Bengals Beat: The Secret Sauce That Makes Joe Burrow Cook In Bengals Offense, Equal Parts Diagnosis, Perseverance

CINCINNATI — Joe Burrow does a lot of things at an elite level in the NFL. He throws on time. He throws accurately. He reads defenses and gets them to move like pieces on a chessboard. He takes hits. He’s patient in the pocket. He’s throws are strong when they need to be and softer when he needs the right touch.

But above all, it’s his brain that makes him the quarterback he is. He has an uncanny ability to get his offensive line and protection calls into the right spots to give him a chance to throw the ball. His ability to diagnose pre-snap mirrors that of one of his idols and good friends in the NFL – Peyton Manning.

Without sufficient protection, he wouldn’t be able to drive the ball downfield like he did to Andrei Iosivas for the game-sealing touchdown late in the third quarter in Baltimore.

“Yeah, that was a big-time pick-up front,” Burrow recalled. “They provide some challenging looks as a defense. Protection-wise, that’s probably the most challenging look that they present. O-line knocked it out. Drew was part of that. Samaje (Perine) was part of that. And then great read by Drei, not just taking the middle but noticing that they didn’t have a backside safety and able to bend it a little bit to the space. That was an all-around great play.”

Burrow had to wait until just the right moment to deliver the ball, which is another trait that makes Burrow exceptional in the pocket when he has the time.

“Once I saw Roquan getting there out and the field safety pushing to the field, I knew where I was going as long as were both on the same page,” Burrow said.

Joe Flacco and Jake Browning certainly have shown they can run the offense. But it’s just that Burrow can make it hum at another frequency altogether. That’s what has been missing since Sept. 14.

Bengals offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher touched on this Wednesday and Burrow expanded on it and said it was a habit he first appreciated when with Ryan Day at Ohio State.

“The first time it was really introduced to me at the level that you can start to critically think about it was when Ryan Day got to Ohio State, and he was my quarterback coach,” Burrow told me. “We started to talk about a lot of things that, from an NFL type perspective, this kind of made sense to me, and it kind of always has from that point on, just kind of makes sense. Seeing defenses and seeing body language is something that I’m pretty good at especially later in the game. After you see, see a couple things, couple times. That’s one of the reasons that I feel like I’m so good, is because I can see it, I can feel it, and I can react to it quickly. It just kind of always made sense.”

What makes Burrow so good at setting pass protection in front of him?

“Investment, believing that it’s important,” Pitcher said. “That’s something that I take pride in, that we collectively (take pride in). And Joe came to us already very well suited to do those things. But it’s something that what we made clear was very important from the start, and he bought into that. And so what you see is years and years and years of experience doing it. So it’s investment in the study of what you’re going to see, and then just the ability to recall the look, know exactly what I need to do in a moment, and then communicate it very quickly. And in my opinion, it’s one of, if not the most difficult things for a quarterback to learn how to do, coming from college into the NFL, and there are varying degrees of what is asked of quarterbacks across the league based on offensive system. We put a lot on Joe’s plate because he can handle it.

“The thing that I will say that is from my perspective, what is clearly different about Joe Burrow is just the speed at which he can process on his feet on the field… What I do know is different about Joe is when he’s on the grass calling for the football and having to see it in the moment and make those decisions, I have not been around somebody who does it like he does it. He’s gifted that way, and it allows us to do a lot of things.”

Burrow said that his ability to diagnose defenses pre-snap comes from a combination of feel and preparation through film study and meetings.

“It’s a combination of both. Our coaches come together and give us the answers to the test. It’s not like I’m coming up with the calls myself,” Burrow said. “We meet every Thursday, and they show us all the different looks and what calls you want to get in to against certain looks, and then go from there.”

Then there’s the determination. No one thought Burrow realistically would be back by Thanksgiving night in Baltimore, except Burrow himself of course. The timetable was mid-December. Like with his ACL and wrist, he blew right through those timetables and made it back to perform at an MVP-caliber level in 2024.

“Yeah, the more things you go through, the especially when it’s the same thing over and over again, and you continue to overcome it,” Burrow said. “I’m gonna continue to do great things and play well, at least that’s the plan. These (moments) will be in the rearview mirror at some point, but right now, it’s pretty fresh, and it’s something I’m proud of.

“It’s always a process. I’m not sure… Once you get a couple weeks out, and you start to get back into lifting and training, and the rehab starts to progress, and you’re doing more functional movement, then your mindset starts to switch a little bit.”

No one appreciates Burrow more than Pitcher. And he saw the Burrow greatness shine through again on the throw to Iosivas.

“Yeah, I think those are always really exciting plays for a coach,” Pitcher said. “When you’re in a high leverage moment, and whether it be they bring a specific pressure that you’re ready for, or they play a specific coverage that you’re ready for, and then the guys go out and execute it. That’s a moment where it just kind of feels like it makes it all worth it, you know, when you when you put the time in that we put in, and then you see the guy, because, again, it’s the players that have to do it. We’re not playing video games like we (coaches) can’t do it. They have to do it. We just prepare them. And when they go do it from the protection standpoint, from a route standpoint, and a throw, it makes you feel good. So that was, that was obviously play the game. Hell of a job, hell of a throw. Great job by Drei, great job on the (pressure) pickup.

“Just the recognition of exactly what you had and knew where the ball needed to go right away. Pocket presence to step up and find a firm interior to the pocket. Samaje did a great job running the guy by. So now he’s able to play with his feet under him, step into it, rip it, and get it up and down before the safety could make a play and before Roquan (Smith) could get back in phase. So just a really good throw.”

The Bengals will never take for granted what they have in Burrow: the skill, intellect, patience and perseverance all rolled into one dynamic package.

“I think it probably leads to stunted development for some guys, because at the end of the day, they’re all puzzle pieces that fit together. So when you understand the front structure, ‘Okay, I’m a known passing down. This is the specific front structure. I know they bring these three patterns of pressure out of that front structure, and behind those specific patterns, they’re only going to play one or two coverages.’ So you start to build it from the ground up, Okay, I know this. That means this. That means this guy’s probably going to be open,” Pitcher said.

“So when you can see all of it and know that it fits together, there’s only so many things they can do out of those looks. And so now you catch the ball, and you’ve eliminated a wide array of what you could possibly see. And now you need to then confirm between I know it could be one of two things, okay, I caught the ball. The safety is there. I know what I have. Boom. I know where the ball goes. But if you’re not asked to see the front and do the things protection-wise from the start, there’s might be a whole universe of things that you might see when you catch the ball, yeah. So it’s a process of elimination when you’re trained that way. And Joe, I mean, he does a great job of it.”

NOTES:

Zac Taylor appreciates Ken Anderson re-appearing on the NFL Hall of Fame senior candidate ballot for electors for the Class of 2026 as one of three finalists, along with Roger Craig and L.C. Greenwood.

The announcement was made on Tuesday.
“I know he’s been here before… Tremendous. He’s always been great to me through good times and bad. He’s an example of a guy, you know, when we’ve struggled who was there still supporting me, genuinely supporting me and our team and the direction we’re headed. I genuinely appreciate people like that. Ken and I have always had a great relationship through his foundation, through him just coming to practice, text messages and so, I have done my own research and he absolutely should have been in the Hall of Fame a long time ago. He should absolutely be in now. Statistically, he’s in a better position than a lot of people that are in it. You know, NFL MVP, Man of the Year, led his team to a Super Bowl. I mean, all the great performances – the completion percentage. Everything he’s done statistically, he should be in there right now. This year is the year he absolutely, absolutely should be in and if he’s not then it’s a shame… I’m not gonna pretend like I’ve dug through all of his tape and watched it all but I just know statistically, when you look at how he played, and then, I mean, (look at) people that are in, you know, he deserves to be in, absolutely. And he did it over a long period of time. I mean, he did it over a really long period of time, so look forward to seeing him get in there.”

Tee Higgins, Tahj Brooks limited:

Both Higgins and Brooks remain in concussion protocol after suffering injuries in the loss to the Patriots on Nov. 23. But both, according to Zac Taylor Wednesday, are making progress and were limited Wednesday in practice. Trey Hendrickson did not practice and is doubtful to play Sunday in Buffalo. Cam Sample was a full participant and linebacker Shaka Heyward had his 21-day window opened to return from IR and was limited. Jermaine Burton was back on the field Wednesday after dealing with an ankle injury and was a full participant.