Andy Dalton has found success in his first three seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Relative success, anyway. The Bengals have qualified for the postseason all three seasons Dalton has been starter, but the team has followed each berth with a one-and-done in the playoffs.
Dalton is the face of that success (and failure), and new offensive coordinator Hue Jackson says the time has come for the quarterback to take the next step.
"He wants to be great. He's not interested in being good anymore," Jackson told the team's official website. "Good has gotten us three playoff appearances with no wins. I think he wants to be great and he's working at it. That's all you can hope for at this point."
Dalton isn't the only high-profile name being challenged in the Bengals' locker room. Jackson said the time has come for wide receiver A.J. Green "to take it to a whole different level."
"My challenge to him is, why not be the best?" Jackson said. "Why not be the best this league has ever seen? Because he has the ability to be that."
Interestingly, Jackson named third-year receiver Marvin Jones as the player who has to "knock A.J. off the pedestal" as Cincinnati's top playmaker. Mohamed Sanu, the third-year wideout who started 14 games last season, would have seemed to be the more natural fit for Jackson's coaxing.
"I want A.J. and Marvin and that receiver group to play uncommon football like you've never seen," Jackson said.
It appears a change in offensive coordinator has also brought change to the wide receiver pecking order.
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