NFL Notebook, Week 12: NFC’s elite, Jason Garrett’s future, fantasy sleepers and more
By Zach Cohen
Trouble in the Jungle, Vol. 100
When the Bengals benched eight-year starter Andy Dalton for rookie fourth-round pick Ryan Finley ahead of Week 10, there was a reasonable amount of uproar. While this wasn’t Dalton’s best season, he was far from the main issue plaguing Cincinnati. With Finley at quarterback, the Bengals could have at least started to think about their future.
Now that the team will switch back to Dalton for Sunday’s matchup against the Jets, the move confirms what we all suspected about the organization: They have no idea what they’re doing. It seems like only the 100th time that the Bengals have dropped the ball, too.
Not firing Marvin Lewis earlier was a mistake. Hiring Zac Taylor, who’s highest job title was the University of Cincinnati’s offensive coordinator in 2016, was a mistake. Not trading Andy Dalton and the oft-injured A.J. Green (Green becomes a free agent after the season) was a mistake.
Benching Finley does nothing for Cincinnati. Does the team think they’ll suddenly be competitive with Dalton at the helm? What would that accomplish? I’m sure the players would agree that this move instills little faith in the front office and coaching staff.
We can’t assume that Taylor wasn’t pressured to make this change because wouldn’t Taylor want for Finley to gain more experience? Wouldn’t Taylor want for his team to own the first pick? I’d believe so. Whoever made this decision is living in a world of naivety and blindness, and it may cost the Bengals dearly down the line.