Two years ago, the Bengals lost quarterback Andy Dalton for the balance of the season after he broke a thumb while trying to make a post-interception tackle in a regular-season game. On Sunday, Washington quarterback Kirk Cousins tried to make a tackle after throwing an interception to Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict.
And Washington coach Jay Gruden was fine with it. Amazingly.
“He risked his body to go make a tackle?” Gruden said. “I would hope so. It’s a competitive sport. To let a guy score a touchdown on our home field is unacceptable so I’m happy he did that. That was the right move. He should do that.”
Jay, if you haven’t checked lately, the team has made a $23.94 million investment in Cousins. And his predecessor, who cost three first-round picks and a second-round pick, ultimately washed out of town because he couldn’t protect his body in this competitive sport.
And did we mention it was a preseason game?
Preseason or regular season, the far smarter move is to drop the macho BS and tell Cousins what Bengals cornerback Pacman Jones told PFT Live after Dalton’s injury: “[H]e needs to run his ass back to the sideline.”