Patterson excited by Dalton’s homecoming against Cowboys

TCU coach Gary Patterson is excited by this week’s return to Tarrant County of one of his most prolific former players, Cincinnati Bengals’ quarterback Andy Dalton.

Dalton, a Fort Worth resident, will lead the Bengals’ offense in Sunday’s game against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. For the TCU program, it is believed to be the first time a former Horned Frogs’ quarterback has been the opponent’s starting quarterback in a matchup against the Cowboys in Dallas-Fort Worth. Dalton started the 2012 game between the teams, won 20-19 by the Cowboys in Cincinnati.

Dalton, who owns TCU’s career record for victories by a starting quarterback (42), has been the Bengals’ starter since 2011, his rookie season.

“I don’t think you can even measure what Andy Dalton’s done for TCU and what he’s done for this community and, hopefully, for Cincinnati,” Patterson said, citing some of Dalton’s charitable endeavors in both markets. “As far as this program is concerned, it wasn’t just he was a good football player but what he represented as a person. He held people accountable. It’s what he stood for. It’s how he treated people. Everything you wanted in a quarterback, that’s how he did things.”

Yet many NFL scouts questioned if Dalton would be a long-term success in professional football.

“Nobody thought he could do it at the next level,” Patterson said. “I did. Because I knew he was going to be all in. He’s a perfect example of what it’s like to be all in. Still, family’s important. Still, the man upstairs is important. But when it comes to football, he’s going to study it.

“I’ve only had two real players who studied like he did. That’s him and (safety) Sam Carter on defense. And I think he does the same thing now.”

This story was originally published October 4, 2016 at 3:21 PM with the headline "Patterson excited by Dalton’s homecoming against Cowboys."