Thank You, Andy

Last week, the Cincinnati Bengals officially released Andy Dalton making the Red Rile an NFL free agent for the first time since he entered the league in 2011. Dalton was the starting quarterback for the Bengals ever since the team drafted him out of Texas Christian University. Even though Bengals fans knew this day was coming ever since the “Bungle for Burrow” mantra took over Cincinnati last season, it was still a bit of shock as Dalton had been with the team for nearly a decade. 

As a lifelong Bengals fan, I can honestly say I have never had more fun watching this team than during Dalton’s nine years behind center. In 2011, he and fellow rookie draft pick A.J. Green gave fans hope after Chad Johnson wound up with the New England Patriots and Carson Palmer threatened to retire if the Bengals did not trade him. In his first season, Dalton helped lead the team to a 9-7 record and a playoff appearance as a wildcard team when everybody thought the Bengals would finish last in the league. This playoff appearance was the first of five consecutive seasons in which the Bengals would qualify for the postseason.

The Bengals would earn wildcard berths again in 2012 and 2014 and would win the AFC North Division in 2013 and in 2015. During that stretch, Dalton and the Bengals had some of the most exciting wins in franchise history. In 2012, they marched into Pittsburgh and won on a late field goal that knocked the Steelers out of playoff contention while clinching a playoff spot for the Bengals. During their 8-0 home record season of 2013, the Bengals beat the Green Bay Packers in comeback fashion. In 2014, the Bengals beat the Denver Broncos in a Monday night thriller that clinched a postseason spot. In 2015, Dalton helped lead a furious late game come from behind victory over the Seattle Seahawks in overtime which I still consider to be my all-time favorite Bengals game. 

Despite Dalton’s regular season success, the one knock on his career with the Bengals is the lack of postseason victories. The Bengals were 0-5 in the playoffs during that five year stretch, and Dalton was often blamed for the team’s postseason losses. However, Dalton will still go down in Bengals history as one of the franchise’s best quarterbacks. He set a few franchise records and is more than deserving of a Bengals Hall of Fame election (if the Bengals ever create a team Hall of Fame).

If I could say one thing to Andy Dalton, it would be thank you. Thank you for coming to the Bengals when the team was in turmoil and helping establish a culture of winning. Thank you for all your work in the community and helping make the city of Cincinnati a better place. Thank you for being an excellent representation of the Bengals franchise for nearly a decade. Thank you, Andy.