A team's quarterback is the leader of the offense and usually the entire team. Before every Saints game, Drew Brees is the guy in the middle of the team firing everybody up. Of course Carson Palmer wasn't necessarily that kind of vocal leader, but that doesn't necessarily mean he wasn't a leader. Maybe he was just a quiet one.
The Bengals second round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, Andy Dalton, is a leader too -- at least he says he is.
Said Dalton when asked if he could be a leader: "I know how to push guys and knows that it takes to push guys."
I'll be honest. I've always liked Carson Palmer but I also always wished that he was more of a vocal leader. In a huddle with guys like Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens, you would need a quarterback that has more command of the huddle than two of the most talkative players in NFL history. Palmer never really seemed to be that kind of guy, to me. Maybe I'm wrong though, I wasn't in the huddle.
There's a lot more to the quarterback position than a strong arm and accuracy, not to say that those things aren't important. A quarterback has to be a leader, both on and off the field and he's got to be smart. Those are two attributes that Dalton seems to possess.
At least NFL analyst Gil Brandt thinks so.
"Dalton's got it, that same quality Tom Brady has," says Brandt. "You can see it in the way he relates to his receivers and the people around him. People want to follow him. That's why he won so much at TCU."
With a group of young receivers and possibly a new running back and offensive linemen, it will be good to have a vocal leader in the huddle at the quarterback position. It's unclear as to whether or not Dalton will be taking the snaps during the Bengals opening game against the Browns on Sept. 11, but having good leadership skills will only help him move up the depth chart.