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By Jon Machota 42m ago
There were times when Jay Gruden would get mad at Andy Dalton. The former Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator wanted to see more emotion out of his young quarterback. But that has never been Dalton’s style.
He stays somewhere in the middle.
“Honestly, that worked out well for us in big games, in big situations,” former Bengals teammate Bruce Gradkowski told The Athletic on Wednesday. “Andy always stayed the same. … He’s always very even-keeled. He’s never too high or too low. That’s one of the things I just noticed being around him in Cincinnati. We’d overcome some adversity in games because Andy never blinked. He stayed the same, and things just tended to work out.”
After being the Bengals’ starting quarterback for the last nine seasons, Dalton is preparing to make his first start for the Dallas Cowboys on Monday night against the Arizona Cardinals. Dalton, who signed a one-year, $3 million fully guaranteed contract with Dallas in May, was Dak Prescott’s backup the first five weeks, entering last Sunday’s game against the New York Giants after Prescott went down with a compound fracture and dislocation of his right ankle. In the final quarter and a half, Dalton completed 9 of 11 passes for 111 yards, helping lead the Cowboys to a 37-34 come-from-behind win.
Gradkowski, Dalton’s backup in Cincinnati for Dalton’s first two seasons, wasn’t surprised.
“He’s going to be a steady guy for this offense,” he said. “Of course, it’s an uphill battle. They have a lot of good games in front of them. But I think he’s the one that can get it done. I think he can do a good job … I have high expectations for him.”
Dalton is taking over the NFL’s No. 1 total offense, averaging 488 yards per game, and the No. 3 scoring offense at 33 points per game. Prescott was beginning to put together a career year, leading the league in passing yards and averaging 422.5 per game the first four weeks. Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup are on pace to each have 1,000-yard receiving seasons. Ezekiel Elliott is on pace to have his fourth 1,000-yard rushing season.
But despite having one of the NFL’s best offenses, the Cowboys have only won twice. Fortunately for them, they’re in the league’s worst division and currently sit atop the NFC East standings. Now it will be on the 32-year-old backup to lead Dallas the rest of the way to the postseason.
Dalton’s signing with Dallas was somewhat surprising considering that the Cowboys had not invested significantly in a backup quarterback for several years. Prescott had never missed a start during his first four seasons, so it was possible that Dalton could have gone an entire season without taking a meaningful snap. It would have been a dramatic shift for a player who had spent virtually his entire run in Cincinnati as a starter, but returning to Texas was appealing for the Katy native and TCU product.
“He made the right call for his family,” Gradkowski said. “And now he has a great opportunity in a division that isn’t playing very well.”
From 2006 to 2016, Gradkowski played for the Buccaneers, Rams, Browns, Raiders, Bengals and Steelers. He has spent the last two years as a quarterback analyst for Pro Football Focus. He oversees all of PFF’s QB grading, which means watching every throw that every quarterback attempts each week. He’s confident that Dalton will perform well, and noted that Dalton was PFF’s top-graded quarterback last week despite only throwing 11 passes. Not only that, “this offense may even execute a little bit better than it has in previous weeks,” specifically when it comes to switching his protections.
“He can make sure the offensive line is making the right call and picking up the right blitzer or going to the right ID for the five offensive linemen to go block with the four down defensive linemen. Andy has done a tremendous job in his career understanding that,” Gradkowski added. “I think he can help the Cowboys offense because Andy can now take that leadership role in helping them on calls, that they’re making the right calls, they’re making the right adjustments and put the offensive line in a good situation. Because at the end of the day, your back is against the wall. You don’t want to get hit.”
That might be tougher for Dalton than it was for Prescott, who is both younger and more athletic. But Gradkowski noted a pair of plays Dalton made in the fourth quarter of the Giants win, including a game-altering deep ball completion to Michael Gallup on the right sideline to set up Greg Zuerlein’s game-winning field goal.
“Andy is athletic enough to extend plays,” he said. “Probably not to the standpoint that Dak is, but he’s still a viable option to get outside and make plays on the run.”
Gradkowski said Dalton is comfortable making any throw, but his favorite is the out-route. A particular one he mentioned from Sunday’s win was Dalton’s first pass attempt after Prescott went down.
On third-and-6 from New York’s 23-yard line, the Cowboys lined up with Dalton in shotgun and Elliott to his right. Gallup was lined up to the far right with Lamb next to him in the slot. On the left side, Cooper was out wide with tight end Dalton Schultz in the slot. Lamb ran nine yards, then broke out to the right. Dalton’s pass was behind Lamb, but the rookie receiver adjusted to make a nice catch for an 11-yard gain. Elliott scored on the next play.
“That’s kind of the pocket that Andy likes to throw in right there,” Gradkowski said. “But, really, Andy is comfortable running an offense. Right now is when the communication goes on between (offensive coordinator) Kellen Moore and (head coach) Mike McCarthy and himself. ‘What are you comfortable with, Andy? Let’s go over the plays.’
“And this offense is going to look a tad bit different. They don’t change the offense, but there are little nuances that change depending on who the starting quarterback is. I think you’ll see some different things.”
The two biggest challenges for Dalton will be building a better rapport with receivers he had not been getting much time with in practice and playing behind a banged-up offensive line that’s starting two young undrafted players at the tackle positions and a rookie at center.
Facing the Cardinals in his first Cowboys start could be a good thing for Dalton. In three games against Arizona, Dalton has completed 62 percent of his passes for 731 yards, six touchdowns, no interceptions and a 100.5 passer rating. In a Week 5 loss to the Cardinals last season, Dalton completed 71 percent of his passes for 262 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions and a 107.6 passer rating.
The three-time Pro Bowler has a career record of 70-61-2 as a starter. He has 22 fourth-quarter comeback victories, third-most since 2011, trailing only Matthew Stafford (27) and Russell Wilson (23). Dalton also has 25 game-winning drives, the fourth-most since 2011. Stafford has 33, Wilson 30, Drew Brees 27 and Matt Ryan 25.
The Bengals were 22-2 when Dalton threw for three-or-more touchdowns and 41-22-1 when he threw at least two.
“He’s got some weapons outside,” Gradkowski said. “And that’s what he had his first few years in Cincinnati with A.J. Green, Mohamed Sanu and Marvin Jones. He had weapons. And now he has weapons. And with Ezekiel Elliott in the backfield, this offense has the weapons. They could start relying on Zeke a little bit more to take some pressure off the defense. There’s enough weapons to get it done. I think Andy will do a good job.
“I don’t expect this offense to drop off at all. I actually expect it to play better.”
Here’s what the Cowboys are saying about Dalton:
Mike McCarthy: “We were very, very fortunate to have the opportunity to bring him here and really from day one he’s been a great fit, learned the new system, the new language. He’s always giving good insights and tidbits and sharing his experiences. He’s very organized and detailed as far as the way he’s collected all his former game plans and so forth. So he has a wealth of knowledge that he’s always shared with the whole room. So, now, that he’s in that lead chair, it’s for all of us to make sure he’s ready. He’s had a good camp. You can see obviously his competitive nature, but he’s played a lot of football. He anticipates very well, very accurate with the football. So, I don’t see us really changing a whole lot.”
Kellen Moore: “I think we’re in a fortunate spot. To have Andy on our team, to be in this situation, to feel comfortable at the end of that game to go into two-minute offense and just roll because you know Andy is going to be able to go out and make plays and execute. He handled it the right way. He was 9 of 11 and took care of business. Obviously, we’re fortunate for that. We kind of got to regroup, go through this process of dealing with the adjustment here and just Andy and I working together and spending time together. Obviously, it’s a different dynamic. Obviously, Dak and I have spent a lot of time together over these years, and now it’s just Andy and I got to spend time together and go through this process together. I don’t think we’re going to drastically change. We feel very confident that Andy can go out there and execute football plays and do a good job for us, and we’ll figure out what our plan is as we move forward.”
Jerry Jones Tuesday on 105.3 The Fan: “Andy Dalton is a player that can get the job done in the NFL. He’s a starting quarterback. I’m being trite when I say that. And I think he’s a starting quarterback on a very successful, winning team. We’ve got our quarterback in Andy Dalton.”
Ezekiel Elliott: “He’s a vet. When he gets in the huddle, he’s very vocal. He’s ready, and it is really assuring that he gets up there with a lot of confidence, and that makes it a lot easier for the rest of this team. But he’s a guy that has played a lot of ball. He’s a pro. He does things the right way.”
CeeDee Lamb: “He is very calm and composed. Like he’s been there before, as he has. I kinda thought back. Andy’s a 10-year vet, if I am not mistaken. A Pro Bowler for (three) years. Just having him as the next man up, it’s no better feeling. He has you feeling confident. He’s going in smiling on the last drive. It’s an energy booster and it builds character in your team. For him to come in the huddle, just out of the gate, his first opportunity, he has to lead us to a victory. And that he did. We have nothing but love for him.”
