Adam “Pacman” Jones spent eight seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals, playing alongside current Chicago Bears quarterback Andy Dalton in seven of them.
In an interview on CBS Sports Radio’s The Zach Gelb Show, Jones discussed the Bengals’ first trip to the Super Bowl since 1988, and he couldn’t help but wonder how different his path in Cincinnati would have been if he had a quarterback like Joe Burrow as opposed to Dalton.
Burrow, of course, is taking the Bengals to the Super Bowl in just his second season, while Dalton went 0-4 in the postseason during his time in Cincy. While Jones didn’t slander or bad mouth Dalton in any way, the former cornerback couldn’t help but examine the quarterback play that held the Bengals back in the past. Dalton threw for 873 yards, one touchdown and six interceptions in his four playoff appearances with the Bengals, amassing a measly 57.8 passer rating — and Jones didn’t shy away from pointing that out.
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Jones on Dalton: ‘Go Back & Look at the Film’
“If you look at the teams that make runs in the postseason, it all starts with the quarterback,” Jones said on the January 26 episode of The Zach Gelb Show, adding:
“A lot of these teams have really good quarterbacks. Really good guys who play hard, love football, don’t worry about a lot of other things. If it was anything with the teams I was on, I would start with the quarterback … I don’t want to make the conversation about me saying [Dalton] 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.”
The game the Bengals should have won, according to Jones, was an 18-16 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2015 Wild Card round. McCarron hit former Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green for a 25-yard touchdown to give Cincinnati its first lead of the game with under three minutes remaining, but the Bengals couldn’t hang on.
“[Burrow is] the real deal,” Jones added. “He’s used to the pressure, won a national title. He’s ready for the big lights. He’s what I would’ve loved to have as a quarterback … He’s exciting to see. I love his hunger, the way he plays … Maybe we’d have two [Super Bowl rings with Burrow].”
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Dalton’s Playing Days in Chicago Are Likely Over
With a new regime in the Windy City and Dalton’s one-year, $10 million deal done, the Red Rifle is very likely on his way to playing for his third team in as many years.
With new general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus speaking alongside second-year quarterback Justin Fields at the latter pair’s introductory press conference on January 31, it’s clear Fields is the face of the franchise moving forward. For his part, Dalton seems fine with hitting the open market.
“I went through free agency last year,” Dalton said on January 7. “Really, it was the first time for me to go through it at the beginning of free agency. And so I kind of have that experience. So I’ll be doing the same thing and will be looking at all of the options that I have and pick the best one that there’s going to be for me and my family and everything. So we’ll see how this whole thing shakes out.”
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All-Pro Ex-Teammate: Andy Dalton Was Why Bengals Never Won a Super Bowl