07-12-2015, 08:32 PM
(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.
