First let me congratulate Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Jay Gruden, for calling the quick snap that caught the Cleveland Browns napping and scored a touchdown. I gave all the credit to Bruce Gradkowski when it's Jay's play and he called it. And I hope I'm wrong about Gruden because on this blog, I've been teasing him.
Anyway, if you're a Bengals fan, you are worried about rookie quarterback Andy Dalton making the start against the Denver Broncos this week. He hurt his wrist against the Cleveland Browns. It looks to be one of those injuries where you get hit in the funny bone and it messes up your grip. Regardless, how good is Andy Dalton? Jon Gruden, former head coach of the world champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and brother of Jay put Dalton through his paces on the ESPN draft show QB Camp.
What Gruden saw was a winner. He also saw a guy that in the Rose Bowl was too aggressive. On Dalton's favorite pass play, Dalton forced the ball into coverage rather than throwing to his open man or check down. The check down might have resulted in a fifty yard completion. Gruden warned Dalton that Baltimore Ravens safety Ed Reed would have picked him off for a pick six. That's a good warning since Dalton is now a Bengal and will see Mr. Reed twice a year. The good stuff about Dalton is that Gruden called him "one of the great decision makers in college football history." He notes that Dalton is tough and will stand in the pocket. He will make NFL throws. Here's an ESPN post with the Gruden video.
I wrote that if the Bengals were to win and win it all, they need Andy Dalton to be the next Mozart. That means he must be a Mozart of football. He must be a prodigy. I'm not talking just physical attributes. But the ability to make right decisions and accurate throws that will lead the Bengals to successful drives and victories. Let's hope that Andy Dalton likes classical music.
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