The Bengals quarterback is hoping changes he’s making improve his ability to stay on the field
In the two seasons that Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow played every game, they went to a Super Bowl, two AFC Championship games, and won five playoff games.
And then there are the other two seasons.
Burrow’s greatness can only be seen when he’s on the field, and he knows it. That’s why he says his biggest goal has everything to do with his availability.
“Well, number one, I want to be on the field for all the games,” he told Complex Sports. “I know I’m going to play well when I’m out there. I’m at that point in my career where I’ve seen enough to know myself that I can go out there and play as well as anybody in the game. The biggest strides this year are going to be my body and learning how to get through the season, get through practices with my body, and feeling in tip-top shape. And so that’s the main focus for the off-season.”
In Burrow’s rookie season, he went down in Week 11 against the Washington Commanders with a devastating knee injury that needed to be surgically repaired. Then, last season, Burrow was initially hampered by a calf strain suffered in training camp. As the season wore on, and just when things got going, Week 11 came (again), and Burrow’s wrist was injured, once again needing to be surgically repaired.
With the best offensive line the Bengals have had in the Burrow era, the quarterback is primed to take the Bengals on another deep run into the playoffs, this time hopefully with a Super Bowl win. To get there, Burrow has taken a somewhat unique approach to rehabbing his wrist.
“I’m learning the piano right now. Hopefully, I can get pretty good at that by next offseason,” he said. “I guess it’ll be pretty tough during the season, but it’s helped my rehab too for my wrist, so that’s something I want to get good at… I’ve always wanted to learn how to play, but this was an opportune time to work on my hand and wrist dexterity while also learning that. So it was kind of the perfect storm.”
Can’t you see it? A Pete Rozelle Trophy adorned atop Burrow’s grand piano?
It’s beautiful.
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