A new Dalton: Quarterback's leadership in spotlight

Andy Dalton stood in front of his locker inside Paul Brown Stadium, and as the cameras and reporters began to wall him off from the locker room, he smiled and blinked at the fact that Friday afternoon marked the start of his fifth training camp with the Cincinnati Bengals.

There's something different about it – about him – however, and it bubbled up earlier in the week when head coach Marvin Lewis said, unprovoked, that "Hue (Jackson) has been very forward in asking Andy to do more to become a leader, and I think Andy has embraced that.

"You see it in his interactions with the players," Lewis continued. "You see it in his interactions with us as players, his confidence in his abilities, his confidence in the things we do on offense, and it's evident each and every time we go out there in that way."

Lewis followed that up on Friday by saying the 27-year-old had been handed the reins to the team by his left tackle, longtime captain Andrew Whitworth – and that Dalton has flourished with that responsibility.

"The quarterback is always the leader of the team – it comes with that territory," said A.J. Green, who came to the Bengals in the same draft class as Dalton in 2011. "I think he's accepting it well. We had a guy like 'Whit' to lead us these last four years but it's time for our quarterback to take the next step and lead us. I think that's what he's doing. He's doing a great job of it. We just gotta ride with him. He can't do everything by himself. If we back him up, we get his back, I think we'll be fine."

Mohamed Sanu has seen the change as well.

"It's evident in that," the fourth-year wide receiver said. " 'Whit' was that guy, was that vocal leader, and now it's more so Andy. 'Whit' definitely comes out and says stuff when it needs to be said, but Andy does all the time also."

So what does that mean exactly?

As Green said, the quarterback, inherently, is always a leader. And both receivers had a hard time putting a finger on it exactly, because it's not entirely tangible.

But the pair agreed that it's audible.

"Just even like simple routes and making sure we're on the same page," Sanu said. "He's like 'Hey Mo, I love the way you did that,' or 'Mo, change this up a little bit or do it this way.' It's just making sure everybody's on the same page, making sure the offense is clicking and running smoothly."

Green agreed, saying Dalton has challenged him to be better on certain routes, and quick to compliment him when a play goes well.

"Andy is just taking more charge, being more assertive about the situation knowing that we look up to him and he's our leader," Sanu said. "We'll follow him wherever he goes, and he's going to lead us to where we need to go. We have all our trust and belief in him. He's brought us in the right direction. He's taken command of everything and he's doing a great job of it."

On Friday, Dalton could be seen talking to center Russell Bodine following a snap, indicating how he thought Bodine should come off the delivery and into his block.

He was active, talking with everyone from the coaches to his wide receivers – from the standard helmet tap to the hard clap of frustration for overthrowing a screen pass.

"I want to see this whole offense raise it's level of play up," Jackson said. "Obviously, that starts with him. He will. I'm not concerned with Andy as much as everybody else is. I understand that we haven't won a playoff game and that falls at his feet, and mine, too, and the rest of the offensive staff and players, as well.

"But he's done everything – and I mean this – he's invested everything that that he can into preparing himself to be the best he can be for this season. And I'm totally behind him 100 percent, and I think he's going to have a great year – not a good year, a great year."

Many in the Bengals organization feel that way, and part of it stems from the fact that the two-time Pro Bowl quarterback has a different way about him as the 2015 campaign officially begins.

"It's just the full control and just making sure everybody's on the same page," Dalton said. "Because if a receiver runs something short it messes up the timing and he's not going to catch the ball and we're not going to be able to get the full potential of a play. Or, if it's a blocking assignment. Just making sure everybody's doing the right thing, pushing guys to be the best that they can be.

"Because that's what's going to help us win games and that's what's going to help this team be the best. I think just from that standpoint, of pushing guys a little more. It's much needed."