Cowboys’ La’el Collins explains punch, ejection against WFT: ‘I’m just here to protect my quarterback’

Cowboys' La'el Collins explains punch, ejection against WFT: 'I'm just here to protect my quarterback'

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Cowboys’ right tackle La’el Collins was going to make sure someone stood up for his quarterback this year.

During the fourth quarter of Dallas’ 27-20 win against the Washington Football Team, Dak Prescott was shoved out of bounds by defensive end William Bradley-King. Collins felt the shove was a cheap shot on his quarterback, and he was ready to defend him.

Collins rushed over and began to shove Bradley-King back, throwing in a few swings at the Washington lineman. For the altercation, the Cowboys were handed a 15-yard penalty, and Collins was ejected from the game.

“It wasn’t really the late hit for me. I felt it was more so, I felt like he was rolling toward Dak’s leg. It was uncalled for. I’m just here to protect my quarterback at all costs, and that’s the bottom line,” Collins told reporters after the game, according to The Athletic’s Jon Machota. “You don’t take cheap shots on guys. We don’t play that type of game. We just line it up and go out there and play ball. We don’t play dirty, we don’t do none of that. At the end of the day, we’re not going to take no bulls—t.”

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Prescott had just thrown a 10-yard pass to Amari Cooper w ith 10:40 left in the game and Dallas leading 27-8. Bradley-King had chased Prescott out to the Dallas 35-yard line and shoved him out of bounds. The penalty erased a first down and made it a 3rd-and-23 for the Cowboys at their own 20-yard line.

Dallas running back Ezekiel Elliott also got in the face of Bradley-King, but it was Collins who made the major stand.

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The play harkened back memories of a similar incident last year, when then-Dallas quarterback Andy Dalton was hit by Washington linebacker Jon Bostic. The play was illegal, and it led to a concussion for Dalton and ejection for Bostic, but no Dallas offensive linemen stepped up in defense of the injured quarterback. That game, they were down to four backup linemen.

Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy called out his team last year, saying that they did not provide the “response you would expect” to the incident, according to NFL.com. Needless to say, Collins earned the seal of approval from McCarthy this time around.

“LC did exactly what you’re supposed to do there,” McCarthy said, according to ESPN. “We all understand the challenges of officiating, but whatever you thought of that play all the way around, this is a game, obviously very competitive. I think the fact that that’s your quarterback or whoever, I just think these games are going to be chippy. They’re division games and you just want to see guys — not only once it got going — I thought everybody did a good job locking up and moving on. Hey, it happens in these type of games.”

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Prescott was also a fan of Collins supporting him on the play.

“I obviously respect and love the fact that my teammates are standing up for me and that’s how all of us feel about one another,” Prescott said, according to ESPN. “That’s not them protecting me. That’s how any of us would react if any of our brothers are in that position. Yeah, thankful for those guys.”


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