Troy Aikman defends Cowboys players for reaction to Andy Dalton hit
Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy admitted he was not pleased with the way his players reacted to the hit on Andy Dalton that appeared to momentarily leave the quarterback unconscious. Cowboys legend Troy Aikman feels a bit differently.
During a Tuesday morning appearance on 96.7 The Ticket, Aikman downplayed the lack of fight that was shown by Cowboys players after Washington linebacker Jon Bostic ruthlessly launched his shoulder into Dalton’s head (video here). He attributed it to genuine concern for Dalton’s health, inexperience on the offensive line, and a lack of continuity with the Dallas roster.
“The way that Dalton reacted after getting hit, my reaction on my couch was, ‘I hope he’s OK.’ He just seemed like he was really, really injured, beyond a concussion,” Aikman said. “I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, I hope Andy’s OK.’ And I felt like that’s how the players reacted. So I think that had Mike answered that question differently at the postgame press conference, I don’t think the national media would have jumped on that.”
Aikman added that he believes Cowboys players were “more concerned with (Dalton’s) well-being as opposed to (retaliating).” You can read his full comments below:
Troy Aikman this morning on @dfwticket on his reaction to no Cowboys players going after Washington LB Jon Bostic after his hit on Cowboys QB Andy Dalton: pic.twitter.com/H7mMzL78mk
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) October 27, 2020
Aikman may have a point, but it was alarming that not a single Cowboys player confronted Bostic. For a 2-5 team that already has players anonymously bashing its coaching staff, any seeming lack of chemistry is cause for concern.
