Today I had the incredible opportunity to speak with one of the biggest fans of the Bengals in the world. David Coleman, a well-known speaker and entertainer, also known as the “Dating Doctor,” takes time out of his busy schedule to fill us in on what we can expect from the Bengals and why we should be concerned on Thursday night. In addition, David gives us some good analysis on the Dolphins that may be the truth on the struggles that plague the team. David can be contacted at www.datingdoctor.com. In addition, to David’s business, he spends time traveling overseas to entertain our troops.
1. David, please tell us about Andy Dalton. What makes him so good? How does he compare to Bengals quarterbacks of the past?
First of all, you never see him (Andy Dalton) lose his cool, if he throws and interception, he just walks of the field and gets back for the next drive. I think it is a maturity beyond his years, he’s in 2 ½ full years of playing, and the team was smart enough to sign him with some talent: Matt Jones, AJ Green, Giovanni, both Gresham and Eifert. He’s got some talented people on the team now that he can look to. With AJ Green, you get the ball close to him he’s gonna catch it. Same thing with Gresham, he’s gonna catch it and it doesn’t have to be perfect…he’s gonna catch it. You have a quarterback that makes you look awfully good. As far as how does he compare to anybody (quarterback) in the past, I’ve been in Cincinnati since ’85…hard to look past Boomer Esiason, he was awfully popular here. He took the team to the Super Bowl and if Lewis Billups doesn’t drop that interception, they win the Super Bowl versus a very good San Francisco team. Top 3 quarterbacks right now, I think you got Boomer, people that grew up in Cincinnati idolized Kenny Anderson, and you’re going to have Dalton top three or four.
2. Why are the Bengals different this year?
AJ Green drops a few balls and you don’t see him complaining to the media. He’s not going to pull a Dez Bryant saying: “where’s my stats, where’s my catches.” If they win the game by a point and has two drops, he’ll say I dropped that ball, but we won. That’s why I think we (Bengals) are different this year, I don’t hear any of the Bengals talking about individual accomplishments as they have in the past. Like when we had an Ocho Cinco or Terrell Owens…not about where’s the ball, where’s my stats. It’s about this is what we did to win and who’s the next opponent. I don’t hear anybody saying that even a division championship is what they’re looking for. That’s the difference in this year’s Bengals squad is that they truly believe they can win a Super Bowl and anything short of that is going to be a disappointing season.
3. How are the Bengals different from the Dolphins as an organization? What makes them different in how they handle their players?
The Dolphins, I believe are where we were a few years back, they’re a couple of players short for them to go as far as they really want to. They will find a way, usually to implode in a game and implode in the season, so they just miss. The difference is that Mike Brown, and this is what separates the Bengals from any organization, owner Mike Brown doesn’t care what people say. He doesn’t care if he’s called an idiot when people tell him to step down or to fire himself. He doesn’t come out and public comment on this stuff. He just keeps managing the team and running the team in the way it should be run. He’s signed some young talent so he keeps them for awhile, he brought in some veterans, to add a nice balance to the team, and I truly don’t believe what anyone outside of the organization thinks. The Bengals within the organization take care of their people, the players are well-coached, and they have a chance to win every week.
On the other hand, the Dolphins, it seems that great players come in there and disappear. For instance, Brandon Marshall in Denver had 23 catches in one game. He goes to Miami and you never really hear about him again. Mike Wallace comes from Pittsburgh as one of the most feared receivers in football, you never hear about him anymore and most people have dropped him off their fantasy teams. How does it happen that an outstanding player goes to Miami and disappear? To me, Miami is the Bermuda Triangle of talent. There is so much to do in Miami, and so many comparative distractions. On any given night, people don’t even know who the Heat are playing for example. It’s all about the clubs. It’s a top resort destination. A game could be played down there you don’t even know.
4. Who is your favorite Bengal player of all-time and why?
I would have to say Chris Collinsworth. He didn’t have the greatest talent in the world. He came from Harvard and took a lot of crap for that. He’s kind of tall, lanky, and awkward…and still had a remarkable career. When a catch had to be made, if it was anywhere near him, he made it. He could take a pounding. The people today, could not play with Chris Collinsworth played. He would take a hit across the middle, hit him up around the shoulders and rip him in half. He’d lay there for a second, half dead, and would go back to the huddle and tell Boomer: “throw me the ball again!” The level of guts he had and the intestinal fortitude that you don’t see in today’s players. With these new rules, if the Hall of Fame doesn’t fill up with wide receivers then something is wrong. You can’t defend them anymore. It’s become a wide receiver league.
5. What is your score prediction for this game? What makes this game pivotal for the Bengals at this point in the season?
Ok, here’s why I think it’s a pivotal game. It’s a pivotal game for the Bengals because in past years, this is a game that they would go find a way to lose and it would start the descent into just missing the playoffs or being a mediocre team that would lose in the playoffs. They need to go down to Miami, need to win this game, and win it convincingly. If the Dolphins play well at home, any NFL team can play well at home and it could be tough. A three-point victory could be convincing. There defense, and people will see how good the Bengals defense is, just an outstanding young defense and how good our quarterback is. Andy Dalton, again, is mature beyond his years. The incredible young talent they have surrounded him with. You are talking about young talent that can sustain a drive, eat the clock and keep the Dolphins off the field. I think the game could down to kickers and the Dolphins kicker Caleb Sturgis could win the game. If he gets a few field goals, it could be trouble for the Bengals if they can’t score in the red zone and can’t keep the Dolphins out of the red zone.
My score prediction is 31-17. They are in a different mindset right now. They want to finish strong and go for home field. No matter what, when you have Pittsburgh and Baltimore in the division, I don’t care what kind of year they are having. It’s still a tough division and every game is a war. Bottom line, these aren’t your father’s Bengals!
We thank David for his insightful commentary and appreciate his passion for his favorite team. David as you can tell, is passionate about the “Who Dey” nation and the team he’s followed and has had an admiration for since 1985.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
