10-22-2015, 12:53 AM
(10-22-2015, 12:13 AM)West Union KennyG Wrote: I hear this a lot around here. Seriously, what does it mean? Does it mean he's playing elite right now but you don't believe he will continue playing like this? Or does it mean even if he's playing elite for a long time, you don't say elite until after such and such time, which means he is still elite before you're willing to call him that if he does indeed play at that level for x period of time? Or is there something else meant by this? I don't get it and I'm just trying to understand.
I can't speak for what others mean when they say it, but the way I think of it is pretty simple.
Andy Dalton is playing at an elite level right now. We need to look no further than the numbers to agree on this. But, simply put, I don't think it's sustainable. While someone like Aaron Rodgers can sustain an elite level of play, over not only single seasons, but a run of multiple years, I'm not at all sure Andy can. And, at the very least, he needs to do it for a longer stretch than 6 games to earn the title of an elite QB. That takes time and proven, sustained results.
Think of it this way, a guy like Jay Bruce can go on absolute tear. Say a .350 average and 8 homers in a single month. That's playing at elite level. That's slugging the shit out of the ball. I'm going to need to see more of that, over several years, to consider him a modern day Mickey Mantle.
IMO, the words great, elite, the phrase "the next *insert HOF player here* seem to be tossed around far too often. Acknowledging the fact that Andy is playing great, while not ready to call him great, seems entirely fair and like a perfectly rational thing to say to me. Hopefully after the explanation you agree. I never intended to slight Andy's play in the least.
