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- Former Bengals defensive back Adam “Pacman” Jones shared his thoughts on Cincinnati’s lack of success in prior years.
- Jones basically blamed quarterbacks Andy Dalton (and A.J. McCarron) for the team never getting over the hump.
- Read more news about the NFL here.
Poor Andy Dalton. We had such high hopes for the Red Rifle after the Cincinnati Bengals drafted him in the second round in 2011 after four solid, if not spectacular, seasons leading the TCU Horned Frogs.
Sadly, after nine seasons with the Bengals, Dalton had managed just a 70-61-2 record as a starter. Even worse, the Rifle was 0-4 in the playoffs with a QB rating of just 57.8, throwing only one touchdown and six interceptions. In the fifth playoff game of his Bengals career, Dalton was inactive due to injury. A.J. McCarron got the start that day, another loss, and clocked in with a QBR of 68.3
Someone who was along for that ride for all but the final two years was defensive back Adam “Pacman” Jones.
Jones, a Pro Bowler in 2015 and current Bengals podcaster, saw firsthand how different the culture was in Cincinnati then versus how it is today with the Bengals on the brink of playing in just their second Super Bowl in over 50 years.
Pacman Jones blames Andy Dalton for Bengals’ previous playoff failures
During a recent interview with The Zach Gelb Show to discuss the Bengals’ 2021 success, Pacman had this to say.
“If you look at the teams that make runs in the postseason, it all starts with the quarterback,” said Jones. “A lot of these teams have really good quarterbacks. Really good guys that play hard, that love football, not worrying about a lot of other things. So I would say, if it was anything with the teams I was on, I would start with the quarterback.”
“So Andy Dalton wasn’t good enough is what you’re saying?” Gelb asked.
“Yeah,” replied Pacman.
Related: Joe Burrow Is Already Planning What He’ll Do If The Bengals Win The Super Bowl
Jones continued, “I don’t want to just make the conversation about me saying he wasn’t good enough. But if you go back and look at the film, it speaks for itself. You look at the numbers. The game that we should’ve won, I think A.J. [McCarron] played. You know, you just gotta look at the film. The film will break it down, show you why we didn’t get the postseason wins.
As for the current Bengals team and quarterback Joe Burrow, Jones said, “He’s the real deal. He’s used to the pressure. He’s won the national championship so he’s ready for the big lights. He’s what I would’ve loved to have as a quarterback.
Pacman then added that if he could have played with Joe Burrow he might have gotten two Super Bowl rings.
Everybody loves Joey Brr.