Gary Kubiak Praises Andy Dalton; Compares Bengals Rookie to Brett Favre
Let’s be honest, this was supposed to be a rebuilding year for the Cincinnati Bengals with rookie Andy Dalton under center, but that’s been anything but the case as the former TCU standout has led his team to a 7-5 record and has even given them a shot at making the playoffs. With a key matchup against the Houston Texans on Sunday, Gary Kubiak had plenty of praise for Dalton and provided the rookie quarterback with one of the greatest compliments any football player could ask for–comparing him to future Hall of Famer Brett Favre.
Through 12 games, Dalton has thrown for 2,644 yards to go along with 17 touchdowns and just 12 interceptions while completing nearly 60 percent of his passes. What’s even more impressive is Dalton has posted these type of numbers with a young receiving core consisting of rookie A.J. Green, Jerome Simpson, and Jermaine Gresham–which is good enough for Kubiak to compare Dalton to Favre.
Here’s what Kubiak had to say about the Bengals rookie courtesy of Kevin Goheen of the Cincinnati Enquirer:
“He obviously threw the ball a lot more than Brett did coming out but just the way you watched him play the games, the way you watched him find a way to win, find a way to make a play,” Kubiak said. “That’s what it’s all about in this league. You’ve got to be able to improvise and he can definitely do that. I don’t see any throws he hasn’t been able to make. I’ve got one in my mind down in Seattle where he moved to his left and hit (AJ) Green down the middle of the field. I see him making every throw you need to make and that’s all that matters.”
It’s one thing to be praised for your ability to win as a young rookie, but to be compared to a quarterback like Favre? No big deal for Dalton, right?
Heading into Week 14, the Bengals currently have the No. 6 seed in the AFC, but there are three other teams that have the same 7-5 record–which means every game from here on out is important. Luckily, Cincinnati’s two toughest remaining games against Houston and the Baltimore Ravens will be played at Paul Brown Stadium–so let’s hope Dalton can display some Favre-like performances in front of the home crowd and keep the team’s playoff hopes alive.
Dan Parzych is the Lead NFL Content Editor for www.RantSports.com/NFL, where he writes and edits NFL content for www.RantSports.com.
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