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NFL.com: Bengals' Dalton closes gap in rookie award race as wins pile up
By Albert Breer NFL Network
For the first two months of the season, Cam Newton seemed to be a slam dunk for Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Now? I'm not as sure. Especially after I heard what Ben Roethlisberger, who knows a thing or two about winning right away (13-0 as a rookie starter in 2004), told the Cincinnati media on Wednesday about the Bengals' own rookie QB, Andy Dalton. "Right now I think -- and I don't know how the talk is -- but he's rookie of the year," Roethlisberger said.
That's not to denigrate what Newton's done, which is show everyone what kind of transcendent, mold-changing player he can be. It's more a testament to Dalton. Three quarterbacks drafted in front of him are now starting (Newton, Jacksonville's Blaine Gabbert and Minnesota's Christian Ponder), and they've combined to win six of their 25 starts. The Bengals rookie has won seven of his 11, and done it compiling a slightly higher quarterback rating than Newton (81.8 to 81.1) and significantly better TD-INT ratio (16-12 to 12-14).
Cincinnati can double its 2010 win total by beating Pittsburgh on Sunday, and while it's not solely because of Dalton, it's not in spite of him either. ...
By Albert Breer NFL Network
For the first two months of the season, Cam Newton seemed to be a slam dunk for Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Now? I'm not as sure. Especially after I heard what Ben Roethlisberger, who knows a thing or two about winning right away (13-0 as a rookie starter in 2004), told the Cincinnati media on Wednesday about the Bengals' own rookie QB, Andy Dalton. "Right now I think -- and I don't know how the talk is -- but he's rookie of the year," Roethlisberger said.
That's not to denigrate what Newton's done, which is show everyone what kind of transcendent, mold-changing player he can be. It's more a testament to Dalton. Three quarterbacks drafted in front of him are now starting (Newton, Jacksonville's Blaine Gabbert and Minnesota's Christian Ponder), and they've combined to win six of their 25 starts. The Bengals rookie has won seven of his 11, and done it compiling a slightly higher quarterback rating than Newton (81.8 to 81.1) and significantly better TD-INT ratio (16-12 to 12-14).
Cincinnati can double its 2010 win total by beating Pittsburgh on Sunday, and while it's not solely because of Dalton, it's not in spite of him either. ...