CINCINNATI — Jake Browning has no intention of becoming an NFL footnote.
The Bengals new starting quarterback is more than aware of the dangers of feeling comfortable with one great performance, assuming it entitles him to the expectation of more just by stepping on the field.
Browning, in his second NFL start, completed 32-of-37 passes for 354 yards and a 76-yard touchdown in Monday’s 34-31 overtime win against Jacksonville. It was the fifth-best accuracy mark in single game franchise history and earned him AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors.
“You always think you can do it but you don’t know until you know,” Browning said. “And so you have finally good performance, but I would like to reiterate that it was it was one good game. So let’s you know let’s stack some of those back to back and not just be the guy who had a good one Monday night game and then just kind of fell off so I’m very paranoid about that probably.”
Jake Browning says he is fully committed to not being a one-game wonder, admitting that he’ll put in the work. pic.twitter.com/MXTnq55XSC
— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) December 7, 2023
The NFL historical landscape is littered with those who make a mark after one great game or one great season. They earn a big contract and then their career either plateaus or falls off. The names of Matt Flynn, Matt Cassel, Brock Osweiler, Rex Grossman and Tim Tebow come to mind.
“I’ve seen that seen that happen to guys where they have a good game, or even guys that have a whole good rookie season and all of a sudden the next year, defensive coordinators are watching what you did well,” Browning said. “They get a better feel for it, and they’re really good at what they do. So you kind of got to be ready to adapt and adjust, and that happens to the best of the best. So, it’s bound to happen and how you’re going to respond and are you prepared for that?”
There is no one more grateful and appreciative in the Bengals locker room than center Ted Karras. Those two qualities came out strong Wednesday when the veteran addressed reporters in front of his locker, showing off his “My Cause, My Cleats” shoes that he’ll be wearing this Sunday when the Bengals take on the Indianapolis Colts. He also displayed the cleats of teammate Alex Cappa, who will also be supporting the “Village of Merici” cause, providing food and shelter to special needs adults. The cause began in Indianapolis, where Karras is from but he also noted that he grew up a Bears fan. So it was very appropriate that Karras was tabbed the Walter Payton Man of the Year for the Bengals, as no one grew up more in awe of Sweetness than the Cincinnati center.
“It’s a humongous honor. I’m so grateful to everyone who’s supported this project,” Karras said. “It really wasn’t a thing that I expected or ever kind of it’s kind of sought out to do. It’s one of the coolest things we ever get to do is to make an impact like this. But the main sentiment I want to express his gratitude towards the sincerity community because this is a nomination for everyone.
“The outpouring of generosity that Cincinnati has shown me and the Village of Merici, and our sister city in Indianapolis has, can leave you speechless at times.”
Ted Karras explains why the Walter Payton Man of Year nomination for his @CincyHat work for @VillageofMerici is a heartfelt “humongous honor” and thanks Cincinnati community for helping. pic.twitter.com/m3DKyzmtfp
— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) December 6, 2023
Anyone who has spent time around Karras knows that he loves engaging with and getting to know people. His energy dedicated to a cause, whether on a field or off, is unmatched. Everyone remembers what happened in 2022 in Tennessee as he was walking off the field. But it’s that fire and passion he also brings to a cause near and dear to his heart, something that purely embodies the spirit of Walter Payton.
“I think it’s a combination of on-field performance, which is the bulk of our job mixed with obviously off-the-field impact and to be in a position that I’m in I’m never take that for granted,” Karras said. “And to be able to execute a project that so many people have bought in on is so special. I’m also a huge fan of Walter Payton. Sweetness. I was a Bears fan. So you know that he’s always been one of my favorite players of all time, and obviously it was a tremendous man off the field and left us too early. I take it very seriously. I’m excited for everything that comes and I want to go win it.”
All 32 teams put their nominees forward for the league-wide honor that will be announced at the NFL Honors during Super Bowl week in February.
The winner of the award each year receives a $250,000 donation to the charity of his choice. All 32 nominees receive up to a $55,000 donation to their charity of choice.
Karras helped promote the Cincy Hat cause that raises money for the Village of Merici, and on Sunday he’ll be wearing “Cincy Hat” cleats while Cappa will wear Village of Merici shoes, both designed and created by Isaiah Kelly of Smoove Creations.
“Isaiah did a great job,” Karras said. “We’re very grateful to him. We’ve got a lot of a lot of love for the Village here.”
Karras and Cappa will break in their cleats Thursday and Friday during practice before using them in the game on Sunday.
Karras wants the Bengals to get back on track at home after two very disappointing performances against Houston and Pittsburgh. A win against the Colts and the Bengals will be squarely back in the playoff hunt, and could leap into one of the final two wild card spots in the AFC.
“The fan base can get emotional, but very fairly so,” Karras said. “I love the fans here. And this is a performance business and in this city, you better perform. I’m glad we did it on Monday night. I’m sure Paycor is gonna be rockin yet again. Not that it’s ever not but to go into Jacksonville on Monday night, 16 million people watching, was a big deal.”
Zac Taylor noted the fan reaction as well from members of Who Dey Nation who made the trip to northern Florida.
“There was appreciation for the fans that were down there,” Taylor said. “I thought it was strong. I felt that in Arizona. I felt that in San Francisco. We’ve had fans that have really supported us and we’d like to reward them with with good games. It feels like some of the well-traveled games we’ve had good performances for them. And so in appreciation for them and truly being genuinely happy that they were all down there. You see some familiar faces from some fans that we see here in our own stadium and others that maybe lived down there and traveled down there from afar. But also just happy for our players that they got to feel that winning feeling again after after all the work that they put in and we’ve asked them to do. Felt most excited for those guys.”
Zac Taylor spoke the week before Jacksonville about changing the narrative about his Bengals with a win. Well, after claiming the overtime win, Taylor walked back some of that on Wednesday.
“You know, I say that (but) it really doesn’t matter,” Taylor said. “We just want to win games and and create a path to postseason play for ourselves. That’s all that we really care about. And so I kind of kicked myself for using the word narrative because who cares? Just go out there and let’s play good football.
“We’ve put in the work and there’s a lot of confidence from the players that they’re prepared for it. It’s not false confidence that they’re just projecting that we generally see them put in the work and they’re ready to go play and I think they just showed everybody that. But again, we don’t really need to worry about the narrative. It’s just more week to week in the NFL, things can be so so fluid. But again, that’s not anything that we need to concern ourselves with our players.
Zac Taylor felts happy and proud for both players and fans Monday night pic.twitter.com/qDxhyBvd5L
— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) December 6, 2023
