Buy Andy Dalton Stock Despite "Make or Break" cliches

This is truly a make or break year for the former Horned Frog now Bengal, entering into his 3rd season at the most important position in sports.  Andy Dalton has lead the Bengals to the playoffs in each of his first two seasons in the league but came up short each time with subpar performances.

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Will Dalton get over the "hump" in the big games and be able to get to the next level as a premier quarterback in the league? Or will mediocrity and folding in the big moments be his ceiling as a player in the NFL?  This season we shall find out. 

Or not.  The "now or never," "make or break" and the "this is the season we find out what he is" cliche's are all over hyped, over sensationalized musings by local and national media that love a good story line.  Don't get me wrong, I love a good story line too (see NBA post), but this one about Andy Dalton needing to step up this season or else he just might not be elite or the QB to get the Bengals to the next level is not a story line and simply not true when viewed in the context of a larger picture.

Take a look at a few of these stat lines and I think that all the "make or break" and "over the humpers" would agree that if Andy Dalton puts up numbers like these then we've seen his plateu as a signal caller in the league.

Season A:

Record: 7-8
TD: 18
Int: 23
YDs: 3513
Comp %: 59.7
Playoffs: Don't make

Or how about:

Season B:

Record: 8-8
TD: 24
Int: 18
YDs: 3244
Comp. %: 57.7
Playoffs: Lose in the first round

Well these 2 seasons are the 3rd year statlines of two QB's who went on to have not only huge games in the post-season but each have a stash of a couple Lombardi trophies somewhere in their man-caves.

                                  A                                                                                     B

(Sure Ben won one of those trophies the previous year but it was on the backs of an amazing defense, one of the most controversial Super Bowls and a mediocre "didn't do enough to screw it up" type of season - 17 TD 9 Int, 2,300 Yds.)

The reality is simply this:  of course Dalton has room for progression and should not be listed as one of the league's elites, of course he needs to show times where he can put the offense/team on his shoulders and "will a win" to happen when it didn't look likely, of course he needs to make small improvements on his pocket presence/awareness and long ball (in accuracy and timing but not arm strength), but it doesn't have to be this year. 

Do I think it will?

Based on his work ethic, progression as a leader, talent around him and lets not forget the huge,

"2nd rounder/5th QB taken in 2011, arm strength questions, size questions, back to back playoffs first two years in the league and already being questioned if he has what it takes to get Who Dey Nation over the hump" chip on his shoulder, then yes.  

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Sure A.J. Green was and is great, but I don't care if a QB has a Megatron 2.0 to throw to in his first 2 seasons, winning in the NFL is hard.  Dalton has had good success his first 2 seasons, has shown he can win (19-13), can bounce back, can get better (AFC North victories in '12), and is a one foot overthrown pass away from "getting to the next level" and being the Hero of the Jungle.  It is amazing to think that 1 foot of a pass can tip the media scales both local and nationally.  If it's complete and Dalton wins a playoff game would any questions have arised? We shouldn't be surprised though.  The media is fickle, volatile, highly over-reactionary and for ironies-sake some might say "fanatical." Nonetheless the media are always loud and this year I believe Dalton will have to let winning and winning in late January silence all.

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