Prospect Watch: Andy Dalton - QB - TCU

Bengals fans have been scratching their heads and chewing their finger nails waiting to see what comes of the current trade demands made by the once loved Carson Palmer. In recent memory the only Bengals QB that could even compare to Palmer's popularity was Boomer Easisain. Boomer took over for another former great Ken Anderson as the Bengals franchise quarterback on September 22, 1985. Ken Anderson and Boomer both took this team to Super Bowls and lost to the team of the eighties the 49ere in arguably 2 of the most competitive Super Bowls of all time. Bengals fans felt so connected to Palmer because he led the charge that helped this franchise become relevant once again. 2005 was no doubt the peak of Palmer mania in the queen city. Then we all faced the dreaded knee injury against our hated rival Pittsburgh in the first round of the AFC playoffs in the 2006 season. The feeling still sits in the pit of my stomach as one of the worst moments in Bengals history. Then the valiant comeback and we all cheered Palmer on while he clawed his way back into pro bowl form. After a few hurtful underachieving years the Bengals suffered another one and done playoff performance in a 24-14 loss to the New York Jets at PBS. This is the moment the wheels seemed to fall off of the Palmer band wagon.

Now it seems like a change is needed but the Bengals are in a tough spot. The front office is left to either make crucial football decisions to “possibly” keep Palmer happy in Cincy or count your losses and trade the man. If the Bengals decide to push their chips all in and hope that Palmer sticks around and he does actually retire. We will be left praying that Dan LeFevour is the long term answer for this team. I would prefer the Bengals trade Palmer to the highest bidder and snatch up a few extra mid level draft picks. Then the Bengals could sign a free agent QB (McNabb, V. Young or Bulger) to be the band aide for a year while we wait for the QB drafted this year to become the next face of the franchise. Much like the Bengals did with Palmer his rookie season.

Now that the depressing Palmer stuff has been covered lets focus on who the Bengals choose as their QB of the future. Bengals fans seem to be warming up to the idea of snatching up Cam Newton with our first round pick. I am sorry but taking Cam with the 4th overall pick reminds me of a costly bust by the name of Akili Smith. One fantastic year of tape and a whole lot success running the ball does not warrant the 4th over all selection. The Bengals need to make sure they are not sucked in by the hype surrounding Cam. I would prefer to take a winner who has proven that he can play the position at a high level. I am talking about Andy Dalton out of TCU. He posted a 42-7 record in his four years as a starter, was a three-time bowl game most valuable player and two-time MWC Offensive Player of the Year.

The knock on Dalton is that he didn’t rely on deep throws down field often for a TCU offense that relied on screens and other timing-based short and intermediate routes to move the ball. My answer to this criticism is how many throws do you really want the QB talking down field in a game? 3 or 4 deep throws maybe? The west coast offense should be a nice fit for Andy who shows great zip and accuracy on the short and intermediate routes that should allow WR to work after the catch. Dalton was smooth dropping back from center during the Senior Bowl witch was a concern due to the fact Dalton took a most of the snaps with the Frogs out of a shotgun formation. He was able to survey the field and making accurate passes during the week of practice. Scouts and media said that he placed the ball with accuracy between defenders and showed the touch needed to take advantage of big plays down the seam. This leads me to believe Dalton can play in the NFL with proper coaching.

I guess if I had to compare him with a former pro it would be Chad Pennington without the persistent shoulder issues. I think he has the brains and skill set to be a solid NFL starter for many years. Will he wow the talking heads during the draft hype with his speed or athletic ability? I don’t think so but the body of work this kid put in at TCU is down right special. He racked up over 10,000 passing yards and scored 71 touchdowns. He never had a QB rating lower that 118 in a season while winning 42 and loosing only 7! I think he is a winner and if his grade of a 3rd to 5th round grade hold true the value is indisputable. I love this player!