Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Jake Browning isn’t shy in saying that Joe Burrow has been a big help on the sidelines since the changing of the guard under center.
After his team’s win over the Indianapolis Colts, Browning admitted that he was a little surprised when Burrow showed up to the Jaguars game after his surgery.
“I was surprised,” Browning said, according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. “It was nice having him on the sideline. And I don’t know what he would say about how I was on the sideline when he was playing. But I feel like he’s just a calm voice when I come to the sideline. In those times that I might be a little hard on myself, he’s very quick to say, ‘No, I saw what you saw.’
Browning later went on to talk about how he tried to help Burrow while holding the clipboard and headset on the sideline, providing more depth into what Burrow’s doing for him now: “Once I started to get a feel for Joe, it was just kind of helping Joe on the sideline and in meetings. I had a fresh perspective a little bit because I hadn’t been in this offense really. So like, ‘I’ve done this, this way before,’ stuff like that. And then I think on game day just being a calm influence or calm voice on the sideline that Joe can talk to. I look at things and see if there is a kind of a tell or whatever. It was mostly off-the-field stuff.
Since his injury, Burrow was adamant that he would remain around the team and helping in whatever way he could. He’s obviously followed up on that, to the point of being on the sidelines the week of his surgery.
And while more credit goes to Zac Taylor and the coaches for getting with Browning and rewriting the offense to fit his strengths and needs, it’s pretty hard to undersell what having Burrow on the sideline has done, too.
