Everybody has been all about Cam Newton this year, as he has shown to be a good leader and a great athlete in Carolina. With 18 total touchdowns and over 2,700 total yards, he has made football exciting to watch for Panthers fans this season. Not to mention he has the sixth most passing yards in the league right between the likes of Eli Manning and Philip Rivers. If anyone had saw the stats he would be putting up this season at the beginning of the year, there would have been no doubt that Newton would be a shoo-in for the Rookie of the Year award.
But while Cam has put up the big numbers and impressed many, Andy Dalton has quietly been an important part of the success of the Cincinnati Bengals. With 1,700 yards and 12 TD's on just 7 INT, Dalton definitely makes a bid for that ROY award as well. He doesn't have the running ability or the high offensive stats that Newton has put up in Carolina. However, Dalton does have the most important stat over Newton: Wins. Dalton's Bengals are 6-2 this year and have shown to be a tough team to beat as they have won their last five games in a row. Meanwhile, the Panthers are at the bottom of their division with a 2-6 record, winning just one out of their last 5 games.
I'm not going to say that Dalton should definitely be Rookie of the Year, but people need to give this guy some credit for what he has done in Cincinnati. People have overlooked him all year, while giving tons of praises to Cam Newton. To me, Dalton has been more valuable to his team, and has put up the wins to show it. It is going to be interesting to see if these two rookies can continue with their success for the season and for the rest of their careers.
*Eli-te Manning
ReplyDelete