The last two years have done more to erase national skepticism and silence archaic narratives surrounding the Cincinnati Bengals than any period of time in their 56-year history.  

Unfortunately, old habits die hard.

Because even before the Bengals drafted Joe Burrow, the fear of ruining his career seeped into the minds of those who only viewed the Bengals as an incompetent franchise. Those fears are recklessly resurfacing once more now that Burrow's calf appears to be a problem he'll deal with for the remainder of the 2023 season.

To reiterate what we already know, Burrow suffered a calf strain on July 27, the second day of Bengals training camp. The injury occurred when he was scrambling out the pocket during non-contact 11-on-11 drills. He did not return to practice until over a month later on August 30. 

Burrow was completely out of practice for almost exactly five weeks, recovering from an injury that usually takes half that amount of time for most quarterbacks to return from. Burrow's calf strain was never officially classified in terms of severity, but most labeled it as a Grade 1 strain, the least severe.  

The Bengals coaching and training staff put together a plan for Burrow to rehab on the side and ease him back into practice about as late as possible before the regular season began, taking it day-by-day with him until they felt comfortable going forward with playing him for Week 1. By all accounts, Burrow passed every test necessary to eventually suit up for the season opener on September 10, over six weeks from his injury date.

Burrow made it through Week 1 without re-injuring his calf, and was hit seven times and sacked twice vs. the Cleveland Browns' vaunted front four. Against the Baltimore Ravens a week later, Burrow was hit just four times and sacked once before tweaking his calf on the second-to-last play. 

All of this is known and documented by people who have been following this from the start, and yet ESPN analyst Robert Griffin III decided to say something outlandish on national television.

"The Bengals might be trying to turn Joe Burrow into Andrew Luck," RGIII said on ESPN's Monday Night Countdown. "I mean he's getting beat up in the pocket, pressure all day. He only got sacked one time yesterday, but it felt like five or six."

Pressure on Burrow was not anywhere near the problem with the Bengals' offense against the Ravens. He was pressured eight times on 43 drop backs. Only six quarterbacks from Week 2 incurred fewer pressures from their offensive line. In no world was he under duress for the entire game.

Part of that was due to how quickly Burrow got the ball out of his hands. His average time to throw was a mere 2.29 seconds, the fourth-quickest from the week. If you were to attribute this to ensuring he doesn't have to scramble or extend plays in fear of aggravating his calf, you'd be on to something. 

If anything, the Bengals were doing all they could to avoid Burrow getting hurt. Scheming to ensure the quarterback takes fewer hits and doesn't scramble out of the pocket actually makes Griffin's claim the exact opposite of truth. 

But Griffin wasn't alone in his misfire towards Cincinnati. Former ESPN personality Bomani Jones (who does a phenomenal job with his new gig at HBO by the way) revived an old debate that has rightfully been settled. Jones pondered if the Bengals should've taken Penei Sewell over Ja'Marr Chase now that Burrow is playing hurt.

here's how you know football's just a different sport: ja'marr chase has been incredible. exceeded expectations that were already pretty high. the bengals have been to a super bowl with him.

but you see burrow hobbled and you still gotta wonder if they should have taken sewell.

— bomani (@bomani_jones) September 18, 2023

To be fair, Jones' comments got taken out of context initially. Having Sewell wouldn't have prevented Burrow from getting injured in the first place, but it would give the Bengals a young and talented offensive lineman to protect him while he's playing on a bad calf.

That's fine and dandy, but it still doesn't hold weight. The Bengals would not have reached the new heights they found without Chase. He's developed into one of the best receivers in the league, and is more valuable than any offensive lineman the Bengals could've taken in his place.

But again, we're only rehashing these talking points because of what's happening with Burrow. The team goes as he does, and the doubt and skepticism rises the more he falls.

And they may never dissipate until he brings home the Super Bowl title that's always evaded them.

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