Head coaches and coordinators need to say nice things about their players publicly. The thinking is simple: saying nice, glowing, and complimentary things is much better than saying awful things, because the player can lose confidence, face unnecessary questions from the media, and the darkness of doubt creeps into his soul.

Oh sure, there are public criticisms, but the experienced coaches keep them to a well-timed minimum. That’s especially true during the dead zone of the offseason (now) because no one has done anything yet to fill a coach with disappointment and dread.

You know all of that, I think. But you really need to know it before reading Hue Jackson’s comments about Andy Dalton and A.J. Green, the anchors of his Cincinnati offense. He dropped this in an interview with SiriusXM NFL Radio last week...

"I think they're the best in the game in my opinion. I know people will fight that and say differently, but I've watched these guys and these guys have grown. They came in together. They started off hot, they're still hot. Every year statistically, they've gotten better."

The “which team has the best quarterback-wide receiver combo?” has seen many a rusted bar stool. It’s a time-tested discussion right up there with the annual January conversation about the best quarterback playoff rivalries.

The problem with Jackson’s claim is that, like so many others, it’s far too one-sided. Dalton’s talent lies somewhere in the vast wasteland between alright and pretty good, and many of the glistening stats Jackson speaks of are a result of Green going all Inspector Gadget, elevating to haul in wayward throws.

That’s how during his first three seasons Green has caught more passes than any other receiver in league history over the same time period (he has 260 career receptions while averaging 1,277 yards per season). This past season Green set a career high with 1,426 receiving yards at a pace of 89.1 per game, and nine of his receptions went for 40 yards or more.

Meanwhile, despite the presence of Green, Dalton still threw 20 interceptions in 2013. He was one of only five quarterbacks to meet or exceed that number, and he’s infamously fizzled in the playoffs. Over three career post-season games Dalton has given up seven turnovers (six interceptions and a fumble) with just one touchdown pass. His January yards per attempt sinks to 5.84, his playoff passer rating sits at only 56.2, and he’s averaged 239.3 passing yards during each stinker.

There’s often a gap in talent between quarterback and wide receiver. But this one is far too wide, with one dragging along the other much like Josh Gordon did when he accumulated 1,646 receiving yards while catching passes thrown by Brian Hoyer, Brandon Weeden, and Jason Campbell.

No, for this conversation -- again, one soaked in suds annually, or daily -- the gap has to be much smaller. The order may change for you, but the top six usually looks something like this…

6. Matthew Stafford/Calvin Johnson: There’s a bit of a Dalton stench to Stafford, especially after 2013 when the wonkiness of his delivery grew (his completion percentage fell to 58.5, a low since his rookie year). But there’s also a history here, and Stafford’s booming arm often compensates for his scattered poor decisions. We saw that in 2011 when he threw for 5,038 yards, 1,681 of which went to Johnson.

5. Jay Cutler/Brandon Marshall: Similar to Stafford (and Dalton), Cutler throws his share of herp derps. But also similar to Stafford, tolerating that becomes much easier when he’s able to catapult balls deep downfield, allowing Marshall to rise and grab repeatedly. Of the 38 touchdown passes Cutler has thrown over the past two seasons, 23 have gone to Marshall.

4. Matt Ryan/Julio Jones: Ryan is far easier to trust with his completion percentage that’s been above 67.0 over each of the past two seasons, though his first three playoff appearances also came with an odor. Jones was healthy for only five weeks in 2013, and that’s all the time he needed to compile 580 receiving yards on 41 receptions, which included a 182-yard game in Week 2.

3. Aaron Rodgers/Jordy Nelson: Over the past three seasons Nelson has logged over 1,200 receiving yards in two of them. Rodgers still threw 17 touchdown passes in 2013 despite missing nearly half the season, and six of them went to Nelson.

2. Tony Romo/Dez Bryant: This is the ideal blend of athleticism on both ends. Nearly a quarter of Romo’s completions since 2012 have gone to Bryant (24 percent), a stretch when his hulking and bounding target has recorded 2,615 receiving yards (he was on the other end for 32 percent of Romo’s passing yardage in 2013).

1. Peyton Manning/Demaryius Thomas: This is the perfect tandem, and it goes beyond sheer talent, of which there’s plenty. At his advanced age Manning’s arm is gradually becoming more spaghetti-like, meaning a man-beast who can run through contact after short-to-intermediate routes is necessary. Thomas is 6’3” and weighs 229 pounds, and he runs the 40-yard dash in 4.38 seconds. That’s not fair, and it ended in 704 yards after the catch for Thomas in 2013, a league high.