NFL Off-Season: Top QB Competitions

Jun 11, 2014; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals quarterback AJ McCarron (5) during minicamp at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

Cincinnati Bengals
Jason Campbell vs. AJ McCarron 

What Has Been Said:

Offensive Coordinator Hue Jackson

“AJ McCarron is a hard-working young man who is learning our system, learning how we do things. I think he’s getting his feet wet. He doesn’t have to be that guy who has to step into the forefront right away because we have a veteran quarterback who we feel very good about. It is a place for him to learn, to grow and really understand the National Football League. AJ obviously comes from Alabama, a tremendous program, had a great career there, and I think he’s working hard to learn how we do things, how we run our system, and, you said it best, Andy can somewhat mentor him.” 

“But there’s also Jason Campbell in that room, who has more experience than any of them, who’s seen a lot of different defenses, a lot of different blitzes and played against a lot of different coordinators. So he kind of offers them a whole different perspective that’s something Andy hasn’t had. So I think he’s able to help them. But at the end of the day, I think all those guys are really working hard in order to establish where they are. I mean, every day you’ve got to go out and compete, and that’s the beautiful part about that room right now. I think all three guys are doing that.”

AJ McCarron
“I think you can always learn something from somebody. When we came to footwork, we tried to keep level hips on a level plane. Coach helped me a ton. I think it’s all about being patient and taking what they give you. Eventually they’ll give you the game. I want to be supportive of Andy. I want to be a good teammate to him and he’s a great guy and he deserves that. Whatever my team needs me to do, I’ll do.”

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Prediction:
The strongest part of the Cincinnati offense would definitely have to be their passing offense. What makes this passing offense so lethal is their QB, but also their wide array of WRs and TEs. For starters, there is third-year, all-pro WR A.J. Green who took his talents to extreme heights last season. In 2013, Green caught 98 of Dalton’s passes for 1,426 yards and 11 touchdowns. What was amazing was Dalton’s 180 targets to Green which ranked among tops in the league. Along with Green is breakout, TD machine WR Marvin Jones who busted out onto the scene and ended up catching 51 balls for 712 yards and an impressive 10 touchdowns. 2014 should be a season in which Jones really comes alive and breaks into the starting role on the roster. Other receivers on the Bengals’ roster include WR Mohamed Sanu (455 yards on 47 catches in 2013) and receiving TEs Jermaine Gresham (458 on 46 catches) and Tyler Effiert (39 receptions for 445 yards). The Bengals are going to add rookie WR James Wright out of LSU to the mix which should only make this offense that much stronger. What also makes this offense stronger though is the addition of backup QBs A.J. McCarron and Jason Campbell out of Alabama and Cleveland, respectively.

Out of the University of Alabama, McCarron was praised for his accuracy and ability to manage offenses. With McCarron at the helm, the Crimson Tide won back-to-back BCS National Championships in 2011 and 2012 and then went to the Sugar Bowl in 2013. Where McCarron has much more promise than many other rookie QBs is in his leadership and ability to call plays. His two national championships and Sugar Bowl appearance are a testament to how well he can manage an offense. With the Cincinnati Bengals, if Andy Dalton gets injured, a character guy like McCarron would be great to back him up. McCarron has been known to perform well under pressure and in the NFL, pressure is everything. According to his NFL.com profile, his strengths include; “Well-versed operating a pro-style offense and makes NFL-style progression reads. Is comfortable working from under center and in the gun. Mobile enough to sidestep the first wave. Good field vision, timing and anticipation. Very good short-to-intermediate accuracy (evidenced by a 66.9 percent career completion rate). Throws with accuracy on the move — good wrist snap. Delivers the ball under duress. Has enough arm strength to fit the ball into spots. Consistent throwing mechanics — has a smooth stroke. Good caretaker and decision-maker. Mature leader. Smart and articulate. Highly competitive team leader — holds teammates accountable. Very well-prepared. Directed back-to-back national championship offenses.” At the same time though, McCarron was “Surrounded by an NFL-caliber supporting cast with a very good offensive line that provides a lot of time to dissect the field. Does not have a big-time, vertical arm. Average athlete. Makes occasional bone-headed decisions. Heaves the deep ball and forces receivers to make adjustments. Does not drive the deep out.” With that said, McCarron does have a lot of good qualities like his consistency and his mental aspects, however his throwing strength and deep-ball accuracy are big question marks.

With Campbell, you’re getting the experience and big arm, but not necessarily the youth that McCarron has. As a member of the Cleveland Browns, Campbell was given some starting time after both Brandon Weeden and Brian Hoyer were out. In 2013 he averaged a modest 251.1 yards per game along with 11 passing touchdowns. Granted he wasn’t given the best offense to work with in 2013, Campbell has a much better receiving corps out in Cincinnati. Where Campbell and McCarron differ is not in their throwing motions or leadership abilities, but rather their playing styles. McCarron is typically a game manager, while Campbell tends to use the long ball as a means of scoring points. Last season the Campbell-Gordon connection worked to perfection. If given the chance, I can see Campbell doing much better with WR A.J. Green than McCarron, seeing that McCarron doesnt yet have that long-ball accuracy to deliver down the field.

In the long run, this competition is one of the lesser competitions in the NFL. Regardless though, in terms of the Bengals back-up, it looks like Campbell is going to be the backup and McCarron is going to be directly under him, learning the system. At this time we can adequately say that McCarron is the third string because of Dalton’s health. However, in the position that Dalton gets injured towards the end of the season, things could change. I have no doubt that Campbell could do the job and will do the job, but there is always a lingering doubt that the rookie could slide in there.