Andy Dalton “Disappointed” by Watt’s “Red Ryder” Joke

Talk about thin skin. No sooner had the Cincinnati Bengals come to terms with the fact that their undefeated season is over, that quarterback Andy Dalton sat before reporters and make the situation exponentially more laughable by claiming he was “disappointed” in J.J. Watt’s G-rated trash talk.

Coming off a typically involved performance that helped put his Houston Texans in a tie for first place in the AFC South with the Indianapolis Colts, Watt told ESPN after the game that “our goal was to make the Red Rifle look like a Red Ryder BB Gun, and I think we did that.”

“I’m disappointed in him,” Dalton retorted in the press conference room minutes later. “There’s a lot of kids and a lot of people that look up to him, and for him to make comments like that, he’s just showing that that’s acceptable. For him to be one of the best in the league and show that integrity, it shows what he’s about, which is disappointing.”

Give it a rest, Andy. You know what else J.J. talked about in that interview? How blessed he is, how hard he works, how much he loves his teammates, and how great it feels to sick it to anyone and everyone who says “you can’t do this, you’re not good enough.” But goodness forbid he take one slight swipe at Dalton’s nickname, and all of a sudden he’s a terrible role model.

Besides, “Primetime Dalton” wasn’t even the biggest reason for Cincy’s collapse last night. His 197 passing yards and 1 interception didn’t exactly thrill the nation, but he had absolutely no help from his favourite targets.

Tyler Eifert, usually a matchup nightmare at tight end, dropped three first down passes in the second half alone, and A.J. Green fumbled the ball on the Bengals’ final drive, handing Houston a hard fought victory.

The bottom line is that the Bengals are 8-1 and still one of the teams to beat in the AFC, but they’ll need a more stoic disposition from their fearless leader if they want to keep the lurking Steelers at bay and win this division.

Cincinnati travels to Arizona for another primetime affair on Sunday night, in a game that could potentially define the second half of their season.