Cincinnati Bengals QB Andy Dalton progressed in 2014

[Arkansas Bengal]

Cincinnati Bengals QB Andy Dalton progressed in 2014

 

 

 

The Cincinnati Bengals' much-maligned quarterback, Andy Dalton, takes a lot of heat for his play, but here is why he actually progressed in 2014 (Photo Credit: bleacherreport.com).

 

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton is under a lot of fire right now (no pun intended to his hair color) for his fourth consecutive loss in the playoffs at the hands of the Indianapolis Colts in the Wild Card round that sent the Bengals home early yet again.

Much scrutiny goes to this quarterback, who has set franchise records for touchdown passes and passing yards in his short tenure with the club so far.

Despite a lot of success, there have been some turn-your-head moments with Dalton under center, mostly highlighting his turnover problems and inability to win in primetime and playoff games.

However, I will give 3 reasons why Dalton actually progressed in his fourth year wearing orange and black. Hopefully, they'll make you see the quarterback a bit differently, or at least tame the metaphorical monkey that has been put on number 14’s back.


Read Between the Stat-Lines

In 2014, Andy Dalton had a statistically poor season. The Red Rifle’s 19 touchdown tosses were the fewest in his career for a season and was tied with Collin Kaepernick of the 49ers for 17th in the league. His 17 interceptions tied Drew Brees of the Saints for the 2nd most in the NFL (behind Phillip Rivers and Jay Cutler whom tied for first). Many people put Brees and Rivers in their “elite” quarterback list still right?

This year was seen as a regression, especially if you compare his stats from 2013, when he set the franchise record for touchdowns (33) and passing yards (4,293). But really, you can give it a second look. In 2014, Dalton set a career-high for completion percentage (64.2) and just missed matching his career high for ESPN;s QBR (55.2).

After 2013, many of the complaints about Dalton were along the lines of, “He needs to cut down on the turnovers.” In 2014, this is exactly what he did. Dalton turned the ball over 18 times last season (17 INT, one fumble), five fewer times than his “best” season in 2013, where he threw a career high 20 interceptions and lost three fumbles. His 18 turnovers were the fewest he had in a season since his rookie year of 2011, when he had 16.

When you look at his 19 touchdown passes, many people forget that Dalton also had four rushing touchdowns and a receiving score, tying Cam Newton for the second most non-passing touchdowns by a quarterback in 2014.


Running Was the New Motive

As soon as Hue Jackson was promoted from running backs coach to offensive coordinator, he told everyone that they would move to a more balanced, run-first offense. This is why for the second consecutive year, the Bengals took a running back in the second round of the draft, LSU-star Jeremy Hill. After 2013, many wanted the ball taken out of Dalton’s hands by running the football more. Obviously, this took a turn for the worst when it comes to Andy’s stats, which is why you put so much value on his stats.

In 2014, Dalton threw a career-low 481 times over the course of the regular season. This is 105 fewer throws than his 2013 dream season and even fewer times than his rookie season when he tossed the ball a total of 516 times. In fact, in 2013, Dalton threw 30+ times in a game 12 times, compared to just seven times in ’14.

As a result, the Bengals’ passing attack dropped from 8th to 21st in the league, but the rushing attack led by the duo of Hill and Giovani Bernard ranked sixth in the NFL. Check out the difference yourself:

2013: 18th-ranked, 1755 yards, 3.6 yards per carry, 14 TDs, 109.7 yards per game
2014: 6th-ranked, 2, 147 yards, 4.4 yards per carry, 19 TDs (2ND in NFL), 134.2 yards per game

So from the very beginning, fans knew what was going to happen with the offensive game plan with Hue Jackson calling the shots from the sidelines.


Injuries

You can stand around and claim that you can’t make excuses in the NFL. To an extent, that is true — when blaming a referee for one bad call or a kicker for a missed field goal. But when you constantly have skill players missing time like the Bengals did this season, it takes a toll on the whole offense, and as the Bengals found out this year, especially the passing game.

Cincinnati was without two dangerous weapons in the passing game for all but the first quarter of opening day against the Ravens-- Tyler Eifert and Marvin Jones. Tight end Tyler Eifert came out of Notre Dame in the 2013 NFL Draft and made a measurable impact during his rookie campaign, catching 39 passes for 445 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Eifert looked to be a key focus in Jackson’s offense this season with three receptions for 37 yards in the first half against the Baltimore Ravens before suffering a dislocated elbow that cost him his sophomore season. Marvin Jones had a memorable year in ’13, catching 51 passes for 712 yards and 10 touchdowns while averaging 14 yards per reception. A foot injury suffered in training camp was worse than expected after he was said he would return after the week four bye but never did.

Those two are not the only receivers Dalton lost due to injury at some time over the course of 2014: Take a look:

WR: AJ Green: missed five games (98-1426-11 TD in ’13)
RB: Giovani Bernard: missed three games (56-514-3 TD in ’13)
TE: Jermaine Gresham: missed two games (46-458-4 TD in ’13)

Not to mention when the starting receivers like Green and Jones were down, guys that were asked to step up got hit with injury bugs too like Dane Sanzenbacher and seventh-round rookie James Wright, who was injured in his best game of the season in a win over the Buccaneers (three receptions for 59 yards) but never returned to action. By the playoff game against the Colts, the Bengals’ passing attack was without Green, Jones, Eifert Gresham, Alex Smith, Sanzenbacher and Wright. Leaving Dalton to throw to:

Mohamad Sanu: 2nd in the NFL in drops
Brandon Tate: 31 receptions in three years with Bengals
Greg Little: Signed mid-season, six receptions all year
Cobi Hamilton: Activated off of practice squad, zero career catches
Ryan Hewitt: Rookie primarily used in run blocking, 10 receptions in regular season
Kevin Brock: Five receptions in 14 regular season games in ‘14

With that combination of receivers, it is no wonder Gio Bernard was the leading receiver that game with eight catches for 46 yards and fourth-string running back Rex Burkhead was a make-shift receiver for that game, catching three balls for 34 yards. In conclusion, I am not arguing that Dalton is an elite quarterback, or that he doesn’t deserve any of the blame, but rather, that he did progress this season.

If you’re on the bandwagon that Dalton shouldn’t be the quarterback in Cincinnati, good luck finding a rookie that will get you a winning record like Andy did his rookie season (without a training camp by the way). Or, that a free-agent out there is going to be a better option. Dalton did what he had to do, with the weapons that he had, to get his team their third consecutive double-digit win season and fourth consecutive trip to the post season. And while this is being written, Dalton has just been named to the second Pro Bowl of his career.

Congratulations Andy, you did indeed deserve it.

 

 

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