CINCINNATI -- Whenever he would go back to the sidelines after his various second-quarter series ended Saturday night, Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Vincent Rey had trouble devoting full attention to the game-planning that was occurring within the various defensive meetings.
He wasn't alone.
As much as the Bengals' defensive starters were trying to focus on preparing for their upcoming drives, their eyes occasionally wandered to the field, where AJ McCarron was putting on a passing clinic. The backup quarterback's first seven throws were all completions. Like the rest of us, the players' curiosity had been piqued. How good was this guy?
"You're thinking about what you did wrong on one series, what you could have done better, but then you're still kind of looking up and seeing these big plays by this man and you're just happy for him," Rey said.
But for all the excitement McCarron's strong play exuded in his earlier-than-expected relief appearance during Cincinnati's 21-10 preseason win over the Chicago Bears, we all have to keep our wits. That goes for Rey, his defensive teammates, Bengals fans and the broader football community. Just because McCarron played well does not mean there's a quarterback controversy brewing in Cincinnati.
For now, that isn't the case at all. Far from it.
As enrapturing as McCarron's play in a 12-for-17, 149-yard night might have been, he is still very much Andy Dalton's understudy. The Bengals aren't all of a sudden going to elevate a backup quarterback to first-team status because of a solid performance with the starters in one preseason game. They also aren't going to leapfrog their $115 million man with a player who has very limited NFL experience.
So to the many who have dreamed of seeing McCarron leading the Bengals onto the field this season, stop. Perhaps that could happen in some year, but not 2015.
What the Bengals were most excited to see from McCarron was that he did exactly what he was drafted to do; maintain the offensive intensity and rhythm that existed after the starter leaves unexpectedly.
When Dalton left after the first quarter for precautionary reasons due to a neck injury, McCarron entered at a moment no one could have foreseen and proceeded to play as if he belonged with the rest of the first-team offense. He seamlessly worked himself in after Dalton had an impressive 6-for-6, 52-yard passing showing in only one drive.
"We brought him here for a reason," Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said of McCarron. "It's good to get him in a situation where he could go through the quarterback progression and he wasn't under duress from the time he took the snap. So that was good. That's what you want to have. Sometimes that is hard to get, and we were able to get it [Saturday], so I'm pleased with that."