It’s a moment that almost seems surreal now as the Cincinnati Bengals stumble into limbo, hoping to get Andy Dalton back for at least the playoffs. A moment that became a turning point for both Dalton and Bengals fans, spurred his best season to date, the team’s Super Bowl dreams and then dashed them with an injury that six months ago would have been secretly wished for by a large contingent of Bengal loyalists.
That moment happened at a charity softball game of all places in July. Dalton was playing in a celebrity game for charity before the MLB All-Star game. When he stepped to the plate, the Cincinnati faithful booed him and I’ll use an adjective to describe it I don’t often use and if you’re an E.L. James fan you’ll appreciate it. They booed him lustily.
They booed him during the pre-game introductions. They booed him at every at-bat. In response to that love from Bengals “fans,” Dalton blasted a home run out of the park that probably still hasn’t landed.
Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson called it a “turning point.”
“I’m not going to tell you it didn’t bother him,” Jackson told Sports Illustrated back in October. “It did. When you have the success he has had, four seasons int he league, four times in the playoffs, getting booed in your own city, that has to hurt a bit. But he was able to hit one over the fence for a home run. And he flipped the bat. His message was sort of, ‘you might not like me now, but you’re going to love me later.'”
It’s a lesson the Bengals fans learned the hard way yesterday when Dalton left the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers with a broken thumb on his throwing hand. He’ll miss the rest of the regular season. At least.
For all the Bengals fans who clamored for former Alabama quarterback A.J. McCarron to get his shot, congratulations. You get your wish. Meanwhile everyone else seems to realize that the Super Bowl trophy that Cincy legitimately had a shot at has now somehow moved out of reach. The AFC North title that seemed all but certain has now been put in jeopardy. The Bengals are making the playoffs. Dalton has done that much for them already. But without him everything else is up for grabs.
It’s a lesson that Dallas Cowboys fans had to learn the hard way too a few years ago. Tony Romo was easily one of the best quarterbacks in the league and while he did choke away his share of games, he also delivered more often than not. And when he wasn’t playing the Cowboys weren’t even a factor. It’s why the hole state of Texas outside of Houston deflated when Romo went down this year. They knew it was over. And it was.
There’s an old saying that absence makes the heart grow fonder and you’re about to get a whole lot fonder of Andy Dalton, Bengals fans. I think most of you figured out what you really had this year, saw the special player that Dalton was becoming. Those that didn’t, well you’re about to learn that lesson the hard way.
Speaking of quarterbacks…
The Brock Osweiler vs. Peyton Manning question just got murkier with the Broncos’ loss to the Oakland Raiders Sunday. It may not seem that way from the outside, but as I said in The FAQ, this was a trap game the whole way. And at least looking at statistics Osweiler didn’t play bad.
So why is it a problem? Because it leaves the question out there. A Broncos victory and you stick with Osweiler. If he craps the bed in that game, then you know maybe you need to give Manning one last shot. As of today, you still don’t know anything. And Manning is probably going to be ready for the postseason. Denver is in a no-win situation unless whatever they do results in winning it all.
