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Joe Cool II


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Go back to the Vikings game. 4th and inches. Burrow calls a pass at the line to Uzomah - watch the actual pass.

Uzomah breaks to the inside on the play action. This is picked up  by the nickel corner on the strong side who begins to scrape across the middle towards Uzomah. For 75% of NFL QB's, even knowing he's going to wheel, he's covered. The CB has a foot speed advantage and is underneath. Joe Burrow instead sees the opening. He lobs a high pass to Uzomah that is behind the CB's trajectory. Uzomah turns his head around and has to break out to the sidelines a bit to catch a beautiful bomb thrown with immaculate touch.

Beyond the cajones to call the play, Uzomah was his third read. Slo mo it on you tube and you can see him check down the two WR's out of the bunch formation. He locks on to Uzomah briefly - see if you can figure out where he sees the advantage. He has two free defenders to Uzomah's destination. Burrow takes sidestep back and looks left. Both defenders hesitate a bit looking for outside contain if he runs. Uzomah gets behind the LB (literally hands on his back) Uzomah makes his break, and NOW Joe Cool puts the ball up in the air. It's a footrace between a CB and a TE. But Burrow anticipates that the CB won't be able to track the ball due to the height so he'll play the player. With Uzomah working inside-out and the CB coming outside-in, Burrow puts he ball outside just a little bit. The CB is unable to turn his momentum, while Uzomah makes the catch in stride.

These are the types of plays most guys overthrow. To get over the CB with a rainbow throw at the perfect depth, knowing you absolutely cannot underthrow that ball? The recognition, the head/stepfake to get the guy open, the understanding of the CB's momentum and the perfect placement to the outside - all while facing down a 4th and 1 rush. If that was the only play I could point to it might be a fluke, but he's having 2-3 of these plays that make you say "damn" every game so far. With a pretty respectable win percentage on his attempts. His picks have all been on the shorter over the middle stuff.

I have been a Bengals fan since Jimmy Carter and electric underwear were popular... I'm VERY reluctant to buy into the "soon to be" myth of any Bengals QB. Last year, Burrow had his moments, but very few of them truly impressed me. This year - I don't know that he's a cure for the cancer that is Mike Brown, but he's the best medicine we've seen in a long damn time. Let's hope the Bengals leave him in a safe place so they can keep using him once a week. Hate to see him stolen away from us by some crack head from Pittsburgh.

I always hesitate to make any comparisons between a career and 25% of a season regardless of how the media thrives on it. I do know Burrow can ball and has some rare skills. There's a big difference between having a Porsche and winning at Monza. We need to keep him healthy enough to get to the postseason before he can win anything in it. He doesn't coach the other 21 guys. This being 2021, TMZ could report tomorrow that he's part of giant underground kitten wrestling ring in Louisville. I mean, have you been outside lately? Sh*t is WEIRD out there man.

I remain hopefully optimistic about Burrow, but I won't trust this franchise until they UPS me out a heart next day to replace the one they broke during the Coslet years. I saw the best Bengals of my generation destroyed by madness, starving, hysterical. Dragging themselves through the Cincy streets at dawn looking for an icky shuffle. The flame of my utter contempt for the Brown family shall not descend by one degree until I have tasted at least one sweet reward for my 50 years of servitude and loyalty. Until they prove to me just once they could find their own asses given enough crayons and a detailed map.

And if Joe Montana had played for the Bengals, he'd be Ken Anderson.

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9 hours ago, LostInDaJungle said:



Uzomah breaks to the inside on the play action. This is picked up  by the nickel corner on the strong side who begins to scrape across the middle towards Uzomah. For 75% of NFL QB's, even knowing he's going to wheel, he's covered. The CB has a foot speed advantage and is underneath. Joe Burrow instead sees the opening. He lobs a high pass to Uzomah that is behind the CB's trajectory. Uzomah turns his head around and has to break out to the sidelines a bit to catch a beautiful bomb thrown with immaculate touch.

 

 

This description reminds me of when Esiason was brought in to replace Blake at QB in '97.   Esiason made touch passes Blake couldn't even conceive.  Esiason went 4-1 to end the season and Mike Brown told him he would be better off on MNF. 

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1 hour ago, UncleEarl said:

 

This description reminds me of when Esiason was brought in to replace Blake at QB in '97.   Esiason made touch passes Blake couldn't even conceive.  Esiason went 4-1 to end the season and Mike Brown told him he would be better off on MNF. 

I've looked around for something I remember him clearly saying post-'97, but cannot locate it. It was basically "I'm not sure my body can take 16 games again..". 

 

The MB comment was when they did discuss scenarios. Norman was going to make a lot of money on MNF, but he may have played if that sum was surpassed. Then again, the comment about "16 games" was around that same period too. He has made some comments on these "discussions" over the years, but he retreated from ever saying there were firm demands/counters. Maybe we'll never know the goings-on.

 

Did find this article from just after the season. Nice look at the state of affairs with the team and Norman--he did make that last portion of the year a blast. I have always called that stretch the "Boomer Fun Ride".    

 

https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1997-12-19-1997353030-story.html

 

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2 hours ago, Le Tigre said:

I've looked around for something I remember him clearly saying post-'97, but cannot locate it. It was basically "I'm not sure my body can take 16 games again..". 

 

The MB comment was when they did discuss scenarios. Norman was going to make a lot of money on MNF, but he may have played if that sum was surpassed. Then again, the comment about "16 games" was around that same period too. He has made some comments on these "discussions" over the years, but he retreated from ever saying there were firm demands/counters. Maybe we'll never know the goings-on.

 

Did find this article from just after the season. Nice look at the state of affairs with the team and Norman--he did make that last portion of the year a blast. I have always called that stretch the "Boomer Fun Ride".    

 

https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1997-12-19-1997353030-story.html

 

 

I got the impression that it was never about money.  It was about the opportunity with MNF.  In retrospect I'm not sure it was the right move.  I'm sure Brown was suggesting what he thought was right for Esiason, but was it?  Esiason could have easily thought that the Bengals didn't really want him that much.  Who knows, just too bad he couldn't have had a couple more good years. 

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Was looking for his last TD pass in '97, and found the "wrap up" on YouTube. He hits Darnay on that long one like it was '88 again. Colder than hell that day, but that warmed us to the bones. 

 

 

Yeah, those onside kicks scared the hell out of us...but only the later '90's Bengals could provide that sort of entertainment. 

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18 hours ago, UncleEarl said:

 

I got the impression that it was never about money.  It was about the opportunity with MNF.  In retrospect I'm not sure it was the right move.  I'm sure Brown was suggesting what he thought was right for Esiason, but was it?  Esiason could have easily thought that the Bengals didn't really want him that much.  Who knows, just too bad he couldn't have had a couple more good years. 

Nobody thought he made the wrong decision except us desperate Bengals fans.  Tony Rono made the right decision too.  They both retired at 36. 

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