If the bengals somehow win this game with a backup QB what will you do?

[Shake n Blake]

(01-09-2016, 05:16 PM)Nately120 Wrote: I'm just arguing for the sake of arguing, but let's see...

Yeah but honestly McCarron will have perfect circumstances. The only time Dalton had a team like this - at home - was 2013. 
 - Perfect circumstances?  I guess I can't argue with that.  Still, Dalton had it "perfect" and botched it big time in 2013 and had we won that I would say some validation for Dalton would have been in order.

Not to mention that McCarron is playing with house money. No one expects him to win, and the playoff monkey isn't his.
 - Dalton was playing with house money in 2011, and 2014.  The playoff monkey is (to those in the know) on Marvin Lewis and Mike Brown.  Palmer/Kitna, Palmer, Dalton, Dalton, Dalton, Dalton, and AJ simply seem to be interchangeable cogs in a machine of misery.

Anywho, I don't think AJ is better than Dalton, but I'm also of the mindset that it's awfully convenient for us to decide THE playoff game where Dalton was FOR SURE going to be good enough to win is the one where he just happens to be on the sidelines.  This team seems to have little connection between the regular season and the playoffs, sadly.  2013's 8-0 success at home and great wins against playoff teams didn't translate to even a competent game in the playoffs.  I just need to see SOMETHING to show me otherwise, but until then I fully expect this team to operate at 50-65% efficiency in the playoffs since 1991.

Honestly, I thought even with our usual post-season dropoff we would face the Jets at home and Fitzpatrick would meltdown and we'd win.  I was a bit off, as he melted down under pressure one week early and won't face us.

I know it looks that way, but I can't shake the feeling that this was the year. He was fantastic all year and fixed so many of the problems that held him back previously (INTs, bad games, play in prime-time, leadership, etc). The one hurdle left was/is the playoffs. It's not only that Dalton was playing his best football, it was also that the rest of the team was so healthy and playing to their potential. I've never felt this confident, even in '13.

Maybe Dalton was playing with house money - to an extent - in 2011 and 2014, but in 2011 he was on the road against a great defense. McCarron is at home against a very vulnerable secondary. In 2014 Dalton was on the road with no receivers. That's why I said it's nearly perfect circumstances for McCarron. That's not to say Dalton didn't choke, especially in '13. 

Btw, saying that this team "operates at 50-65% efficiency in the playoffs" is about as accurate a description as I've seen. How guys like Geno, Dunlap, Nelson, the o-line, Bernard, AJ Green and even Dalton can go from good or even dominant to completely transparent is hard to understand. I've always pinned blame on Marv, but can a HC really cause so many players to disappear or flat out choke? It's amazing really. I don't believe in curses, but damn.