05-04-2017, 01:15 PM
(05-04-2017, 12:24 PM)jowczarski Wrote: Benoit is really good at what he does.
That said, I agree with his sentiment that Dalton is not Rodgers, Roethlisberger or Brady. If I counted right, that's eight rings, 11 Super Bowls and 4 MVPs? So, what he's saying is - Andy Dalton is not "elite," right. Not a HOFer? I can roll with that. What that means is yes, he's better off with great talent around him. So is every QB. Rodgers and Brady prove how great they really are with the subpar lines and targets they've had over the years.
Anyway, I disagree that it's Bernard-Mixon right away. I think this gives Bernard more time to be 100 percent ... so it'll be Hill/Mixon early. And say what you want about Hill and his blocking (or lack thereof) - he at least knows the offense and Dalton's calls. So, at the outset, Hill is the starter. Now, we'll find out how quick Mixon can catch up and learn all that stuff. He was a decent pass blocker in college, but Donta Hightower isn't coming through the line while your QB is in the end zone at Oklahoma. So, we'll see.
The first few games are critical for Hill, IMO. Marvin is going to give him every opoortunity to keep that job. But I do think the leash will be shorter than we've usually seen with players in 2017. (You heard it here first).
"The Bengals’ brass would never say this publicly, but they know exactly what Andy Dalton is: a cerebral QB whose arm, at its best, is good but not great. Dalton, in other words, must be your offense’s facilitator, not its playmaker. He’s not Brady, Roethlisberger or Rodgers. He can’t be asked to carry the show."
That's not what I read. He isn't just simply saying he isn't elite. He's saying that he can't make plays or lead the team without great talent. The writer said at his best he is good. Just simply good not even great and elite is a whole other dimension.
I can't recall a time when Rodgers and Brady didn't have targets. Rodgers has always had a combo of Nelson, Driver, Jennings, Finley and Cobb during his career. Rodgers has gotten knocked around some on bad lines but it's not like it was a one man show. Brady has/had Gronk, Welker, Moss, Edelman and slew of RBs and now Brandin Cooks.
Every QB needs weapons but for the Bengals it means attempting to make their QB "good" enough to make plays. Think about that. The writer is saying that without great talent surrounding Dalton the Bengals won't be good enough because Dalton isn't elite. That's ludicrous Eli Manning has won 2 Superbowls against Brady and it's not because Manning is elite or that he was surrounded by elite talent. The writer says Dalton doesn't make plays on his own and that simply isn't true. This isn't Josh McCown or Fitzpatrick we are talking about here.
Rings are a team accomplishment there isn't one QB in the NFL that earned his ring on his own. Big Ben relied on a stout defense and Jerome Bettis for his first ring but the team part gets excluded when we talk about QBs as individuals as if winning the Superbowl is a solo accomplishment. It's not a feather in an individuals cap it's a feather for the team and the organization as whole.
The writer doesn't even seem to know Dalton was drafted in 2011 even after just stating it.
"And so to win with Dalton, the 35th overall pick in 2011, you need a dynamic supporting cast. The Bengals have been providing just that. Every year since 2006, they’ve used at least one of their first two draft picks on an offensive player—and such picks came no later than the second round."
Sorry but his opinion is invalid in my eyes if he can't even back his statement up with facts that are relevant.
