Hall of Fame QB has high praise for Panthers' Andy Dalton

“He’s better than at least half of the quarterbacks starting in this league right now. He’s better than them,” Warner said during a Thursday appearance on the "Pat McAfee Show." “He’s smart. He’s accurate. He knows where to go with the football. He makes the layups. He gets the ball out of his hands quickly because of the things I’m talking about, and that automatically helps your football team. Because, if nothing else, you’re not taking sacks.”

Warner admits that his admiration of Dalton isn’t new and dates back quite a ways.

“I have been an advocate of Andy Dalton and believed that he is one of the 32 best quarterbacks in the world for a long time. And, because he doesn’t have the physical gifts of some of these guys in the league, I think his career has gone a different route,” Warner said. “He’s found himself as a backup when he should be a starter in this league.”

Quarterback play is down league-wide, and the argument could be made that Dalton is starting quality. That’s evident by the fact that you know, he’s starting. But is he better than half the league at nearly 37 years old? We’ll need more than a one-game sample size to determine that.