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Ben Child
CINCINNATI — Joe Burrow did not really feel the necessity to provide an evidence on Wednesday.
After a robust observe, the Cincinnati Bengals quarterback mentioned he feels nice and praised how he has thrown the ball by means of per week of coaching camp.
When requested about why he felt that manner, Burrow merely pointed to the physique of labor.
“You are on the market every single day,” Burrow mentioned.
For the primary time since his rookie season in 2020, Burrow is not nursing some form of harm throughout coaching camp. This time final 12 months, Burrow was nonetheless working his manner again from a season-ending wrist harm on his throwing hand.
On Wednesday, he was aggressive in difficult cornerbacks and pushing the ball downfield. And as he identified, anybody who has watched him can most likely inform how he is feeling.
“I feel that is one of the best I am throwing it in a number of years, so I am enthusiastic about that,” Burrow mentioned. “Enthusiastic about the place our group’s at, too.”
Despite the fact that the Bengals have practiced for only a week, that is one of the best stretch of well being Burrow has loved in coaching camp since 2020, which was considerably altered by the COVID-19 pandemic. Whether or not it has been restoration from an ACL harm (2021), an emergency appendectomy (2022), a strained calf (2023) or the aforementioned wrist (2024), Burrow has spent camp coping with one thing.
Not this 12 months. As an alternative, Burrow has been strategic in deciding when to take what the protection offers him and when to push the ball into tight home windows.
In group intervals, Burrow mentioned, he is trying to care for the ball and never drive something. However in 7-on-7 drills, he will likely be extra aggressive.
For instance, Burrow tried to search out Tee Higgins in a 7-on-7 crimson zone drill on Wednesday. As an alternative, the ball was intercepted by second-year cornerback Josh Newton. And Burrow wasn’t all that aggrieved by the end result. In his thoughts, Newton simply made an excellent play.
“I am by no means going to be upset at a 7-on-7 interception except I utterly miss the learn or make a totally inaccurate throw and never throwing it the place I am attempting to throw it,” Burrow mentioned.
Burrow has been amongst these praising the vitality through the starting of coaching camp. Cincinnati is looking for methods to start out the season quicker after only one win in Weeks 1 and a pair of throughout coach Zac Taylor’s six-year tenure. In an try and flip that statistic, taking part in extra within the preseason is among the many adjustments the Bengals are making.
Burrow nonetheless does not know what number of snaps he’ll get when the Bengals play the Philadelphia Eagles on Aug. 7. However the impression he believes these snaps can have can’t be overstated.
“You do not really feel that timing and that stress and observe such as you do within the sport,” Burrow mentioned on Wednesday. “So when you get it, first couple drives, you get the texture of it and it will get again into rhythm. However you do need to really feel that to be able to play at a excessive stage.”
It is early in coaching camp, however Burrow is selecting up the place he left off final season, when he was a finalist for the MVP award.
