Cincinnati  Enquirer: Gruden, Newton and a nixed trade: How Andy Dalton became a Bengal
Jim Owczarski, jowczarski@enquirer.com
On Thursday, The Enquirer published “Being Andy Dalton: The Bengals quarterback loosens up†in the run up to the start of training camp. The piece focused on Dalton off the field and his emergence as a franchise quarterback on it.
That left some interesting stories on the cutting room floor, including how Dalton came to be a Bengal. Read on to see which QB the Bengals would have taken had he been available, a draft day trade that was nixed and just how impactful Carson Palmer’s departure was on the locker room.
Marvin Lewis saw the seeds of Dalton’s potential indispensability when the quarterback was leading a then-underdog Texas Christian University program to two BCS-busting bowl appearances and a Rose Bowl victory.
Leading up to the 2011 draft, then Bengals offensive coordinator Jay Gruden was in his office in Paul Brown Stadium, reviewing film of college quarterbacks. Palmer had told the team he wasn’t coming back, and the first-year offensive coordinator had to assume its truth – so he was looking for a quarterback that could run his offense as a rookie.
“We were looking for somebody to come in and start Year 1, and that’s not easy to do,†Gruden said.
Read the rest at http://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/nfl/bengals/2016/08/01/walkthru-how-andy-dalton-became-a-cincinnati-bengal-2011-nfl-draft/87902728/