AJ McCarron is a future star

[Joelist]

They both looked good throwing. The "harder go" was on a few running plays where the OL did not create any holes for Hill.

All this trying to make one better than the other is just trying to gin up controversy when the real story is the improved OL play. Yes the OL still had problems (under both QBs) with short yardage run blocking but the pass protection improved.

[Captain Happy Pants]

I wasn't able to watch the game last night but I watched the highlights.

-Why have Dalton do a QB sneak on a goal line stance and risk injury? Great call coach
-Carter continues to impress
-D line had lots of pressure

-McCarron looked sharp. The one TD pass to Jones was on the money over the middle. He looks confident out there and has a good throwing motion. I'm not ready to dethrone Dalton just yet, but McCarron COULD be the answer IF Dalton doesn't progress. Before jumping down my throat, I do realize that this was a pre-season game. That said, he looked good regardless

[nkywestside]

(08-30-2015, 12:11 PM)Luvnit2 Wrote: I saw no more energy from AJ than AD last night.

I saw AD with a ton of fire and 3 rushes to keep drives alive.

I didn't see more fire from AJ last night, I did not see more energy from the players either.

Well I'm assuming then you were at the game live to make this statement.
Andy may have played with a ton of fire but it Clearly is not recognized by his teammates.
And AJ was more demonstrative.  From my viewpoint (11th row), there was a much different
vibe with AJ in.  Just my observation.

[*bengalfan74*]

I really liked what I saw from McCarron last night, there's little doubt. His throws were pretty good and he displayed some pocket awareness and poise. He appeared to be showing good leadership and the team looked to respond to him.

Having said that I'm tempering my enthusiasm until we get a much bigger sample. It was 1 preseason game against a team that probably won't finish in the upper half of the standings.

Look I'd be tickled pink if AJ becomes Tom Brady part 2 ! But I'd be equally elated if Andy Dalton becomes Drew Brees part 2 ! I don't care where they played college ball.

Make no mistake Andy Dalton is the starting QB. But I also fully believe he's on his last chance here.

[nkywestside]

(08-30-2015, 04:51 PM)RoyleRedlegs Wrote: 1. He should be. But you have anointed McCarron before he took an NFL snap.
2. I have stated before, I hope he's the next Tom Brady...he's just got to actually show it first. 
3. This conversation is over. You are either just a dumb Tide fan or a dumb Bengals fan. 

To be fair..Andy was anoited before he ever took an NFL snap.
Why does AJ have to show it first?  Dalton didn't have to.

[BayouBengal]

(08-30-2015, 07:59 PM)nkywestside Wrote: To be fair..Andy was anoited before he ever took an NFL snap.
Why does AJ have to show it first?  Dalton didn't have to.

BC Dalton was a 2nd round pick... I've always hated that excuse but plenty has been said about how little draft status actually matters I dont want to go there

[*rfaulk34*]

(08-30-2015, 07:12 PM)BayouBengal Wrote: AJ must have really worked on his throwing motion because he never looked that crisp in college. The ball was thrown from just behind the ear and he had a high release. He looked more like a baseball pitcher in college. 

I think it was obvious AJ had the better night as a passer. Dalton was fine too it just seemed like the team had a slightly harder go of it when he was under center. AJ played like a pro and made it look easier than it was. The question is can he keep that up. 

Dalton has certainly done everything AJ showed us and it would be dumb to walk away from a guy with that experience. But if AJ continues to impress in his limited chances, people are going to start questioning which guy should we trade. 

I'm with you on AJ looking good last night, and this coming from someone that wasn't remotely sold on his ability. That said, i don't think it's accurate to say AJ had a "better" night. Both QBs threw very good passes and i don't believe either one stood out from the other.

If his mechanics are improved as you say, it could be attributed to his work with Tom House.

I was impressed mostly with the placement of AJs passes. They seemed to be right where they needed to be and one of the biggest knocks on Dalton is, he routinely throws passes that are off the mark and lead to interceptions or break ups. I also felt that he had good pocket awareness. Moving slightly to get away from pressure without just tucking and running, and i didn't see an instance of where he just stood there like a deer in the headlights, taking a sack.

It could be a one time thing or it could be the way it is. As of right now, i'm glad he's #2 and if play warrants it, i won't be upset if he's elevated to #1.

[BayouBengal]

His motion has definitely improved from college. His highlights from college show the baseball pitch at times. But Tom must have given him some good tweaks.

Speaking of Highlights (or lowlights) I found an article that shows what I thought could have been his best play of the game which was also his last.

Jake Fisher struggled mightily vs Bears in NFL debut



It cuts off too soon to show that the pass was incomplete. Still, it was one that could have been caught maybe 50% of the time. A hard but not impossible to catch. It was a gutsy attempt and scramble on a long 3rd down. 

[*rfaulk34*]

(08-30-2015, 08:19 PM)BayouBengal Wrote: His motion has definitely improved from college. His highlights from college show the baseball pitch at times. But Tom must have given him some good tweaks.

Speaking of Highlights (or lowlights) I found an article that shows what I thought could have been his best play of the game which was also his last.

Jake Fisher struggled mightily vs Bears in NFL debut



It cuts off too soon to show that the pass was incomplete. Still, it was one that could have been caught maybe 50% of the time. A hard but not impossible to catch. It was a gutsy attempt and scramble on a long 3rd down. 

It was a very good play, the way he squared up and set his feet.

[RoyleRedlegs]

(08-30-2015, 07:59 PM)nkywestside Wrote: To be fair..Andy was anoited before he ever took an NFL snap.
Why does AJ have to show it first?  Dalton didn't have to.

Dalton didn't have a QB who went to the playoffs 4 times with 40+ regular season wins under his belt ahead of him on the depth chart. Dalton wasn't anointed. 
Dalton was thrown to the wolves. 

(08-30-2015, 08:04 PM)BayouBengal Wrote: BC Dalton was a 2nd round pick... I've always hated that excuse but plenty has been said about how little draft status actually matters I dont want to go there

You really need to try harder

[BonnieBengal]

(08-30-2015, 07:56 PM)bengalfan74 Wrote: I really liked what I saw from McCarron last night, there's little doubt. His throws were pretty good and he displayed some pocket awareness and poise. He appeared to be showing good leadership and the team looked to respond to him.

Having said that I'm tempering my enthusiasm until we get a much bigger sample. It was 1 preseason game against a team that probably won't finish in the upper half of the standings.

Look I'd be tickled pink if AJ becomes Tom Brady part 2 ! But I'd be equally elated if Andy Dalton becomes Drew Brees part 2 ! I don't care where they played college ball.

Make no mistake Andy Dalton is the starting QB. But I also fully believe he's on his last chance here.

I also think Dalton is on his last chance, especially since the team can walk away from his big contract after this year.

[Ricky Spanish]

I have to wait and watch the replay.

Anxious to see how McCarron played

[Interceptor]

(08-30-2015, 09:07 PM)RoyleRedlegs Wrote: Dalton didn't have a QB who went to the playoffs 4 times with 40+ regular season wins under his belt ahead of him on the depth chart. Dalton wasn't anointed. 
Dalton was thrown to the wolves. 

He did have a little nudge….. 

[EatonFan]

(08-30-2015, 07:59 PM)nkywestside Wrote: To be fair..Andy was anoited before he ever took an NFL snap.
Why does AJ have to show it first?  Dalton didn't have to.

First, you act like there was a choice.  Palmer wasn't here anymore.  He had to be anointed.  

Second, you act like Dalton doesn't have a winning record as a starter.

Third, AJ has two preseason games worth of experience.  WHY would you replace a winning starter (who has never failed to make the playoffs) with a question mark?  We simply don't know what we have with McCarron.

[hotweales]

I just like that we have a QB who could possibly keep us going should Dalton have an injury. We really have not had that the last few years. I thought both QB's looked good on Saturday. I just hope that Andy has matured enough to overcome those really poor games and still lead the team to victories. Every QB in the NFL has days where they are not up to par, but the good ones over come those days.

[Luvnit2]

(08-30-2015, 10:59 PM)hotweales Wrote: I just like that we have a QB who could possibly keep us going should Dalton have an injury.  We really have not had that the last few years.  I thought both QB's looked good on Saturday.  I just hope that Andy has matured enough to overcome those really poor games and still lead the team to victories.  Every QB in the NFL has days where they are not up to par, but the good ones over come those days.

I like AJ, I wanted us to draft him. AJ looked great last night.

I don't understand why some choose to trash AD because AJ played well on a night when AD played great as well.

Let's be happy AJ looked like an NFL starting QB last night (in a pre-season game) and hope he continues to progress. In time, if he beats out AD, it is great news for us as AD does have a team friendly deal starting in 2016 (not this year) so it would be wonderful for cap space so we could pay more guys the next few years, but if AD gets it done, it is also a great thing.

[3wt]

(08-31-2015, 10:35 AM)Luvnit2 Wrote: Let's be happy AJ looked like an NFL starting QB last night (in a pre-season game) and hope he continues to progress. In time, if he beats out AD, it is great news for us as AD does have a team friendly deal starting in 2016 (not this year) so it would be wonderful for cap space so we could pay more guys the next few years, but if AD gets it done, it is also a great thing.

This.  The big thing is that we have a quality back up with definite upside.

We'll have time later to have a quarterback controversy.  But I have no problem saying that AJ's longer passes improved and he displays a mental toughness that is rare.  It's not like Andy hasn't shown it, and being put on your back enough will change your disposition, but AJ consistently shows smarts, creativity and mental toughness.

I like the way his teammates respond to him and talk about him.  And I like the fact that if AJ sees something developing that wasn't necessarily scripted he'll jump on it (e.g. the throw to Eifert he mentioned in his interview).  That will both be it's own reward in that you have a quarterback who is not a slave to the script and it inspires your receivers to always be working to get open.

How many times have you seen Andy throw into triple coverage when he's got receivers wide open?

OK I'm rolling.  I'll stop now...

[2MinutesHate]

Well, here we are again.  Will AJ become a future star or what?  The guy has the weapons on this team to do it!  :)

We could really be a lot worse off.  Jason Campbell?  Josh Johnson?

As soon as I saw Dalton head for the locker room, I made a comment to a friend about Jon Kitna. 

Too bad he's a bit over the hill.

[kdgjr]

(08-30-2015, 10:48 PM)EatonFan Wrote: Third, AJ has two preseason games worth of experience.  WHY would you replace a winning starter (who has never failed to make the playoffs) with a question mark?  We simply don't know what we have with McCarron.

This. ^^^^^

[2MinutesHate]

(08-30-2015, 10:59 PM)hotweales Wrote: I just like that we have a QB who could possibly keep us going should Dalton have an injury.  We really have not had that the last few years.  I thought both QB's looked good on Saturday.  I just hope that Andy has matured enough to overcome those really poor games and still lead the team to victories.  Every QB in the NFL has days where they are not up to par, but the good ones over come those days.

Andy did overcome his poor games,however, the injury bug finally found him.  Damn.