Last season was an emotional one for the Oakland Raiders. Their owner and one of the most influential man in NFL history, Al Davis, passed away just four weeks into the season, sparking the team to dedicate the 2011 season to their former owner.
With a 3-2 record, the Raiders went into their Week 6 matchup against the Cleveland Browns riding on the heels of their first win for Davis.
With just minutes left in the first half, Raiders’ quarterback and captain Jason Campbell scrambled from the pocket and was crunched between Cleveland linebackers Chris Gocong and Scott Fujita. The impact from the hit would leave Campbell with a broken collarbone, out for the rest of the season, and change the fortunes of two Cincinnati Bengals’ quarterbacks.
Heading into 2011, veteran QB Carson Palmer, once the face of the franchise, had fallen out of favor with Cincinnati owner Mike Brown. The former Heisman Trophy winner and number-one overall pick in 2003 was stuck battling for his right to be traded. Brown, unwillingly to do so, let Palmer officially “retire” — which meant he would sit out the entire season and become a free-agent in 2012.
With such a critical dilemma at the most important position on the team, it was widely speculated that the Bengals would target a quarterback in the upcoming draft in April.
In the first round the Bengals chose not to address the quarterback position. Instead, the Bengals chose Georgia wide receiver A.J. Green in the first round. The quarterback came in the second round. At the 35th-overall pick, the Bengals selected quarterback Andy Dalton from Texas Christian University.
He wasn’t the flashy, big-name prospect along the lines of Cam Newton, Jake Locker, or Blaine Gabbert, all of whom went Top 10 in the draft. Dalton was quietly consistent in his time at TCU, setting a school record of 42 wins (passing NFL Hall-of-Famer Sammy Baugh) while also setting school marks in touchdown passes, passing yards, attempts, completions, and completion percentage.
With Dalton now waiting in the wings in Cincinnati, many hoped that Carson Palmer, their proven leader, would return while Dalton watched and learned and would ultimately take his place. Palmer had taken a similar role as he sat his entire rookie year behind veteran Jon Kitna.
Fans begged the questions: What if Palmer doesn’t come back? How can we trust a rookie quarterback, rookie wide receiver and rookie offensive coordinator? And what about the lockout, which was still in full swing through the summer of 2011? How much time are these guys going to get to come together once the lockout ends?
Confidence was at an all-time low for Bengals fans as they all murmured one word in unison: doomed.
Then the season began.
Palmer was true to his word and refused to play for the team, thrusting Dalton, who only had less than a month to learn an entirely new offense, into the lineup.
Dalton fought through the preseason, starting all four games, and wound up with a 1-3 record. Bengals fans everywhere had their worst dreams affirmed. This was going to be a long season.
The first three weeks came and went in heartbreaking fashion. After a 10-point win over Cleveland in Week 1, the Bengals loss their next two games at Denver and home against San Francisco by a combined total of seven points.
Then the season turned and Cincinnati was revitalized. Dalton lead the way to a three-game winning streak as the Bengals went into their bye-week.
With Campbell injured in Oakland and Dalton having proved himself with a 4-2 record, Brown finally caved and made the decision to trade Palmer.
The Bengals would pull a heist against the Raiders, getting a 2012 first-round draft pick (Dre Kirkpatrick) and a 2013 second-round draft pick in exchanged for Palmer.
Palmer got his first action Week 7 as the Bengals rested. The California kid was now back in his home state and ready to get back to the NFL grind. But the rust from sitting virtually the entire first half of the season showed. Palmer completed only 38.1% of his passes with three interceptions in a shutout loss to the division rival Kansas City Chiefs.
Coming off the bye-week, Dalton kept the winning streak going in a 34-12 blowout against the Seattle Seahawks. Dalton would take the Bengals all the way to a 9-7 record and into the playoffs. Something that took Palmer two years to achieve.
The young Bengals would lose to the Houston Texans in the Wild Card round but a statement was made. Dalton is a true-blue quarterback and the Bengals are a legitimate team.
Palmer finished 2011 with 2,753 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions. Andy Dalton posted 3,398 with 20 touchdowns and 13 interceptions while getting voted to the Pro Bowl. Another feat that took Palmer two years.
In his rookie campaign Dalton led four fourth-quarter comebacks, became the only quarterback in NFL history to be drafted after the first round and start all 16 games as a rookie, and became just the fifth quarterback to have over 3,000 yards passing and 20 touchdowns as a rookie.
But there is always the sophomore slump right?
Dalton is once again leading the Bengals in the playoff hunt with a 7-5 record while throwing for 2,980 yards, 24 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.
As for Palmer? Oakland wallows with 3-9 record, riding a five-game losing streak. Continually playing from behind has Palmer firing the ball every game. As of this last week, Palmer has thrown the ball over 500 times for 3,532 with 20 touchdowns and 13 picks.
The highlight of the season for these two teams though came two weeks ago as the Oakland Raiders visited the Cincinnati Bengals. Palmer vs. Dalton and once again Dalton and the Bengals made a statement by walloping the Raiders 34-10.
Andy Dalton, “The Red Rifle” as the fans have knighted him, threw for 210 yards and scored three times as Palmer threw for 146 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
The statement was clear: Cincinnati is Dalton’s now.
