How Bengals QB Joe Burrow is already receiving the Peyton Manning treatment
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow hasn't even played two full seasons in the NFL, but he's already getting the Peyton Manning treatment that few quarterbacks ever receive. Burrow is going to "take command" of the Bengals' offense moving forward. That doesn't necessarily mean he'll be calling every play — Peyton Manning famously called his own […]
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow hasn't even played two full seasons in the NFL, but he's already getting the Peyton Manning treatment that few quarterbacks ever receive.
Burrow is going to "take command" of the Bengals' offense moving forward.
That doesn't necessarily mean he'll be calling every play — Peyton Manning famously called his own plays at the line (various reports said he had usually three to choose from) — but it sounds like this will essentially be Burrow calling the shots. If he wants to change the play, he gets to change the play.
"Not a lot of guys who have the ability to do it (call their own game)," said Bengals head coach Zac Taylor this week (via Bengals.com). "And we trust him. That's the best part of it. I trust Joe with everything he sees and how he sees it during the course of a game of what he likes and doesn't like. Whenever he checks, we're all for it."
"Usually that's something (that happens) five, six years in, but I think we all know Joe is a whole lot different than a lot of people," added Taylor.
Cincinnati wants Burrow to take control of the offense even more than he did in 2021. They know that Burrow having a loud say in how the game is called will lead to success for the Bengals.
"The next step is for Joe to take total command of the whole thing and he's well on his way to doing that," explained Callahan. "You want your quarterback to be an extension of the staff and to be able to go out there and call the plays and feel great about what he's doing. Not that he calls every play, but that's part of the process."
"I think he's excited about having that kind of ownership and that kind of responsibility. You grow and build from there. The consistency over time is what you're really looking for and he's up to the challenge."
This is essentially how the Indianapolis Colts treated Manning early in his career. And it led to Manning basically being an on-field offensive coordinator for the Colts.
It's absolutely mind-blowing that Burrow is already getting this same treatment — especially considering that analytics are such a big part of the game now. In Manning's early days, the plays were almost exclusively a "feel" thing. Now, there are all kinds of numbers that tell you what to call in a specific situation. I'm sure the Bengals will still consult those analytics, but ultimately they're relying on Burrow.
Based on what we saw last season, I'd say that's a good idea.
Featured image via Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK
