At this point, the Cowboys kind of have to accept that bad decisions are part of the deal with Joseph Randle.
But the running back swears, this time, he’s learned his lesson.
Randle was chewed out by coaches two weeks ago for leaping in the air and reaching across the goal line against the Falcons. He showed contrition by doing the exact same thing last week against the Saints, with the ball swatted away and ruled a fumble, before it was reversed and called a touchdown.
“It wasn’t the most fundamental thing to do, but I’m going to keep grinding,” Randle said, via Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Whether “grinding” includes continuing to ignore direct instructions from his coaches in the future is unclear, because Randle then ended the interview after four questions.
But it’s reasonable to wonder if he learned his lesson.
After all, this is the same guy who said that if he knew he’d have been arrested for stealing underwear and cologne from a mall last year, that he’d have kept walking when approached by a security guard. Then when he was being processed at the jailhouse, he offered a female cop $100 for a massage while wondering aloud if the arrest would make the local news.
It hasn’t been enough to keep him off the field entirely, though it’s easy to wonder if he gets lost in the locker room at halftime. He has 17 carries for 117 yards in the first halves of the last two games, but just eight carries for minus-4 yards in the second halves.