Andy Dalton: 3rd most ripped on quarterback in the NFL

Excuse me while I step on to my soapbox and clear the air about where I stand on the Andy Dalton debate. I am not on the Andy Dalton bandwagon. You see, for me, there is no bandwagon. I have been a Dalton fan since he took over this team in his first year. For those who have trouble connecting dots, this is the same time when the Bengals began the annual tradition of extending their season into January.

Dalton has made the playoffs every season during which has been in the league. Every. Single. One. He looks on par to continue that streak this season as he has the Bengals off to a 3-0 start and boasts a season quarterback rating of slightly more than 121. That is incredible.

Yet, he still gets bashed. Sunday, as Dalton finished leading this team back to not one but two fourth quarter deficits, I began to see some anti-Dalton sentiment pop up on my Facebook feed. Of course, people choose to see what they want to see. One of the first comments in anti-Dalton sentiment was:

I was watching the one where he thew a pick, gave up a fumble for a TD, couldn't hit Eifert for anything, and needed AJ to bail him out at the end. 100% certain McCarron could have done the same.

Sigh... This exists.

So I was anxious to listen to the Roughing the Passer podcast where Pete Prisco and Brady Quinn took on the question of the most ripped quarterbacks in the NFL. I was sure Dalton would be high on this list and sure enough, he was ranked third.

3. Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals: Postseason, postseason, postseason. He is 0-4 in the playoffs and has played poorly in prime time. That leads to criticism, even if he's helped turn the Bengals around.

So, who ranks above Dalton on this list? Jay Cutler takes the top spot, followed by Tony Romo. Then, the only quarterback in the NFL at this point who has gone to the post season every year he has played in the league is third. Did I mention Dalton always makes the playoffs?

Now, I am not a naive fan, I understand it is a team game and making the post season is a team effort. But, Dalton is on this team, holding the most important position on the team and the team wins.

Can Dalton improve? Absolutely, and we may be seeing it happen in this young season. The Bengals are good, but now, imagine if the perceived weak link becomes one of the strengths? So far in 2015, this is what is happening. Yet, some people refuse to see it. Take my man @eric3287 and his play by play from this past Sunday as Dalton was beating the Ravens for the fourth time IN A ROW:

I'm not in the business of telling a fan how to fan it up, but come on, a little positivity for one of the top QB's in the league at this point won't hurt. I promise it feels much better to be happy when your team is freaking undefeated and being led by a quarterback playing the best football of his career than it does to wallow in mistakes, which happen, for everyone... Well, everyone but Aaron Rodgers, maybe.

I've met Dalton, many times. I have to say, he is one of the nicest football players I have interacted with. When we played in a flag football game together, he was easily the most approachable guy on the field and looked to interact with the fans on an informal level. The guy is just nice.

So what is it going to take to turn the tide on Dalton? A primetime win (other than against a Peyton Manning-led Denver team last season), a playoff win? A ring? Can't we just appreciate winning and give credit where it's due?