Joe Burrow gives two reasons why he’s excited for the Bengals’ season and they’re both extremely valid
While he’s been serious about promoting urgency for the last several months, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is also quite pumped for the upcoming season. Two reasons stand out to him specifically.
While he’s been serious about promoting urgency for the last several months, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is also quite pumped for the upcoming season.
Burrow is fully healthy now almost a year removed from suffering his turf toe injury. He just went through an intense training camp in which he had to face a revamped, Cincinnati defensive line day in and day out. The vibes are really strong just a few days away from Week 1’s matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Bengals fans should be excited because Burrow himself is excited, for at least a couple of reasons.
Return of mobility
Burrow was able to return for the final six games of last season after his injury, and while he did play well for most of those weeks, he didn’t quite have his full range of mobility back. His ability to extend plays in and out of the pocket is part of what makes him special. Now that he has it back, he’s ready to unleash it again.
“I’m excited to break that back out again,” Burrow told reporters Wednesday. “Last season, I certainly couldn’t when I came back. That’s a big part of my game. It was a good experience last year, figuring out how to play without that. I can pull that out when I need to. I’m sure I will at some point. Football is a physical game.”
There will certainly be a give-and-take with it. Burrow can make plays that weren’t already there with his regained elusiveness, but there’s also the value of getting rid of the ball earlier to avoid sacks and other negative plays. He had to adapt late last season, and the offensive line benefited from it.
Finding that balance will be a key to this year, but Burrow is thrilled to have his full range of mobility back for when he does need it.
A new kind of anticipation
It makes sense why Burrow has high expectations for this year. He firmly believes this roster is set up for major success, and has believed that for the last few months.
He’s a substantial component to the team, obviously, but he can’t wait to see the rest of the team in action.
“I would say I would say I’m more excited this year than I’ve been in in a long time,” Burrow said. “I think I’ve always been excited to play, but this year I’m excited to watch too. I’m really just really excited to see our guys go make it happen.”
Burrow did plenty of watching last year when he missed nine games with his injury. Watching this year is all about seeing what the defense is truly capable of when the offense is on the sideline.
The fans couldn’t agree more. An improve defense combined with a proven offense should be the difference between missing the playoffs, and potentially returning to the Super Bowl.
It’s nearly time for that excitement to be realized. Kickoff for Sunday is at 1:00pm ET on FOX.
