After a stunning run to Super Bowl LVI, expectations have been high for the Cincinnati Bengals the past two seasons. But during the 2022-2023 season the Bengals fell short of a return to the big game, losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in heart-breaking fashion in the AFC Championship Game.
Then last year the missed out on the playoffs, after starting quarterback Joe Burrow saw his season cut short when he tore ligaments in his right wrist.
Now the quarterback is working his way back from the surgery, but admitted on Tuesday when speaking with the media that the injuries have bought his “football mortality” to mind.
“Whenever the injuries start to stack up, your football mortality kind of comes into the back of your mind,” Burrow said Tuesday at the team’s mandatory minicamp. “So that’s definitely something I’ve thought about and something I have had to fight through.”
As Burrow works his way back, the team has kept him on a modified football version of a “pitch count.” The Bengals have not set a strict number of throws for him per day, but they have built rest days into the offseason program for the quarterback. The word from the team is that they want Burrow ready for the long haul, and not some specific date, say the start of training camp or their second preseason game.
Burrow mirrored that philosophy with his comments Tuesday.
“That’s something we’re being more proactive about this year,” said the Bengals passer. “We don’t have to be ready to go in the middle of June. We have to be ready to go early September through February. That’s how we’re attacking this offseason and this rehab plan and these practices and training camp. We’re attacking it like I want to be out there playing in February.”
Burrow also addressed his injury history, and how he has taken a new approach towards his health, and what he means to the organization.
“That’s what this offseason has been about for me,” Burrow said. “It’s not pushing through some things I’ve pushed through in the past. I’ve always prided myself on my mental toughness to be able to push through pain and push through those injuries, and so that’s kind of been my growth this offseason is taking a step back and understanding my value to the organization and the team.”
As a quarterback there is always a fine line to walk when it comes to physical toughness. Playing through pain is part of the job, and the mental — and physical — toughness you need at the position is critical. The courage it takes to sometimes stand in the pocket and wait to make a throw, when a defender has a free run at you, is not for the average human. But standing in the pocket when the Aaron Donalds and Myles Garretts of the world have you dead to rights is a non-negotiable when it comes to playing quarterback.
And that can put you at risk of injury.
Which is why Burrow’s comments are fascinating. How does he balance, going forward, those moments in the pocket? Will we see more moments from Burrow where he throws the ball away, or bails from the pocket quickly, looking to fight on another down? Will this new appreciation regarding his “value to the organization and the team” change how he plays the position?
Or will he continue to make plays like this one against the San Francisco 49ers from Week 8 last year, as he hangs in a collapsing pocket to find Ja’Marr Chase late in the down:
How those questions are answered could go a long way towards telling the story of Cincinnati’s season.
