For Dalton, it’s time to lead
Jackson wants QB to show fire with Bengals mates
It started with a visit to Andy Dalton’s home in Texas, where Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson sat down in March with his quarterback and Dalton’s wife, Jordan, to lay out a plan.
Jackson wasn’t happy with comments he’d heard out of the Pro Bowl, where Dalton was booed weeks after the Bengals’ fourth consecutive first-round playoff exit. And Jackson wanted to make sure the Daltons knew they had his full support.
“Let’s not let the noise get to us,” Jackson recalled saying during a conversation with USA TODAY Sports last month. “And I don’t care what anybody says, that stuff does bother people. Whether right or wrong, enough of it will bring anybody to their knees.”
Jackson was pleased to hear Dalton had his own plan, including return trips to California to work with noted quarterback whisperer Tom House. They also agreed Dalton, 27, needed to evolve as a leader. He needed to hold people accountable and embrace confrontation.
In other words, Dalton needed to be more like Jackson, who knows his chances for being a head coach again ride on the most criticized quarterback to notch 40 wins in his first four seasons.
“This is my team,” Dalton said during training camp. “I think the biggest thing I’ve done is I’ve found different ways to push guys and have expected more out of everybody.”
That’s a very Dalton way of saying he will, in Jackson’s words, “let the dog out. It’s OK for him to sit on the porch and bark.”
It happened more this offseason than before. When Dalton chewed out center Russell Bodine because of a bad snap in camp, Jackson said, even defensive players made a point to tell Jackson it was awesome to watch.
“Andy’s not the type of guy who’s going to rip your head off for no reason,” Jackson said. “But is there a fire that burns in there? Yes, there is. And normally it would take a lot to maybe get him going, to incite it. I think it’s on edge now.”
Nobody has ever questioned the fire of Jackson, 49, who led the Bengals’ opponent in Sunday’s opener, the Oakland Raiders, to an 8-8 record in 2011 despite a lockout that wiped out offseason practices — only to get fired by new general manager Reggie McKenzie.
"I think it'd be a travesty if he doesn’t get an opportunity to be a head coach again,” Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said. “But we’ve got to be successful in order to make that happen for him.”
That means winning in the playoffs, which would get some of Dalton’s detractors off his back, too. Last year, a banner appeared at camp touting AJ McCarron for the quarterback job. (Players got it taken down.) In July, Dalton heard boos again at a celebrity softball game in Cincinnati.
To a degree, Dalton is punished because he hasn’t ascended far beyond a strong rookie season in 2011. But considering the weapons surrounding him, Dalton doesn’t need to be great. Being better will do, provided he can demand greatness from everyone else.
“And I think everybody will start to see this guy has something else they didn't think he had,” Jackson said.
GMS WATCHING CHANCELLOR
Look for Kam Chancellor’s holdout to become Exhibit A for every general manager who refuses to adjust contracts with multiple years remaining.
The Seattle Seahawks moved around money on running back Marshawn Lynch’s deal to get him into camp last year. Now Chancellor wants the same, but giving it to him would create a line of players outside GM John Schneider’s door going forward.
There are key differences between the situations. Lynch had two years left on his contract, which ranked fifth among NFL running backs, and there was at least some threat he’d retire. Chancellor, 27, has three years remaining on the four-year extension he signed in April 2013 that remains top-of-market for veteran strong safeties, and nobody buys that he’d walk away.
The Seahawks have a uniquely top-heavy salary cap after extending Lynch, quarterback Russell Wilson and linebacker Bobby Wagner and acquiring tight end Jimmy Graham. They have six players making at least $10 million a year, and Chancellor’s roughly $7 million average ranks 10th.
But no team is going to have every contract match precisely to value. And while the team’s stance in both cases is understandable, it’s hard to imagine the standoff with Chancellor going this far if the Seahawks hadn’t tweaked Lynch’s contract to pay him an extra $1 million last year.
“That’s the problem,” a GM for another team said recently. “Bad precedent to set.”
Others will point to how things are playing out with Chancellor as reason not to do the same.
TRACKING NO. 1 VS. NO. 2
The consensus among scouts was that Jameis Winston was the most pro-ready quarterback in this year’s NFL draft. But is he the most ready to have success in Week 1?
Winston’s regular-season debut with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers comes Sunday against Marcus Mariota and the Tennessee Titans in a battle of the draft’s top two picks, whose skill sets are vastly different.
One line of thinking: Mariota will be better out of the gate, in part because of his ability to use his feet and run. Titans coach Ken Whisenhunt didn’t put a ton on Mariota’s plate in the preseason, and the rookie executed that limited plan well. But defenses might figure it out as time goes on Winston is going to do most of his damage from the pocket. That figures to translate better as rhythm, timing and tempo build in the passing game over the course of the season. Whether it translates in the opener against an improved Titans front remains to be seen.
INSIDE RUNS
Chancellor’s replacement, Dion Bailey, went undrafted out of Southern California last year, signed with the Seahawks for $5,000, got cut early in camp and spent eight weeks over two stints on the practice squad. Scouting report: tough, physical, good enough to get by.
Don’t underestimate the impact of Minnesota Vikings center John Sullivan’s back surgery, which landed him on short-term injured reserve. Running back Adrian Peterson’s line already lost another starter (right tackle Phil Loadholt) for the season, and Sullivan is the unit’s leader.
The schedule sets up well early for the Indianapolis Colts, who open at the Buffalo Bills and don’t face a 2014 playoff team until they host the New England Patriots in Week 6. A fast start could be crucial for a team counting on numerous declining players, whose age might catch up to them later.
A messy quarterback situation isn’t the Washington Redskins’ only problem. Scouts who broke them down in the preseason say their overall depth is awful. It will take new GM Scot McCloughan time to rebuild it.