Adios AJ

The most popular backup quarterback in Cincinnati Bengals history is now an unrestricted free agent. AJ McCarron won his grievance against the Bengals and can now sign with any NFL team the he chooses. It is a big win for McCarron as he now has a shot to prove that he has what it takes to be a legitimate starting quarterback in the National Football League.

As for the Bengals, losing McCarron is a costly loss for the franchise as they will get nothing but a compensatory pick when McCarron signs with another team. Considering that the Bengals were on the verge of completing a blockbuster trade with the Cleveland Browns in exchange for the Browns’ second and third round draft picks, only getting one compensatory pick is a big time downgrade in terms of McCarron’s return value. Had the Browns been able to complete the trade on their end, we would be talking about how the Bengals essentially stole two picks from the Browns. Instead we are left to wonder what could have been if the trade had been finalized.

Speaking of what could have been, Who Dey Nation will be left to wonder what could have been should McCarron have been named the starting quarterback over Andy Dalton. I am not bashing on Dalton. I am a Dalton fan and think he is a good quarterback. I’m not saying he is elite, but when it comes to current day NFL teams, there are a number of franchises that would love to have Dalton throwing the ball. However, McCarron is a proven winner. Just check out film from his days with the Alabama Crimson Tide. When Dalton broke his thumb in 2015, McCarron stepped in and played well enough to not only help the team win a few games to close out the regular season, but he almost guided the Bengals to their first playoff win in 25 years. I would have like to see what McCarron could have done had he been the starter for an entire season.

Unfortunately, the Bengals had other plans. Instead of making the starting quarterback job up for grabs in training camp, Dalton was always going to get the nod over McCarron. I will always root for my Bengals, but I like McCarron and hope he gets a starting job on another team. Maybe he will show the Bengals what they were missing. Or maybe he will prove the Bengals were right in not making him a starting quarterback. Either way, I wish him nothing but the best…except when he plays he Bengals in which case I hope Geno Atkins or Carlos Dunlap take him to the ground with an earth shaking sack.

Who Dey!

Taken for Granted

Being a Cincinnati Bengals fan is not always the easiest thing. Aside from having to deal with the constant reminder that the Bengals have not won a playoff game since 1990, you also have to deal with internal conflicts and wars of words amongst fellow members of Who Dey Nation. There are constant debates of whether or not Marvin Lewis should be fired or if AJ McCarron should be the starting quarterback over Andy Dalton. While these internal arguments seemed to decrease within the last five years, the 2016 season has seen a resurgence of these debates. The conflicts are again raging on with the topic of whether or not Ken Zampese should remain offensive coordinator being thrown into the mix. But why are these arguments once again the main focus of Bengals fans? It is because the team will not make the playoffs for the first time since the 2010 season.

After a very disappointing 2010 campaign in which the team finished with an abysmal 4-12 record, the franchise was essentially forced to hit the reset button. Star quarterback Carson Palmer refused to come back to the team, and the question of who would be behind center for the Bengals was a topic hot discussion during the offseason. In response to Palmer’s poor display of team leadership, the Bengals drafted Texas Christian University quarterback Andy Dalton in the second round of the 2011 NFL draft. Dalton was paired with Bengals first round draft pick A.J. Green, a wide receiver out of the University of Georgia. Together the duo helped lead the Bengals to a 6-2 record through the first nine weeks of the 2011 season which prompted the team to trade Palmer to the Oakland Raiders for two future draft picks. The 2011 Bengals finished the season with a record of 9-7 and qualified for the playoffs as a wildcard team.

2011 marked the first of five consecutive years in which the Bengals qualified for the playoffs. They qualified as a wildcard team in 2011, 2012, and in 2014 and qualified as division champs in 2013 and in 2015. Bengals fans began to expect the team to become a yearly contender. Instead of hoping for the team to make the playoffs, fans began to hope that the team would find postseason success. Questioning if the team would make the playoffs became laughable. This state of mind was shared by nearly every member of Who Dey Nation including me.

I had no doubt that the team would once again reach the playoffs at the end of the 2016 season. In my Bengals 2016 season preview video, I predicted that the team would reach the postseason and win in the first round. That will not happen. I, like so many other Bengals fans, took playoff qualification for granted. What us fans have to realize is that making the playoffs is not a guarantee. Each game during the NFL season has huge consequences when it comes to the playoffs, and members of Who Dey Nation are getting an unpleasant reminder of those consequences this year.

I have come to terms with the fact that the Bengals will not be playing for a chance to win the Super Bowl this season. I have also realized that the opportunity to play for a Super Bowl title is not a guarantee. The 2016 season has proved that playoff qualification should not be taken for granted and that the five-year stretch of success the Bengals had could be difficult to duplicate in the future. I have learned my lesson, and I hope all Bengals fans as well as the entire Bengals franchise has learned their lesson as well. Hopefully 2017 will be a rebound year that will include a valuable trip to the playoffs.

Who Dey!

Bengals Graphs 2015 Part 4

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone shows the different Cincinnati Bengals autographs he has gotten.

Bengals Recap 2015

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone recaps the 2015 season of the Cincinnati Bengals.

Autograph Page Update

#AUOTGRAPH PAGE UPDATE @ https://t.co/oiRAWLpVYr WITH NEW #BENGALS SIGNATURE #WhoDey #LetsRoar #CINvsDEN #NFL #WWE pic.twitter.com/LMquj7jkN1

— Cincy Fan Zone (@CincyFanZone) December 23, 2015

Photo Page Update

PIC PAGE UPDATE @ https://t.co/yzF6TznxxM WITH #BENGALS PICS #BeyondTheStripes #WhoDey #LetsRoar #CINvsDen #NFL #WWE pic.twitter.com/BB0ujfgUBq

— Cincy Fan Zone (@CincyFanZone) December 23, 2015

Dalton Debilitated

What a horrible two days for Cincinnati sports fans. On Sunday, my beloved Cincinnati Bengals not only lost to their AFC North division rival the Pittsburgh Steelers, but they also lost quarterback Andy Dalton for a few weeks due to a fractured thumb. As if that was not bad enough, Rob Manfred, the commissioner of Major League Baseball, announced on Monday that he would not lift the ban from baseball on Cincinnati Reds legend Pete Rose thus essentially nullifying any hope that the “Hit King” might one day take his rightful place in the hallowed halls of Cooperstown. So why am I talking about these two topics?

With next week being the week of Christmas, I will be uploading two blog posts this week. Each will discuss either the Dalton injury or the continuation of Rose’s ban from baseball. Not jovial topics for Cincinnati sports fans during the “most wonderful time of the year,” but topics important enough to warrant discussion from me. This post is about the injury to Andy Dalton and how it affects my beloved Cincinnati Bengals.

Unless you are not a Bengals fan or have been living under a rock, then odds are you already know that Dalton fractured his thumb on Sunday when attempting to make a tackle after an interception. It was a freak play that had me go from anger over the pick in the red zone to anguish after seeing Dalton walking back to the locker room. When he returned to the field, he was no longer in his football gear and had a big cast on his right arm. The injury was later reported to be a fractured thumb that thankfully will not require surgery. According to reports, Dalton’s status is week to week and if all goes well, he could play again as early as the regular season finale against the Baltimore Ravens

What does this mean for the Bengals until then? It means that AJ McCarron will be the starting quarterback until Dalton recovers. McCarron had a prolific college career as the starting quarterback for the University of Alabama. He led the Crimson Tide to multiple national championships and had it not been for uncertainty about his NFL career due to a shoulder injury, he could have been drafted higher than he was by the Bengals and might have been on a different team. Thankfully he is a member of the Bengals, and despite looking like a true rookie quarterback when he entered the game against the Steelers, he still made some really good throws and appears to have the potential to help hold the team over until Dalton returns.

While Dalton’s injury is a devastating blow to what is a great Bengals team, it is not the end of the world. Dalton was having a career year before the injury, and should he return in time for the playoffs, I would expect him to continue playing at the new level he has reached this season. McCarron has looked good during the limited times he has seen actual NFL action, and I believe that he will help lead the Bengals to a division clinching win and a berth in the postseason. Who Dey Nation has to keep the faith and get off the ledge. The season is far from over, and I still believe in my Bengals.

Who Dey!

Pete Rose Bobblehead Unboxing

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone unboxes a 2015 Cincinnati Reds SGA Pete Rose bobblehead and shows some of the recent additions to his sports collection.

Bengals 2015 Season Outlook

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone previews the 2015 season of the Cincinnati Bengals.

Andy or AJ

Please note that this was created and posted before the final preseason game of the year, and as a result, the final preseason game was not taken into consideration when this post was written.

Quarterbacks are considered to be the most important players on football teams. Not only do they manage the offense and are responsible for making sure that an offensive drive ends with points being put on the scoreboard, but they also are the centerpieces of their respective franchises as teams often attempt to build a successful dynasty around the quarterback position.

The Cincinnati Bengals believe that they have in fact created a successful team with Andy Dalton as the starting quarterback. However, Dalton’s erratic style of play that has defined his career with the Bengals has many fans in Cincinnati calling for a change in leadership. Many members of Who Dey Nation have pointed to backup quarterback AJ McCarron as the savior of the Bengals offense, citing his success as a member of the Alabama Crimson Tide as to why he should start over Dalton.

More fuel to this argument was added when Dalton left the third game of the preseason against the Chicago Bears with an apparent neck injury. Dalton had snuck the ball into the end zone for a touchdown that capped off an impressive Bengals drive before leaving the game. After his first drive ended with a three and out, McCarron came back on the second drive with the entire first team offense, the same offense that Dalton had commanded two drives ago, and successfully stormed down the field before throwing a laser to wide receiver Marvin Jones who scampered into the end zone for a 31-yard touchdown.

The following offensive possession of the Bengals resulted in another touchdown after McCarron dropped in a 25-yard pass to tight end Tyler Eifert that set up a Jeremy Hill touchdown run from the one-yard line. It was a very impressive outing for McCarton who finished the first half with a passer rating of 158.3. So does he deserve the chance to become the starting quarterback for the Bengals?

Absolutely not. At least not yet. As much as half of the city of Cincinnati wants McCarron to get the nod over Dalton, the fact of the matter is that this was only McCarron’s second NFL game of his career. The Bengals, who signed Dalton to a massive contract last season, are not going to make the man they tagged as the face of the franchise a backup to a guy who has only played in two NFL preseason games. However, should Dalton get hurt or play horribly, then McCarron will get his chance to shine when the games matter during the regular season. Until that happens, expect to see McCarron on the sideline rather than the playing field.

I’m not going to lie. The thought of McCarron being the starting quarterback for the Bengals entered my mind as he continued to throw accurate passes on a consistent basis throughout the game. It was an entertaining thought, but as I said earlier, the job is Dalton’s unless he gets hurt or just flat out stinks. Based on the game though, it looks like the Bengals should be in good shape with either Dalton or McCarron leading the offense.

Who Dey!

Photo Page Update

PIC PAGE UPDATE @ http://t.co/yzF6TznxxM WITH #REDS & #BENGALS PICS #beyondthestripes #whodey #letsroar #goReds #MLB pic.twitter.com/9go3HsZsGq

— Cincy Fan Zone (@CincyFanZone) August 19, 2015