Dallas confident with Dalton
Former TCU star eager to fill in with Prescott out
While the Dallas Cowboys are still reeling from the loss of quarterback Dak Prescott to a season-ending fractured right ankle, they are ready to move forward with Andy Dalton for the rest of the season.
And most importantly, the Cowboys are confident they can win with Dalton.
It’s a confidence that is rooted in Dalton’s history as a nine-year starter with the Cincinnati Bengals before signing with the Cowboys as a free agent in the spring. It was reinforced with his work with the team during training camp, when he got a lot of reps with the first team.
And it was fortified when Dalton led the Cowboys to a 37-34 comeback victory against the New York Giants last Sunday, completing nine of 11 passes for 111 yards and directing them to the game winning field goal in the final minute after replacing an injured Prescott in the third quarter.
“Honestly, Andy is a seasoned vet,” said receiver Michael Gallup, who caught passes of 19 and 38 yards from Dalton on the final drive. “He’s been in the league for a while. He can play the game. So, it wasn’t really anything big when he came in like that. We know what he’s capable of doing. So, you just go like normal.”
“He gets reps with us every week. He’s always getting at least a series or two just so we can feel him out just in case anything was to happen like it did. So, him coming in there is not too big of a shock or anything.”
It certainly wasn’t a shock to Dalton who was ready and prepared for the moment on Sunday and what lies ahead the rest of the season.
Dalton signed with the Cowboys after being released by the Bengals largely because of the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic. The former TCU star makes his offseason home in Dallas, so it was a comfortable environment for his family.
But it was also a situation where he could play for a talented team with a chance to win and one that would give him the best opportunity to showcase his skills for future starting jobs if he was forced into action.
He lets the Cowboys know he means business and they can count on him every time he walks in the huddle in practice.
“I mean, he’s a competitor. He’s coming in here to win every time he comes into the huddle,” Gallup
said. “That’s the first thing he says: ‘I came here to win. I camehere to play. So, let’s do it’.”
And Dalton didn’t blink when he entered the game with 6 minutes, 16 seconds left in the third quarter after Prescott went down. With his emotional teammates still in shock and disbelief over Prescott’s absence and gruesome looking injury, Dalton took control.
“He told us to focus up and this is what he came here for: to come in here and do what he’s supposed to do,” Gallup recalled.
Gallup said that’s all he and the Cowboys needed to hear.
And of course, Dalton delivered with the gamewinning drive and comeback victory. It was the 25th game-winning drive of Dalton’s career, eighth most among active quarterbacks in the NFL.
The attitude and the results are what coach Mike Mccarthy expected from
Dalton.
And so was the response from the Cowboys.
“You like to see any player in a leadership position especially in an adverse moment bring clarity with some time of emotion in that situation,” Mccarthy said. “Just the fact Andy recognized it and the words that he chose obviously was impactful on his teammates obviously expressed by Michael Gallup. So I think it just shows you what he’s all about both as a player and as a person.”
The players plan to put all their focus on Dalton going forward as they begin life at Prescott in Monday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals. That process began with their first full practice on Wednesday.
“He’s the guy now,” Gallup said. “You got to make sure that he’s trustworthy, knowing that you want him on the field with us.”
If they don’t know already, Dalton will remind them.