Listen nobody is under any illusions about who Andy Dalton is as a player. He is football’s version of plain chicken and rice. Edible enough but not exactly tasty without any seasonings. He’s the epitome of average and has been his entire career. Fine size. Fine arm and fine production. Nothing special. The Chicago Bears knew what they were getting. Not a superstar. Just somebody better than Mitch Trubisky. Somebody they could trust to at least be consistent on Sundays.
One thing that isn’t discussed a lot with him though is this. What kind of leader is he? People always seem so focused on his physical shortcomings that they don’t stop to ask why he’s still able to generate effective offense. Often because the players around him seem to execute really well. After doing some digging, I came away with a newfound respect for the man. Both in terms of his toughness and his ability to focus on the big picture.
Let’s start with this clip from 2017 against Indianapolis.
The Bengals offense had been stuck in the mud most of the first half. So in the opening drive of the second, he knew he had to deliver something. He ended up going 5-for-7 on a 77-yard drive, capping it with a 25-yard touchdown to rookie Josh Malone that he had to throw with pressure in his face. What stood out about the sequence was how in control Dalton was of the offense, knowing the checks to make at the line. How calm he was against the pressure and how gracious he was after the play.
Now let’s fast forward to 2018. Cincinnati is playing the Dolphins in Miami. Things didn’t start well for the Bengals. They fell behind at one point 17-0 midway through the third quarter. Then Dalton managed to engineer 10 points in a five-minute span going into the fourth to get them back in the game. A defensive touchdown tied it minutes later. Dalton then led a drive that ended in a field goal to take the lead. Then a couple of plays later, the defense scored again to put the game away 27-17.
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When a teammate tried to rib Dalton about how the defense scored more than the offense in the game, the quarterback’s response was perfect.
Andy Dalton might remind Bears fans of Kyle Orton
The former 4th round pick became the unexpected starter in 2005. He came across as somebody who didn’t care how he played on Sundays. All that mattered was getting the win. His stats meant nothing. Dalton is the same exact way. Whatever he has to do in order to win, he’ll do it. If that means running the ball a lot? Fine. If that means being outshined by the defense? Whatever.
Just get the W. Teammates love somebody like that. A quarterback who is in control but also unselfish. He’s all about making those around him shine. That is why Andy Dalton remains universally respected. It’s not a coincidence there are no former teammates who have talked bad about him over the years. Good luck finding somebody like that. The guy is easy to like and almost impossible to hate as a leader.
It isn’t hard to see why the Bears zeroed in on him.
They wanted somebody who could command the huddle and run the show. Somebody who doesn’t constantly need his hand held through almost everything. Dalton can do that. Yes, he has limitations and there will be times he’ll prove ineffective this season. The Bears did bring him in to be their savior. They brought him in to help improve what they feel is a good roster. If the defense remains good and he plays close to how he did late last season? This team will win some games.