optimistic about a number of draft choices and others brought in here to possibly be backup QB (LaFevre, Scott, Wilson, ect..). The "hate" for AJ was almost immediate. I wish we still had access to the draft day thread. I was amazed at the rush of "he'll never be anything" posts.

I don't know if it's SEC hate, Alabama hate, Andy love, girlfriend hate, tattoos, or folks just don't like the guy. I think the closest to it I've sen is when we picked up Burfict.

I can really only speak for myself, but the only reason I bag on McCarron is to annoy the drooling masses that constantly call for him to start after Dalton makes his first mistake of the season. That shit gets tired - especially when we ain't even seen the dude throw a pass against a second or third string NFL defense.

Yes he looked good in college - on a team where he had studs at every position around him and his coach was a boss. Kudos to him for being given every opportunity to succeed in college.

But for the love of everything that is holy can we wait to see how he performs with chumps around him in the preseason before we anoint him? If he's better than Dalton, start him by all means. I'll be the first one cheering for him when he steps into that huddle. Until then he's a hyped up clipboard handler.

[*bfine32*]

(07-12-2015, 09:22 PM)RoyleRedlegs Wrote: Why can't it just be that people don't like his skillset? 

IDK, but it is something more than that.

What is the big difference between his skillset and our current starting QB?

Most see a very similar skillset.

[BengalChris]

Let's see how he does in an NFL game first. He'll get a chance to show something in the pre-season, but even that isn't really game time play.

[fredtoast]

(07-12-2015, 10:04 PM)bfine32 Wrote: IDK, but it is something more than that.

What is the big difference between his skillset and our current starting QB?

Most see a very similar skillset.

If they had the same skill set McCarron would not have lasted until late in the fifth round when Andy was taken very early in the second round.

Other than that I am guessing that Greg McElroy has a lot to do with Bengals fans distrust of McCarron.  Personally I think McCarron is a lot better than McElroy, but I can understand why a lot of people that didn't watch them play oin college would think they were similar.

[*Awful Llama*]

(07-12-2015, 09:22 PM)RoyleRedlegs Wrote: That's not true.
Many of the people who dislike McCarron disliked Hundley from UCLA.

Why can't it just be that people don't like his skillset?

I believe it is for many, but not all certainly.  I'm not trying to paint everyone with one brush, just giving my impression.  

I'm sure some do dislike his "skillset." In my opinion, with all of the SEC ranting I've seen on here and the previous board over the years, it seems pretty clear to me where a good bit of the anomosity lies.  Some of it may also be, as someone else pointed out, just due in part to people clammoring for him to start.  If you're a Dalton supporter you probably don't want to hear people wanting him to start or suggesting he will be starting shortly. 

[*bfine32*]

(07-12-2015, 10:58 PM)fredtoast Wrote: If they had the same skill set McCarron would not have lasted until late in the fifth round when Andy was taken very early in the second round.

Below is AJ's draft projection from NFL.COM
http://www.nfl.com/draft/2014/profiles/aj-mccarron?id=2543497

Are you saying Blaine Gabbard, Jake Locker, and Christian Ponder have a better skillset than Andy? They were drafted in the 1st round.

[fozzie11]

(07-12-2015, 10:04 PM)bfine32 Wrote: IDK, but it is something more than that.

What is the big difference between his skillset and our current starting QB?

Most see a very similar skillset.

for me it's the fact that they have a similar skillset, and some people act like he's the next tom brady, but has never played a down in the NFL

 I hear it all the time and it's usually this exact quote " next year is our year when A.J takes over at QB"

and i don't hate the guy but I just don't see him being much different than what we have.

[Se ky bengal]

(07-12-2015, 12:01 PM)fredtoast Wrote: But if you go back and look at the original question I think you will agree that Dalton's performance at the end of the '14 season was not bad enough to get him benched.

He looked bad in the playoff games, but he had no receivers and threw zero interceptions.

And going back to game 12 (like you did) he only had two games with a passer rating under 80 despite playing the Steelers twice in addition to two top 8 pass defenses (Texans, Broncos).

That is not bad enough to get him benched.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Agree totally Fred , I don't think it wil get him benched. They can and should get rid of him he plays as bad,all year (god forbid) that he played in 14. Myself if he can play way he was in 13, I feel that would be acceptable. With all weapons he has it would be good year. 


I think everyone here wants to improve our QB play.  I don't think anyone would complain if McCarron outplayed Dalton.  Most of the people who are accused of being "blind Dalton homers" are actually just Bengal fans.  So they would also support McCarron if he was the starter.  And on the other hand most of the people who are accused of being "Dalton haters" are actually just haters who would be ripping down McCarron if he didn't win the Super Bowl his first season as our starting QB. 
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I myself would like to see better qb play. From Dalton or AJ. If Dalton , is our starting qb all year. GO 
DALTON !!! God forbid Dalton, goes down. I will pull for AJ, if AJ wins the an spot. I don't see that happening, but I would pull for AJ to succeed. We are Bengals fans,pull for our team no matter whose at the helm!! Just mi opinion!
O

[t3r3e3]

(07-12-2015, 09:31 AM)EatonFan Wrote: Pac 10 – 6

SEC – 6
Big 10 – 5
ACC – 5

Other conferences have 3 or less.

If you're using Teddy Bridgewater in the ACC, he was a Big East and American guy.

[t3r3e3]

(07-12-2015, 11:29 AM)2MinutesHate Wrote: Weeks 12, 14 & 17 (especially this week) are at/near the end of the season in my opinion.  He did have the great game against Denver though.

You'll just have to accept that some people on the board here believe we could or should improve at the QB position.    This is a thread about AJ McCarron and the possibility of him becoming a starting QB.  We are simply exploring that possibility here, given the fact that he plays for the Bengals.  No harm, no foul really.  There really is no right or wrong answer.

My thoughts as well on the uneven play by Andy down the stretch. Also, Dalton played decent against Denver. Calling 17-25 for 146, two TD's and one pick great is a bit of a reach. It's not bad, but it's not great.

Having AJ McCarron on the roster is a good thing. At minimum, he should provide a solid upgrade in the backup QB position, and may develop into a decent starter. The biggest thing I like about AJ McC is his fire and moxie. He has the Type A QB personality that all the great ones have. Whether he backs it up with play is yet to be seen.

[2MinutesHate]

Regardless of what side if the fence you're on as far as dalton goes,  it's exciting that bengal coaches and players such as a. Jones are speaking so highly of AJ.    Is not too often that your starters rave about the 2nd string QB.  Who knows?  Maybe, just maybe we have something here.  

God Damn,  we sure do deserve it, don't we?

[t3r3e3]

(07-13-2015, 12:06 AM)2MinutesHate Wrote: Regardless of what side if the fence you're on as far as dalton goes,  it's exciting that bengal coaches and players such as a. Jones are speaking so highly of AJ.    Is not too often that your starters rave about the 2nd string QB.  Who knows?  Maybe, just maybe we have something here.  

God Damn,  we sure do deserve it, don't we?

Yes, unless people would rather get that LeFevour again...

[J24]

(07-12-2015, 10:01 PM)Johnny Cupcakes Wrote: Good college QB, for sure, but I want to see him play a bit in the NFL first before I declare him a future star.

agreed

[BayouBengal]

IDK why I bothered trying to not make this a Dalton vs. McCarron thread. I just wanted to express my excitement that the Bengals drafted AJ a guy whose college career I followed closely and I believe was underrated. He did have an ESPN mag cover though so its hard to say underrated but strictly from a QB perspective he was overshadowed by the all-americans around him. But he was an All-American too! I literally joined this board because I wanted to predict that Bengals fandom will rave about this guy after the pre-season.

(07-12-2015, 12:01 PM)fredtoast Wrote: I think everyone here wants to improve our QB play.  I don't think anyone would complain if McCarron outplayed Dalton.  Most of the people who are accused of being "blind Dalton homers" are actually just Bengal fans.  So they would also support McCarron if he was the starter.  And on the other hand most of the people who are accused of being "Dalton haters" are actually just haters who would be ripping down McCarron if he didn't win the Super Bowl his first season as our starting QB. 

Couldn't agree more. And let me say that I hope AJ isn't thrown in too fast just because Andy is faltering. That could be bad for him. But he could be a great starter in a few years with a more consistent QBR. Best case scenario is that he becomes as competent as Dalton right about the time that Dalton's contract becomes untenable.

[*Wyche'sWarrior*]

(07-12-2015, 10:58 PM)fredtoast Wrote: If they had the same skill set McCarron would not have lasted until late in the fifth round when Andy was taken very early in the second round.

Other than that I am guessing that Greg McElroy has a lot to do with Bengals fans distrust of McCarron.  Personally I think McCarron is a lot better than McElroy, but I can understand why a lot of people that didn't watch them play oin college would think they were similar.

.......but when we compared the two Mc's stats in the years they started on the old board, they were very similar.  I watch quite a bit of SEC football, I just wasn't that impressed with him........not that I watched every Bama game, mind you.  I certainly don't wish him any ill will, but your McElroy scenario is the issue with me.  He may be a little better than Greg, but is that really saying anything? 

[BayouBengal]

(07-13-2015, 02:52 AM)Wyche Wrote: .......but when we compared the two Mc's stats in the years they started on the old board, they were very similar.  I watch quite a bit of SEC football, I just wasn't that impressed with him........not that I watched every Bama game, mind you.  I certainly don't wish him any ill will, but your McElroy scenario is the issue with me.  He may be a little better than Greg, but is that really saying anything? 

McElroy was never going to be anything but a clipboard holder in the NFL and still he got in a Jets game and saved it from Sanchez destruction. I did watch every Bama game with both Mc's in them. Both QB's were better than they get credit for being (I mean if Bama can recruit the best of the best at every other position why wouldn't they get a good pro style QB too?) but in all honesty McCarron was much better than McElroy. My dads a huge Bama fan who will record every game and rewatch them over and over. I can distinctly remember him talking about this "next guy" that they had referring to McCarron just after they won their first national championship. I've had my eye on him ever since and he's always been impressive. He also has the right size and personality for the NFL which McElroy did not.

The Bengals drafting him so cheaply was just amazing news to me. I didn't even watch the draft but was excited when I heard. Now that a few articles have come out suggesting he's doing well, I wanted to be the first to give my expose on this guy. This is the first pre-season that I'm excited to watch in a long time maybe ever.