Let’s simplify this to Dak-stans:
Dak was wasting a completely talented roster, including the most dominant OL in the league, for five years. He wasn’t carrying anybody, as is attested by how garbage he was in 2017 when Zeke was suspended and when Cooper wasn’t playing.
The Cleveland Browns in ONE YEAR with a revamped line and RG done by Callahan, led by a mediocre QB in Baker Mayfield went 11 and freaking 5 with the 21st ranked scoring defense in the league. None of us “Dak haters” actually think Baker Mayfield is good. Mr “Top 5 QB” Dak hasn’t even sniffed 11-5 since his rookie year, despite having an all pro line and RG for four of his five years even though EVERY YEAR Dak has had a minimum, top 15 ranked scoring defense, and in 2018 the sixth ranked defense . So Baker Mayfield has had a way worse defense that Dak, but is sitting here at 11-5 in a much tougher division that includes the Ravens and Steelers, twice a year.
What we “Dak-haters” stated is that any decent QB, including Andy Dalton, could win with all that much talent around him. It was and IS the QB that was holding us back. What we did not state is ‘any QB’ could win with an OL completely shot, to the point that every guy on that line is a third-string back, up with a defense whose LBs are essentially crippled and can’t put themselves in position to stop the run.
Now here is the summary:
We now essentially have to rebuild, because we wasted a SB window baby-sitting this mediocre QB. And Dak-stans are the ones trying to say it was Dak carrying this roster.