NFL teams
Coley Harvey, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

Hue Jackson defends Andy Dalton

NFL, Cincinnati Bengals

CINCINNATI -- Just before his quarterback took the field in Sunday night's Pro Bowl, Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson checked out.

He fell asleep.

So he missed Andy Dalton's 9-for-20 passing performance, which was punctuated by a lifeless, thrown-off-the-back-foot, fourth-down pass with 53 seconds left that fell incomplete to effectively end his team's comeback charge in a 32-28 loss to Team Irvin, coached by former Cowboys receiver Michael Irvin.

Jackson may not have witnessed the throw that helped cost the players on Team Carter (coached by Hall of Fame receiver and ESPN analyst Cris Carter) an additional $27,000, but he heard about it. Still, despite everything he's been told about his quarterback's latest prime-time calamity, Jackson stands firmly behind him.

"Obviously, if you have guys playing, you want them to go out and play really well," Jackson told ESPN.com on Tuesday. "If they don't, I'm not going to lose any sleep over it and be concerned about it."

Dalton wasn't the only Bengals offensive player to disappoint for Team Carter. Receiver A.J. Green had no catches after being targeted three times, including once on a throw from Dalton that bounced at his feet as a cornerback closed for a possible interception.

"It's a Pro Bowl game," Jackson said. "I've coached in them. I know there's not a whole lot of preparation. You kind of go out and play. You kind of wing it. It's more of a backyard element than anything. I don't put a whole lot of stock into it."

Dalton has been part of only one January win in his career; the AFC's win in the 2012 Pro Bowl his rookie year. Otherwise, he's 0-5 in regular-season and playoff games played in the month.

What Jackson -- who will be returning for a second year as the Bengals' offensive coordinator after being denied Buffalo's head-coaching job following an interview earlier this month -- has recently put stock into is Dalton's game tape.

Three games from this past season still have the coach believing.

"I see in the first three games of the season a guy that played with moxie and tenacity and aggressiveness, and who played extremely well down that 3-0 stretch," Jackson said.

The Bengals began the year 3-0, allowing them to be ranked No. 2 in ESPN's Week 4 and 5 Power Rankings. Dalton hadn't been sacked and had thrown only one interception -- a ball that deflected off his intended receiver's hands -- in those games.

After the promising start, though, Dalton reverted back to his old inconsistent self. His remaining 16 interceptions came in the final 13 games of the regular season. Among other shoddy performances, he went on to have the worst game of his career seven weeks after the blistering start, when he completed just 10 passes and compiled an abysmal 2.0 passer rating in a Week 10 loss to Cleveland.

"I've seen the inconsistency, too," said Jackson, who became the second Bengals coach to back Dalton in as many weeks.

Head coach Marvin Lewis told reporters at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, last week that the Bengals "don't have time to waste with another quarterback." He didn't see the value in holding a quarterback competition, particularly some five months after Dalton signed a six-year contract extension that could pay him up to $115 million.

"I'm not going to stop believing in him," Jackson added Tuesday. "He's going to have to prove otherwise. I believe this guy has it in him. My job, my charge as I've said before is to have him do it on a consistent basis."

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