The Cincinnati Bengals want Andy Dalton to focus on one thing and one thing only after he or one of his teammates turns the ball over this season — getting the heck out of the way.
During an appearance on PFT Live Thursday morning, Bengals cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones said the team has specifically instructed Dalton to not make any tackle attempts in 2016.
“We’ve made that clear here. We’ve made that clear,” Jones said. “Whatever happens, he needs to run his a– back to the sideline.”
Dalton was having by far his best season as a pro last year before he suffered a broken hand while trying to make a tackle. While the play did not look that bad (video here), the injury forced Dalton to miss the final three games of the regular season and Cincinnati’s only playoff game. Had he played against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the postseason, the Bengals might have won their first playoff game since 1990.
It’s hard to convince a quarterback to not help his teammates out, especially if he’s the one responsible for the turnover. However, the risk clearly is not worth the reward in this situation. Dalton and the Bengals learned that the hard way last year.
