Andy Dalton wise to end silly controversy with J.J. Watt

Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton showed way too much sensitivity to a post-game comment from Texans defensive end J.J. Watt on Monday night that Houston wanted to "come out here and make the Red Rifle look like a Red Ryder BB Gun."

"I'm disappointed," Dalton said after the Bengals' first loss of the season. "The integrity of this game -- I have a lot of respect for him. 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 was an overreaction to what should have been a throwaway line - and not even a particularly entertaining one at that.

But credit Dalton for coming to his senses and burying what turned into a silly controversy by admitting he took the reference from the 1983 movie "A Christmas Story" it the wrong way.

"What I did wrong is that I responded to what somebody said that he said," Dalton said. "I shouldn't have reacted the way I did without hearing what he said and actually hearing what he said … I've got no ill will toward J.J. There's no feud between me and J.J. We lost the game. He said what he said, and we're moving on. That's in the past now."

And there you have it. Good move by Dalton to end the silliness.

By Bob Glauber

Special to NewsdayBobGlauber

Bob Glauber retired in 2022 after covering the NFL for nearly 40 years. He was selected in 2021 for the Bill Nunn Career Achievement Award by the Pro Football Writers of America, and is a three-time winner of the New York State Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. President of the PFWA for the 2018-20 seasons, he is the author of “The Forgotten First” and “Guts and Genius.”