Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton might be just a bit oversensitive. At the very least, he appears to be easily offended. He may even be someone who just likes to be outraged over something. You probably know the type; your Facebook and Twitter timelines are likely filled with people who are worked up over seemingly the smallest issue.
What rubbed Dalton the wrong way? After the Bengals’ 10-6 loss to the Texans on Monday night, Houston defensive end J.J. Watt made the following remark to ESPN’s Lisa Salters. “Our goal was to come out here and make the Red Rifle look like a Red Ryder BB Gun.”
That’s all Watt said. It was kind of a lame joke, really. (Although if I were to talk to Watt about this face-to-face, I would laugh uproariously. Good one, J.J.!) As several people pointed out after the crack, Watt was probably sitting on that one for quite a while, eager to break it out at the appropriate time. The joke made for a rather refreshing post-game interview, as opposed to some canned jargon about applying pressure to the quarterback, maintaining gap integrity, and just being happy to be able to defeat a previously undefeated opponent.
But Watt’s remark was apparently a bit too colorful for Dalton. Or he’s never seen A Christmas Story and didn’t get Watt’s reference to a Red Ryder BB gun. (And if that’s the case, someone please sit Dalton down in front of a TV for one of the dozens of times the movie will play on TV.) Here’s what he said when asked about Watt’s joke after the game.
“I’m disappointed in him. The integrity of this game – I have a lot of respect for him,” Dalton said. “He’s a really good player. There’s a lot of kids and a lot of people who look up to him. For him to make comments like that, he’s showing that’s acceptable to do that kind of stuff, to say that kind of stuff. It’s disappointing for one of the best players in this league to come out and say something like that.”
Was Dalton under the impression that Watt said he wanted to shoot the Bengals’ QB with a Red Ryder BB gun? Because that’s the only context under which Dalton’s outrage seems justified. It was a little dig; it wasn’t a personal attack. BREAKING: NFL defensive player says team intended to make opposing quarterback play badly! That is, unless Dalton was mad that Watt used the “Red Rifle” nickname publicly. He’s said in interviews that he doesn’t really like the nickname.
Or maybe, just maybe, Dalton was offended as a comedian, which would be perfectly understandable. I mean, the joke wasn’t that funny. Is he worried that the children who watch the NFL and look up to Watt will grow up thinking that was a funny crack? We really should teach our children better, in that regard. If that’s the case, then wear that outrage proudly, Mr. Dalton. Just don’t let it eat you up inside, man. Not healthy.
