Dalton Excited to Have Confidence of Bengals Organization, Ready for Next Step

If Andy Dalton is feeling more pressure this season, he's taking it in stride. 

The Cincinnati Bengals quarterback sat down with Bleacher Report as part of a press tour based around his latest Pepsi commercial. However, most of the conversation focused on the massive six-year, $96 million contract extension (worth up to $115 million) he just signed and his own personal expectations for the season.

Part of the fun of the Pepsi campaign is the intersection of where those topics meet. In the spot, Dalton takes part in a mock press conference before breaking the fourth wall and interacting with some Bengals fans at a Buffalo Wild Wings. The video ends with Dalton giving away game tickets to everyone. 

With such a large extension—even one that is viewed to be as team-friendly as Dalton's ($17 million guaranteed)—he is now firmly planted as a long-term fixture in the team's plans and its certifiable face of the future.

Photo Source: Pepsi

He may not be seen as surly as San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers or as vanilla as Baltimore Ravens signal-caller Joe Flacco, but Dalton is still a bit of a forgotten man among the NFL's well-paid passers.

Dalton said that he's enjoyed doing spots like this with Pepsi because it's allowed him to give back and engage with the fans. This commercial, especially, seemed like a good idea to Dalton because, as he told me, he got to "surprise some fans who didn't know I'd be there."

In fact, Dalton loves to be part of the Cincinnati community. When asked about what the new contract meant to him, he didn't highlight the financial stability it provides his family, nor did he even stress the football aspect of the deal. Instead, he was most excited to talk about raising his family in the town he loves.

"It’s good to know that I have the support of the organization, but also knowing my wife, family and I will be in Cincinnati for a long time. It’s great that they wanted to get the deal done. [Head coach] Marvin [Lewis] said there would be talks going on. It took a little bit, but I’m glad it got done."

Rob Carr/Getty Images

Around a deal and an ad campaign like this, it's easy to get caught up in rose-colored prognostications and warm fuzzies, so it's important to note that I've been intensely critical of Dalton's shortcomings in the past. 

The thing with criticizing Dalton, though, is that one often takes the back seat to the man who knows his own shortcomings: "We don’t get to start our season back in the playoffs. We have to earn our way back there and play our best football come January."

Dalton sat down with CBS Sports' Pete Prisco and clued the columnist in to how he drowns out some of the noise around his play:

"

I know what everyone in this organization believes and I know what I've done. I've been to the Pro Bowl. I've accomplished a lot of stuff. Obviously I haven't won a playoff game, so that's going to be the biggest knock on me right now, but I can't worry about what other people say.

"

It isn't just Dalton who is feeling the heat in Cincinnati. The consistent playoff failings also have plenty of media and fans pointing fingers at Lewis. Dalton, however, took the chance to stand up for his head coach.

Patrick Smith/Getty Images

"Marvin is a great coach," he said. "You can see it with the way he’s turned things around here in Cincinnati. For a long time, the expectations weren’t about getting into the playoffs. Now, it’s expected here. He’s done a good job finding the guys who fit in to Cincinnati and guys who buy in."

That's an important demarcation and one that needs to be highlighted by even Dalton and Lewis' harshest critics—again, including myself there. One can reasonably debate whether the current makeup of the Bengals is enough to win a Super Bowl, but this was an organization that, for many years, wasn't even thinking about that as a possibility. 

The question isn't whether this iteration of the Bengals can be successful. They've already found measures of success that previous regimes could not have imagined...levels of success that many other teams would give an arm and a leg for. 

Dalton believes the answer lies in some of the young and talented players the team has surrounded him with.

Speaking specifically about running back Giovani Bernard and tight end Tyler Eifert entering their second years, he said: "Those guys are so talented. There’s a lot of learning going into being a rookie, but they know what to expect now, and we’re expecting big things from them. With Gio in either the run or the pass game, and with Tyler the matchups we can rely on."

Gail Burton/Associated Press

This interview was done during the preseason, but some of that expectation and reliance was seen firsthand during the Bengals' Week 1 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens. Cincinnati won 23-16 thanks in part to a 77-yard pass from Dalton to star wide receiver A.J. Green and then a subsequent pass for the two-point conversion. 

In the game, Eifert didn't exactly light up the box with three receptions for 37 yards, but he left in the first quarter with an elbow injury. Bernard, however, played for the entire game and had exactly the type of well-rounded impact Dalton predicted he might: 14 carries for 48 yards and six receptions for 62 yards. 

Against a tough Ravens defense, those were important contributions. 

We are still waiting to see the offensive explosion that new offensive coordinator Hue Jackson was supposed to bring to town, however. With Jay Gruden as the head coach in Washington, Jackson is a new voice for Dalton and the offense, and it is a different kind of voice, to say the least. 

"He coaches things a little bit different than Jay," Dalton said. "He’s in your face. No one is clear from getting yelled at if you deserve it. He pushes everyone to be their best."

In terms of scheme, Dalton laid that out for Fox Sports' Ross Jones:

"

I think what we’re going to do with Hue is going to be good for us. As far as the system, it’s similar. I just think we’re trying to do things a little bit faster this year. We’re trying to run more plays. It’ll make it easier to pick up first downs and move the chains. That’s the big difference is how quick we’re going.

"

Dalton walks the fine line between tuning out his many critics and being his own harshest evaluator. He will be both the first to tell you how successful he has been in this league and also how badly he and the Bengals need to win that elusive playoff game. 

In the end, Dalton didn't sign his new contract as a reward for what he's done, but as a precursor to what he and the team believe they can accomplish together in the near future. He clearly thinks the Bengals are ready for that next step and is excited for the chance to lead his team to greater glory. 

Michael Schottey is an NFL National Lead Writer for Bleacher Report and a member of the Pro Football Writers of America. Find more of his stuff on his archive page and follow him on Twitter. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained by the author.