Andy Dalton.
Is there a more divisive topic in our corner of the world? There are vocal people who spew blood-rage hate, squaring off against those that strap rose-colored blinders, while the rest of us (those of us who say he sucks when he's bad and praise him when he's good) watch with popcorn saturated in butter.
Bengals Head Coach Marvin Lewis, talking with Cincinnati Enquirer beat writer Paul Dehner Jr. and Bengals.com writer Geoff Hobson in Mobile, Alabama, offered strong support for Dalton.
Lewis again committed to Dalton, no new QBs: "We have no problem w/ Andy Dalton as our QB. We don’t have time to waste time w/ another QB."
— Paul Dehner Jr. (@pauldehnerjr) January 21, 2015
Perhaps this could filed under "what else would he say", but it should reiterate a point that the Bengals aren't likely to draft a quarterback this year. Dalton will open training camp as the team's starting quarterback and anything outside of that sphere is pure fantasy at this stage.
Dalton was named to his second pro bowl on Tuesday as the seventh alternate, after Aaron Rodgers dropped out with an injury. Dalton, a fourth-year player in 2014, led the Bengals to a fourth-straight playoff appearance and a third-straight season with double-digit victories. He joined Baltimore’s Joe Flacco as the only starting QBs in the Super Bowl era to lead a team to the postseason in each of his first four pro campaigns. The Bengals are one of only four NFL teams to reach the postseason each of the last four years.
Under Dalton, the Bengals had three fourth-quarter comeback victories in 2014, two against Baltimore and one vs. Denver. Dalton also directed the team to a lead from a fourth-quarter deficit vs. Carolina, but that game ended in a tie. Dalton posted a career-best completion percentage on the season, at 64.1 percent, and passed for 3,398 yards, 19 TDs and 17 INTs.