QB Dalton In Cowboys Huddle: 'I Came Here To Win'
FRISCO - Backup QB Andy Dalton entered the Dallas Cowboys huddle on Sunday in relief of the injured Dak Prescott, and before he delivered a come-from-behind victory over the visiting New York Giants, he delivered an in-huddle message.
"I came here to win,'' Dalton told his new teammates. "I came here to play. So let's do it."
According to teammate Michael Gallup, who made back-to-back crucial catches in the 37-34 Week 5 win over New York - on back-to-back crucial throws from Dalton - that's the sort of thing Dalton says pretty much every time he's entered a huddle since leaving his starting berth in Cincinnati last summer for a backup job in Dallas.
In Sunday's win, Gallup relayed, Dalton also said, "Focus up. This is what I came here for."
Said Dalton after the victory: “It’s one of those things where you never want anything to happen, but you got to stay ready. That's what I’ve done. I’ve stayed ready, and I’ve been ready to go into these games. You want to have the opportunity to play. I knew the situation I was in, and I was just trying my best to support Dak in whatever he was doing.
“But I feel like I was prepared for these moments.''
Inspirational words, of course, are not enough. Dalton's charge, now that Prescott is out for the year following ankle surgery, is to attempt to keep the Dallas offense rolling, somehow ... and to help keep the 2-3 Cowboys atop the NFC East as they ready for a Monday night visit from the Arizona Cardinals.
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That's also the responsibility of the other 54 guys. But there is a reason the QB is the one doing the in-huddle talking. And, given Dalton's decade of NFL credentials, there is a reason his teammates should heed his words.
Obviously, there will be some alterations in the Dallas offense run by Dalton instead of Dak. But, said offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, "I think we still need to play the same way. We still need to attack people, be aggressive. If people give us an opportunity downfield, we're going for it."
A muscled-up running game featuring Ezekiel Elliott would also help, as difficult as that might be with the Cowboys moving forward without tackles Tyron Smith and La'el Collins. But that's the job of this patchwork offensive line. That's the job of Gallup and Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb.
And most of all, that's the job of the quarterback, no matter where he started on the depth chart. His teammates already believe.
“You see it in practice,'' said All-Pro guard Zack Martin. "It’s crazy he was a backup. We’re extremely fortunate to have him.”
Andy Dalton "came here to win'' as Dak Prescott's backup. And now that he's a starter? The "came here to win'' remains.
