The Carolina Panthers decided to make a switch at the quarterback position this week, benching former No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young in favor of veteran Andy Dalton ahead of their matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders. And it sounds like Raiders coach Antonio Pierce knows exactly what to expect from Dalton.
During his press conference this week, Antonio Pierce made it pretty clear what he expects to see from Andy Dalton in his first start of the season.
He also pointed out that former Cincinnati Bengals coach Marvin Lewis – who drafted Dalton out of college – is currently on their staff.
“Experience,” Pierce said of what Dalton brings to the table according to Pro Football Talk. “The good thing about it, we’ve got a gentleman on our staff who drafted him, knows him very well. We played against Andy actually two years ago as well with New Orleans. So, there’s some familiarity with us.
“Obviously, what are they going to do scheme wise just in a couple of days? He’s a vet. I’m sure there’s not too much they can’t throw at him and ask him to do, but I do expect him to be a little bit more efficient, I would think, on third down [because that] is what their issues were. But looking at a guy who is experienced, that knows how to move the ball, move the chains and somehow, some way, when he gets on the field he makes plays. So, we’ve got to be savvy and smart there.”
That said, he doesn’t expect to rely on Lewis too much.
“I think what we can do is really get into the mindset, the psyche of the quarterback,” Pierce said. “I mean, he’s been away for some time. It’s really a scouting report at this point. We’re still trying to figure out what Carolina is going to do offensively with Andy, which might be different or may not be different than they did with Bryce.”
We’ll have to see how Dalton performs against the Raiders.
