Dalton's make or break year

[Shake n Blake]

(07-24-2019, 03:46 AM)rfaulk34 Wrote: Apparently, in everyone's haste to rush to excuses, the question that was asked still hasn't been answered. 

The "great" QBs have all done this at some point. I guess i could bother re-stating that Dalton is obviously a good QB, and at times can play great but that would probably be a waste of time...again...since no one bothers to actually read a post and answer the question(s) asked. 

I'm just going to go ahead and state that he hasn't done it in 8 seasons and just look forward to another season where he plays well in meaningful games on Sunday afternoon, with the ability to up his game in prime time, but still not record a game where fans or announcers point out how it was his play that led the team to victory when things were falling apart around him. 

Maybe i'm just silly to think there should be at least one game where this happens, in an eight year career as a starting QB on a team that made the playoffs in 5 straight years. 

I was obviously looking for an instance where it could be pointed out that he has the ability to carry a team when it needs him most (see: not a 1:00 game on Sunday--unless it's to make the playoffs), but just as obviously, there's none to be found. 

1. No one said Dalton was a "great" 

2. Dalton played for probably the worst prime-time and playoff coach in the history of sports. Kinda hurts his chances of having "willed" us to win, when we're not doing much winning in those scenarios. Palmer sucked in prime-time/playoffs too. Doesn't that indicate something?

3. Even still, there ARE some examples:

- 280 yards + 1 TD + 81.7 rating vs Steelers
- 146 yards + 2 TDs + 93.7 rating vs Broncos (stats weren't great, but he had several key throws/runs in that game, sans AJ Green)
- 234 yards + 3 TDs + 139.8 rating vs Browns (yeah people won't count it "cuz Browns", yet they count 2.0 vs Browns)
- 296 yards + 1 TD + 111.8 rating vs playoff Dolphins team 
- 265 yards + 4 TDs + 107.7 rating vs Ravens

Those are all since 2014, and this is leaving out some prime-time games where he played great, but the team still lost. Such as:

- 315 yards + 2 TDs + 99.8 rating vs Cardinals (we lost because our defense allowed 34 points)
- 234 yards + 2 TDs + 96.2 rating vs Steelers (our defense gave up 184 yards and 13 points on the Steelers last 3 drives)
- 230 yards + 2 TDs + 86.4 rating vs Steelers (literally everything other than our pass game was terrible)