CINCINNATI — The Bengals knew what kind of storm was coming Tuesday. When the most important player in franchise history doesn’t show up at an offseason practice – yes voluntary – it’s going to generate widespread interest, and in some parts panic.
It’s the nature of the beast when you have Joe Burrow playing quarterback and he’s coming off a significant offseason restructure of the ligature of his right wrist.
Burrow cautioned everyone that there would be the need this offseason to back off a bit, sometimes even when he’s feeling like he can push through stiffness or soreness.
Zac Taylor admitted as much again Tuesday after an offseason OTA that had Jake Browning running first team offense against the first team defense.
Burrow did throw on Monday but not Tuesday. Why was that?
“We’ve given Joe a day off every week. I didn’t time this up great,” the Bengals coach explained, laughing off the apparent schedule quirk. “I kind of thought (media members) were here (Monday), so he threw (Monday), so (Tuesday) is his day off.”
The next part jives with what Burrow told everyone in his first press conference of the offseason on May 7.
“Just trying to be preventative for me. He’s been feeling really good. When players usually communicate they’re doing great you push them a little too hard, so as the coach you’ve got to pull back on some of those guys,” Taylor said. “We’ve given him a day off every week.”
Assuming that there’s nothing else going on, and there’s zero reason to believe that right now as his throws have been on time and sharp, we can only take Taylor’s word that Tuesday was simply a day off.
If Burrow had been exhibiting other signs and Taylor came out and said there’s “a little something there” they’re trying to manage, then that’s an entirely different story.
This is early June, not late July. Burrow has a month of throwing a football under his belt.
Assuming there hasn’t been a setback or injury, Tuesday had more to do with preventive maintenance and aggressively managing Burrow. The plan from the start was to be proactive with Burrow’s wrist, not reactive.
“He’s been great. Anytime you ask for feedback from him things are always going really well,” Taylor said. “I’ve just learned in dealing with these players for a long time now that when things are going good, that’s good, but let’s be smart. We’ve really never gone more than two days in a row and we had three days this week we’re practicing, so we just gave him the middle day off.”
Good news per Zac Taylor, who after practice said Joe Burrow threw Monday and thought media would be there to film. Tuesday was a scheduled day off. pic.twitter.com/EZIiNNH26C
— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) June 4, 2024
The Bengals will finish up their voluntary OTAs this week on Wednesday before opening mandatory minicamp on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday next week. Taylor was asked if Burrow will practice next week.
“That’s to be determined. There’s some flexibility with one of the mini-camp days in terms of what we’re actually going to do,” Taylor said. “I don’t want to put my foot in my mouth.”
It’s not unusual in the NFL that – if coaches believe they have had a good offseason workout program – they release the players after the second day.
What Taylor was trying to make clear without his star quarterback present is that everyone feels good about the work Burrow himself has gotten done this offseason, especially considering he’s coming off a major wrist surgery.
“During Phase 2, when we’re out here throwing, you get more throws than in the OTA days, because we’re doing 7-on-7, so there are a lot of reps there. We made that adjustment in Week 1 and counted the number of throws we’re doing. We’re monitoring his reps in practice. We’re trying to be proactive with the day.
“It’s been the second day off each week,” Taylor added, referring to last week after Memorial Day, when Burrow threw on the first day and got the second day off. “I just assumed you guys would be here Monday and get all the good tape you want, then lo and behold you’re not here. That’s my fault and nobody else’s.”
Taylor sounded an optimistic tone throughout Tuesday’s briefing with the media but declined to discuss what’s been address with doctor’s monitoring Burrow’s progress.
“I won’t get into all that, but everything has been positive in those conversations we’ve had with his doctor.”
For now, Tuesday was nothing more than a maintenance day for Joe Burrow. Nothing more, nothing less.
“Sometimes the players will push themselves because they are pro athletes and that’s their mindset and what makes Joe so great,” Taylor said. “It’s my job as head coach to make some decisions like this. He’s to a good point when he knows I’m saying something he knows I mean it and sometimes he knows it’s up for discussion and sometimes it’s not.”
Burrow is set to return to the practice field on Wednesday for the final day of OTAs. If he’s there throwing, then the story fades away into an offseason footnote. If he’s not, well then there’s always next week.
Super Bowl or bust:
Connor McDavid, the superstar of the Edmonton Oilers, famously proclaimed at the start of the NHL season last fall that it was “Stanley Cup or bust” for his team. The Oilers are built to win now and, after eliminating the Dallas Stars in six games in the Western Conference finals, did indeed reach the goal of getting to the Stanley Cup. Now they take on the Florida Panthers to actually win the most famous trophy in North American sports.
Maybe Sheldon Rankins was or wasn’t taking a cue from McDavid, but on Tuesday after another OTA practice, Rankins made a similar proclamation about the Bengals upcoming season.
“Super Bowl or bust,” Rankins said. “I think that was part of my decision to come here, understanding that my football age is getting up there, and to be a part of something special, to be a part of truly going for it all, to be a part of doing something different, with an organization like this was was a big reason for being here. Once you get here, you can feel it in the building, the way people talk with people and act, the way that people treat you, first class all the way around. Everything is geared towards playing in February in New Orleans.”
The Bengals had that attitude before the 2023 season, a team that was “all-in” to get to the Super Bowl. Two big injuries to Joe Burrow and a host of other things derailed the Bengals.
But Rankins, who came over to Cincinnati from Tennessee, believes these Bengals have what it takes to make a successful run.
“Being around other guys and seeing the level of talent that’s in our room, I feel ecstatic about what we can really do,” Rankins said.
Rankins showed up for the first time this offseason at practice and participated this week.
“I think when you are pro, when you go about things the right way, that’s always how you look at it,” Rankins told me. “It’s always how you approach every year. Every year I’ve ever played in this league is Super Bowl or bust, every year until it’s not. I’ll take that approach in every offseason, from how to take care of my body to how I’m training to the things I’m doing to put myself in the best position to when I get here.”
“Super Bowl or bust. It’s always Super Bowl or bust till it’s not.” Sheldon Rankins pic.twitter.com/9NVL1IYAXa
— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) June 4, 2024
Observations:
