Alex Boone on retaliation: ‘Am I supposed to be an animal now’

There is a strange duality in the NFL that during a play, players are supposed to be aggressive, angry warriors, but turn it off and become perfect citizens once the whistle has blown. This is a duality that San Francisco 49ers guard Alex Boone is struggling with after last week’s game against the Arizona Cardinals.

But, then again, so would you if you had been kicked in the face.

According to Pro Football Talk, Boone admitted “I shouldn’t have been in the rage that I was” after being kicked in the face by Arizona Cardinals nose tackle Alameda Ta’amu during last weeks game.

Boone told Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. the following regarding his behavior, via Pro Football Talk:

"I think people forget that this is a physical sport. They’re asking us to be like animals out there and really try to grind and grind and grind. All of a sudden, somebody kicks you in the face. Am I supposed to be an animal now? Or am I supposed to be myself?It’s hard to sometimes draw the line. But that’s on me. I should know better. I’m smarter than that. I can’t continue to put the team in bad positions. Had we not scored, it could’ve really hurt us. That was my fault."

When Boone’s teammates and coaches tried to settle Boone down after the play, he grew more angry and was called for a personal foul, while Ta’amu was not penalized. Luckily for Boone and the 49ers, the penalty was not enforce because it was offset by another penalty on the same play.

After being chastised by coach Jim Harbaugh for his pattern of retaliation, Boone still wonders how he will handle it next time:

"You’re out there, and you’re trying to be sadistic and impose your will, and something like that happens and you kind of lose your mindset as to the way you are and what you’re doing. I put my team in a bad position, and I hope to never do that again. I got to control myself."

Boone has not yet been fined for his outburst.