Cincinnati Bengals: Why Andy Dalton Is Already Better Than Carson Palmer

Cincinnati Bengals fans have been fortunate enough to easily put the pitiful legacy of Carson Palmer behind them quickly thanks to the emerging star that is Andy Dalton.

That’s not to say Palmer was a bad player—in fact in his prime Palmer was competing with Peyton Manning and Tom Brady for the title of best quarterback in the league.

With that being said, Palmer left a bitter taste in the collective mouths of Bengals’ faithful after injuries decimated his body along with his will to play in the Queen City.

Palmer’s retirement was quickly shrugged off by the organization and fans when Dalton began to perform admirably during his rookie campaign. Dalton will never compete with a Brady or Manning for a passing title like Palmer did.

But Dalton doesn’t have to—and he’s already better for the Bengals than Palmer ever was.

For comparisons sake, let’s review the very, very different path the two quarterbacks took en route to suiting up for the Cincinnati Bengals.

Palmer, fresh off of a Heisman Trophy while playing for the Trojans of USC was taken as the first overall pick in the 2003 NFL Draft and proceeded to sit out his rookie year.

Dalton on the other hand won a Rose Bowl in his final game as a Horned Frog of TCU and fell all the way to Cincinnati in the second round of the 2011 draft, 35^th overall.

Palmer’s first full year starting was a successful one which saw him throw for 2,897 yards, 18 touchdowns and 18 interceptions. The team proceeded to stumble to a mediocre 8-8 record.

Dalton’s rookie season last year culminated in a 9-7 record along with a playoff berth. He threw for 3,398 yards, 20 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.

It’s not unrealistic to say Dalton had a better rookie season with less. Yes, Dalton had A.J. Green who racked up 1,057 yards and seven scores. He also had Cedric Benson rush for just over 1,000 yards and six touchdowns.

However, Palmer had the man known as Chad Johnson record 1,274 yards and nine touchdowns, T.J. Houshmanzadeh had 978 yards and four scores and running back Rudi Johnson went off for 1,454 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Dalton is also a much more athletic player than Palmer, and can routinely use his feet to make big plays or buy more time to allow him to make throws down the field. His deep ball may not be as refined as Palmer’s, but Dalton has an advantage in not consistently making horrible short throws that are intercepted and returned for touchdowns.

So Dalton, thrown into the fire as a rookie without a training camp thanks to a lockout outperformed the No. 1 overall pick who sat out the entirety of his rookie season to learn.

Of course, Palmer has seven more years of starting experience than Dalton. It’s hard to tell how Dalton’s numbers will compare to Palmer’s in the end. It’s a safe bet that Dalton won’t have better passing numbers because he doesn’t need to.

Dalton is more of an AFC North quarterback than Palmer ever was. The run-first division requires an intelligent quarterback to manage the game, and Dalton has done just that as a rookie.

Dalton’s exemplary leadership on and off the field is something Cincinnati was desperately in need of during the Palmer era. Palmer had to contend with massive personalities, but instead of reigning them in and being a vocal leader, Palmer retreated to his home in California every offseason.

Dalton has done the exact opposite. There’s no question in the locker room who the leader of the team is at this point. During the lockout Dalton was a major facilitator in getting the team together for voluntary workouts and he’s also been visible in the Cincinnati community already.

Quarterback is a position judged drastically differently from all others in any sport. A quarterback is not only the face of a franchise, but the face of a city as well.

So when a city and team has a quiet quarterback that flees the city in the offseason, it’s hard to rally behind him. Choosing retirement rather than playing for the franchise ever again reeks of quitting.

In comparison, Dalton’s youthful energy, leadership and visibility within the community have done wonders for the organization. Dalton oozes confidence in any situation, and that’s a contagious trait in the world of football.

With Dalton at the helm, it’s hard to imagine Cincinnati continuing to be an undesirable location for free agents, coaches and draft prospects. It’s also hard to imagine Dalton is the type to leave town when the team suffers through unfortunate stretches.

While the most Palmer has given the Bengals is a pair of playoff losses and a couple of extra draft selections, Dalton promises to give much more to the city and fans.

The Palmer era in Cincinnati has ended, and now the era of Dalton is really underway. The two are fatefully linked forever, but  Dalton’s era is only beginning and it has already been more exciting and spirited than Palmer’s ever was.

The best part of this new era in Cincinnati?

Andy Dalton’s just warming up.

Follow @Chris_Roling