10-26-2015, 01:20 PM
Funny how teams that execute better and more consistently suddenly also have "mental toughness".
Andy Dalton has lead the Bengals from behind to win tough games before.
In 2012 we started the season 3-5 but finished 7-1 including an "elimination games" against the Steelers in late December.
This team has shown "mental toughness" before. They just have not shown it in the postseason. and that is a hump we can't get over no matter how many regular season games we win. People are still going to doubt us until we actually do it.
People said the exact same thing about Matt Ryan and the Falcons. Over his first four seasons Ryan was putting up better passing numbers than Dalton and also won more games, but he still didn't get any respect until he took Atlanta to the NFC Championship game in his fifth season. Now, even though he has not had a winning season since 2012, Ryan is generally accepted as one of the best QBs in the league. He just had to get over that hurdle of winning a post season game. His passer rating his first four seasons was 88.4, and his passer rating in the three seasons since his playoff win in 2012 is 91.2. Almost identical. Yet he is considered a much better QB just because he "proved he could win in the postseason".
I don't think that is a very valid way to judge players. But I can't deny that it is the way many people do it.
Andy Dalton has lead the Bengals from behind to win tough games before.
In 2012 we started the season 3-5 but finished 7-1 including an "elimination games" against the Steelers in late December.
This team has shown "mental toughness" before. They just have not shown it in the postseason. and that is a hump we can't get over no matter how many regular season games we win. People are still going to doubt us until we actually do it.
People said the exact same thing about Matt Ryan and the Falcons. Over his first four seasons Ryan was putting up better passing numbers than Dalton and also won more games, but he still didn't get any respect until he took Atlanta to the NFC Championship game in his fifth season. Now, even though he has not had a winning season since 2012, Ryan is generally accepted as one of the best QBs in the league. He just had to get over that hurdle of winning a post season game. His passer rating his first four seasons was 88.4, and his passer rating in the three seasons since his playoff win in 2012 is 91.2. Almost identical. Yet he is considered a much better QB just because he "proved he could win in the postseason".
I don't think that is a very valid way to judge players. But I can't deny that it is the way many people do it.
