During Monday’s Bengals practice, center Russell Bodine fired a low snap at Andy Dalton and got an earful from the quarterback about the need to be sharper at that rather important part of his job.
It’s not the first time the issue has come up during this year’s training camp and it’s not the first time that Dalton has had harsh words for Bodine after a botched exchange. Offensive coordinator Hue Jackson was also upset about it, but said that he was going to let Dalton handle the issue on his own.
“It’s his offense and he’s taking control,” Jackson said, via ESPN.com. “I don’t think he’s playing around with it. He knows that [the snap issue] exists, and he’s not going to let it exist. There were no more of those after that.”
That’s not the only place where Jackson is happy to cede control to Dalton. Dalton only took six snaps in the preseason opener against the Giants, but he didn’t like one of the plays that Jackson sent in from the sideline so he shook his head and waited for another one. Jackson was far from upset about Dalton’s dismissal, calling it “a positive” that shows how Dalton is “growing in a lot of different ways” as he enters his fifth season.
There have been plenty of Dalton critics sharing their opinions, but Jackson hasn’t been one of them. He’s been a steadfast supporter for the last couple of years and there are no signs that support is fading. That won’t silence the other side if Dalton can’t get the Bengals past a first playoff game this season, but it should keep Dalton in the team’s good graces through the end of the year at least.