By Jason Warren
Ive been hearing alot of "experts" compare Cam Newton, and Andy Dalton lately. Some ( Skip Bayless, Terry Bradshaw ) have all but stated Dalton is having a better rookie year due to mainly his win/loss record. So lets just compare the two.
Cam Newton : GP: CMP: ATT: CMP% YDS: AVG: TD: LNG: INT: FUM: RAT:
8 174 287 60.6 2,396 8.34 11 77 9 3 87.1
Andy Dalton: GP: CMP: ATT: CMP% YDS: AVG: TD: LNG: INT: FUM: RAT:
7 136 218 62.4 1,479 6.78 9 84 7 1 82.7
Newton also has 319 rushing yards with 7 rushing TDs, while Dalton has 22 rushing yards with 1 rushing TD.
Now when one looks into the win/loss record of each team one must also factor the entire team as a whole without judging just the quarterback play, as its common sense the QB cant play defense, and special teams. As far as who gives up the most yards per game Cincinnati ranks a very good 5th allowing an average of 297.4 ypg, while Carolina ranks a modest 17th allowing 358.8 ypg. In regards to passing defense both teams are fairly decent in this category with Cincinnati ranking 9th in that category giving up an average of 212 ypg, and Carolina ranking 14th giving up an average of 225.5 ypg. Finally we have rushing defense, and this is where these two teams really separate themselves. Cincinatti has the 2nd best run defense in the NFL allowing a paltry 85.4 ypg while Carolina comes in at a staggering 29th allowing 133.2 ypg. Special Teams has also been a big factor for Carolina as they also rank 29th in kickoff returns, and near the bottom of the league in Punt return yardage, while Cincinatti came in at 14th. Of course strength of schedule is also a key. Carolina, according to last years win/loss records has the hardest schedule in the league this year. Cincinnati has the 27th hardest.
Take the above in and its just plain common sense that Cincinnati is just a better all around team than Carolina, which is probably a pretty good reason why they are 5-2, and Carolina is 2-6. Dalton is going to be a good quarterback for many years to come, but right now he is doing exactly right now what Cincinnati needs him to do, and thats manage the game, and let a solid running game, and defense win it for you. Newton on the other hand is being asked to put up yards, and TD's in bundles, and has resurrected an offense that was dead last, last year to the 5th rated offense in the league this year. Below are the records Newton has already squashed 8 games into his rookie year.
Most passing yards by a rookie in debut (422), September 11, 2011 vs Arizona Cardinals
Most passing yards by a rookie in a game (432), September 18, 2011 vs Green Bay Packers
Most passing yards by a rookie in first two games (854), September 11, 2011 vs Arizona Cardinals and September 18, 2011 vs Green Bay Packers
First rookie in NFL history to pass for more than 400 yards in first career start, September 11, 2011 vs Arizona Cardinals.
Sixth quarterback to throw for 400+ yards in back to back games.
First rookie in NFL history to pass for more than 400 yards in first two career starts, September 11, 2011 vs Arizona Cardinals and September 18, 2011 vs Green Bay Packers
Fastest player to throw for 1,000 yards (at Arizona Cardinals, vs Green Bay Packers, and vs Jacksonville Jaguars.
First player in NFL history with at least five rushing touchdowns and five passing touchdowns in his first five games
Tied with Vince Young for most rushing touchdowns by a rookie quarterback in first season (7), October 23, 2011 vs Washington Redskins
All that being said Dalton is definitely no slouch himself, and teams like the Dolphins, and Seahawks have to be kicking themselves for passing on him in this past years draft. Dalton isnt as flashy as Newton, and will probably never put up his gaudy statistics, but he is proving he is a great manager of the game, and with him already having a great relationship with A.J Green they have became a force to deal with. Alot of people are trying to compare Daltons rookie season thus far to Ben Roethlisbergers 2004 rookie season, but not so fast... Roethlisberger went 13-0 as a starter in the regular season, and 14-1 overall including the playoffs. Big Ben also had a 66% completion percentage with a 17/11 TD/INT ratio. Dalton is going to be a good QB, and I think he will be a Matt Ryan type player, but rookie of the year is more of an individual award than anything, and Newton will end up winning it, and have the better career.
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