08-08-2021, 06:48 PM
(08-08-2021, 02:53 PM)Bengalholic Wrote: Yeah, even when you account for era and comparisons versus peers, Burrow clearly demonstrated more in his rookie season, especially when you consider how much more Burrow had on his plate than Dalton, and the overall situations of the 2.
When you look at per game averages, Burrow was asked to throw the ball the 3rd most of any QB last year, and also completed the 3rd most passes per game. He also ranked 10th in passing yards per game. Andy was near the bottom in all 3 areas in 2011...and was not asked to drop back an insane amount during his rookie year.
Dalton also had a veteran head coach, a veteran backup QB to get advice from, an explosive AJ Green and an o-line that ranked 13th on the season. Burrow had none of that and still put up better overall performances.
Everyone will have their opinions of course, and I was always an Andy supporter, but the evidence isn't even debatable as far as I can see, when it comes to who had a more impactful rookie season in terms of play. Now, Andy won more games obviously and deserves credit for that, but the surrounding circumstances and him not having too much put on his shoulders, played a big part.
Throwing the ball more does not make you a better QB. In 2019 Jared Goff and Jameis Winstead tied for the league lead in pass attempts and they both stunk.
Both Dalton and Burrow had lousy running games that finished 27th in yards per carry and about the same in rushing yards (19th in 2011, 24th in 2020)
Dalton had a better #1 WR and TE. Burrow had a better #2 and #3 WR plus better receiving running backs.
When you adjust for how the rule changes have effected the passing game their rookie seasons are pretty much identical. Dalton finished ranked 20th in pass efficiency and Burrow 24th. in 2011 Dalton's passer rating (80.4) was 3.9 points below the league average of 84.3. In 2020 Burrow's rating (89.8) was 3.8 points behind the league average of 93.6.
One big difference was that Burrow fumbled 9 times in less than 10 full games while Dalton only fumbled 5 times in 16 games. Another was that Burrow sacked a lot more often, but part of that was because he held onto the ball to long. Dalton always had more of a quick release to avoid taking big losses.
Burrow has the potential to be a better QB than Dalton. That is why he was the #1 overall pick instead of a second rounder. But his play was last year was not that great.
