Apparently, if Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton needs an example of how to bounce back from an atrocious showing, he doesn't have to look much farther than himself.
At least that was the message Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson was selling to reporters on Friday, according to ESPN's Coley Harvey.
"The example's him," said Jackson.
Last month, Dalton had a clunker of a showing against the Indianapolis Colts, but bounced back and performed well the next two weeks.
This past Thursday against the Cleveland Browns, Dalton tied a career low in completions (10) and had career-worsts in completion percentage (30.3) and passer rating (2.0).
"You know the stats. I can't dispute what is fact," Jackson said.
Most troublesome for Dalton, Jackson and Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis though, has to be Dalton's propensity to wilt when the lights are brightest. Dalton is now 2-9 with eight touchdowns and 14 interceptions in primetime and playoff games throughout his career. He has a career 63.2 passer rating and 34.1 QBR in those games.
Jackson knows that his fate - and the fate of the team - is tied directly to Dalton's performance.
"I'm joined at the hip with him. I understand that's the way it goes," said Jackson, who played quarterback in college. "I have not run from that. As he gets killed, I get killed. That's the way it goes. That's part of the business. "
Jackson though was quick to reaffirm his confidence in Dalton as the team's unquestioned leader.
"But I don't want us to think we're going to have an issue with Andy. We're not. We're going to coach Andy. We're going to help Andy get to where he needs to be. That's my job. We're going to coach him, continue to get him better, continue to grow."
