A.J. McCarron compares himself to Tom Brady

Optimism is certainly something to be admired. Looking on every situation with a positive outlook is definitely a good thing to do. However, there's only so much that the world can handle, and sometimes optimism becomes foolishness, positivism becomes naivety. Well, A.J. McCarron may well have just elevated himself from optimistic to foolish after his post match press conference on Sunday.

With Andy Dalton going down in the first quarter of Sunday's loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, A.J. McCarron came in and looked good for the most part. Recent reports suggest that Dalton could be out for the rest of the season with a fractured thumb and McCarron will be the starting quarterback for the remaining season.

In true optimistic style, McCarron has now compared himself to future hall of famer Tom Brady. Stating that he and Tom Brady are in the same situation after Sunday's loss, McCarron is clearly backing his talent and will have the chance to prove his worth down the stretch. However good you may believe you are, however, comparing yourself to Tom Brady is a stretch of the imagination, at the best of times, and McCarron will certainly be under scrutiny from now on.

The Bengals now sit at 10-3 in the AFC and sit two games ahead of the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC North. Before Sunday, the division looked all but wrapped up. However, after losing to the Steelers and losing Dalton for the year, the AFC North is nor far from over. It's a good job they've got Tom Bray under center.