Joe Burrow on Injury Timeline, Tee Higgins' Future With Bengals and MORE
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00:00 How you feeling? Feeling good. Getting better every day.
00:04 How many of you have had time to analyze just the path you're,
00:07 do you have a target day in terms of throwing the game?
00:11 No, we'll have to see.
00:12 I think, I think I should be good by OTAs, but we'll see.
00:16 Pretty early on to really tell yet.
00:19 You were confident Jake could play well.
00:21 What did you see in the seven games that he did play?
00:24 Exactly what I expected.
00:25 He was calm and poised and took the opportunities
00:29 when they were there.
00:30 He did a really good job.
00:32 I'm really happy for him.
00:34 He made a career for himself.
00:35 So he went in, took advantage of his opportunity,
00:38 and we talked about it yesterday.
00:40 It's exciting for him.
00:42 And so I was happy to see it.
00:44 What's been the biggest thing that you've kind of thought about
00:47 as you've kind of been waiting to kind of watch him
00:49 the rest of the season?
00:51 Just getting back to the grind.
00:55 You know, we have, I have about 10 to 12 weeks on everybody else
01:00 starting my off season.
01:02 So, you know, that kind of gives me a leg up on next year.
01:05 Obviously the throwing part, we'll come back with time.
01:09 But just as far as physically, you know, weight room, whole body,
01:16 I think I should be in a good spot.
01:18 What have you been able to do, Joe,
01:19 in terms of keeping your conditioning up?
01:21 Yeah, we're lifting legs, doing a lot of core,
01:24 doing the upper body where we can, tough,
01:26 without being able to grab or do anything like that.
01:29 But we're modifying in ways that keeps me in good physical shape
01:34 and just going to keep getting better as the risk gets better too.
01:37 What's on your mind for lifting and being able to grip?
01:40 Yeah, we'll have to see.
01:42 It's going to be, you know, a couple months from now.
01:45 What's been the most challenging thing for you personally
01:47 over the last seven weeks?
01:49 You know, it's always tough when you're watching from the sideline
01:52 and you're used to being out there playing and making a difference.
01:55 You know, you try to find ways to make a difference where you could,
01:59 but obviously it's not the same.
02:01 So I was just focused on getting myself better every day
02:07 and, you know, doing what I could for Jake,
02:09 putting him in, you know, giving him nuggets here and there.
02:13 But, you know, he's a smart guy.
02:15 He didn't need too much,
02:16 but just trying to find ways to bring value to the team.
02:21 You were totally engaged, you know, with Jake,
02:23 like you were talking about from the schematic
02:26 and all that sort of thing with the coach that you're doing.
02:29 And, you know, no two quarterbacks have the exact same game plans
02:33 as other kids maybe.
02:35 But was there anything that evolved with Jake's playing quarterback position?
02:39 You said, "You know what, Dan, that looks pretty good.
02:41 Maybe I might be able to incorporate some of that with what I do."
02:44 Yeah, we'll have to--
02:45 I'm going to go back and watch all the tapes again this offseason,
02:47 you know, take some things.
02:49 But I'm going to watch both sides of the ball,
02:51 see if I can take anything from either one.
02:54 So that's more of an offseason project, I'd say.
02:57 Brian said that under center was something that you all played
02:59 on doing once you got kind of fully healthy and really got into the mix.
03:02 What was that like kind of watching that kind of be integrated in the offense
03:05 and watching that from a distance?
03:07 What did you make of how that looked?
03:08 Yeah, it brought some different things to the offense
03:12 that we were not really able to do at the beginning of the year
03:15 because I physically couldn't do it.
03:17 And then when the calf started to get healthy,
03:19 we were able to incorporate it a little more.
03:21 And then when Jake went in there, he did a great job of, you know,
03:26 executing the under center stuff.
03:29 He's good at the play actions and the nakeds.
03:31 And our run game took a step, I thought.
03:33 So it was a good couple weeks.
03:35 I know you're a creature of habit in terms of your routine in the offseason.
03:39 But is there anything that you're going to change in terms of getting you to a
03:44 place where--I know some of it is a lot,
03:46 but is there anything that you're going to change in terms of getting you
03:49 through a training camp without an injury?
03:51 Yeah, well, you know, I think early on it's not going to change,
03:56 but maybe the weeks leading up to training camp maybe will.
04:00 That will be something that I decide as we get closer,
04:02 depending on how my body's feeling.
04:04 But we'll take that a step at a time.
04:07 What would you like to change?
04:09 What about that pre-training camp stuff?
04:12 Maybe a couple weeks before, just laying off the gas a little bit.
04:15 We'll see.
04:16 It just depends on how the body's feeling.
04:18 Did you learn anything specifically about your teammates
04:20 over the last seven weeks watching from the sidelines?
04:24 I wouldn't say anything specific.
04:25 I know what we have in the locker room.
04:27 I know the guys that we can count on.
04:30 And, you know, guys maintain their routines.
04:34 They stayed engaged.
04:36 They went out and tried to win football games, and we did.
04:39 We put ourselves in position.
04:40 Didn't quite make the playoffs, but we had our opportunities.
04:44 I know he knows what's going to happen with T,
04:46 re-aging a lot of guys too.
04:48 But specifically with T, how different would the offense have to be
04:51 if you didn't have him?
04:54 Yeah, well, obviously we'd love to have T back.
04:56 He's a big part of what we've done here.
04:59 And it's no secret, our relationship.
05:03 So, you know, I expect T to be back.
05:07 I think that's the sentiment in the locker room.
05:11 We all want T back.
05:12 We know what kind of player he is.
05:13 He's what being a Bengals is all about.
05:15 So, like you said, we'll see.
05:18 But I think we should have a good opportunity.
05:22 I don't think you revealed the whole plan to us.
05:24 But when you were negotiating your contract,
05:26 how much was the plan for things like this offseason laid out to you
05:29 when you had those discussions?
05:31 Yeah, that was -- you know, we made sure the things were in place that we
05:37 could if we needed to.
05:39 A couple of years ago when Josh Allen was doing a lot of running out of pocket,
05:44 there was a lot made of him potentially changing his style.
05:47 And with your wrist injury and the season ending,
05:50 I know that in the past couple of years, you know,
05:52 you talked about maybe taking some of the less hits that you can.
05:56 And only so much of it is under your control.
05:58 But do you feel like based off the way you guys are past first offense here,
06:03 you need a little bit more of a balance from the run game in terms of
06:06 limiting the amount of times you're going to get hit?
06:10 I think we could be more explosive in the run game.
06:13 I think we've been efficient.
06:14 You know, the run game has been able to keep us on schedule.
06:18 It would be nice to hit, you know, a couple big runs.
06:21 We did, you know, later in the season.
06:23 That was nice to see, you know, guys like Joe Mixon taking advantage of his
06:27 opportunities and Chase stepping up and making some big plays.
06:30 So I feel good about that aspect.
06:33 I think, you know, this offseason we'll be able to take a step.
06:35 What's the feeling I know at the beginning of the year,
06:38 you said that's kind of how the year will be defined for your offense.
06:40 Whether you all are able to get more explosive runs,
06:42 you know, you open things up.
06:43 Is that kind of -- what about kind of the way structurally at the end of the season
06:48 give you confidence that that can continue to move forward?
06:50 Yeah, our screen game was big.
06:52 We had some young guys step up, which was exciting.
06:54 You know, like I said, Chase, you know,
06:56 really brought something to the offense, brought an explosive aspect in the
07:00 screen game, in the run game.
07:02 And then I think Joe Mixon had one of his best years.
07:05 So, you know, we have those two guys.
07:07 That will help our run game take a step next year, I think.
07:11 Over the past few years when free agents have come in to potentially come here
07:15 and ultimately sign here, you've been a part of that, trying to do your part.
07:19 Can you have a role in guys that could potentially hit free agency like T?
07:24 Is there anything there that you can get involved with,
07:26 or do you just got to kind of sit on the sidelines?
07:29 T knows.
07:31 I know T wants to be here.
07:33 You know, T knows that we want him here.
07:34 There's not much to say on that aspect.
07:38 You know, I think everybody's expectation is that T is going to be back.
07:42 So, like I said, we'll see.
07:43 You know, you never -- the offseason plays out in crazy ways that you don't
07:48 really expect, but I'd love to have T back.
07:52 I know he wants to be back.
07:54 You in the past have been really involved in kind of getting him put in the
07:57 franchise and getting him put.
07:59 How do you expect that to continue as you kind of get further into your career,
08:02 especially this offseason?
08:03 Yeah, we're going to continue what we've been doing.
08:06 You know, we're going to have our postseason meetings.
08:08 We're going to, you know, talk through it and collaborate, and we'll go from there.
08:13 I think going about the process in the way that we have in the past has worked
08:20 out well for us.
08:21 There's a great collaboration between me and Zach and all the coaches and Duke
08:25 and ownership, so I'm excited about the way the organization is run and, you
08:30 know, what we've built here so far.
08:32 We've got to keep building on it.
08:33 What's the next step, Joe, for this offense?
08:37 Yeah, it's tough to -- you know, we have all these overarching questions right
08:42 now.
08:43 It's day one of the offseason.
08:44 You know, it's tough to answer some of them because, you know, a lot of these
08:47 questions, you know, start to answer themselves once you start to put the team
08:53 together, once you get to OTAs, once you know the kind of guys that you're going
08:57 to have.
08:58 So we'll see.
08:59 You know, every year is different.
09:01 You know, once you go into OTAs, you figure out what guys you have, and you kind
09:05 of build it from there.
09:06 You know, every year the offense looks a little different.
09:09 And so once we get all that settled, we'll be able to kind of sit down and figure
09:14 out what we can do, you know, after the draft, after free agency, and we'll go
09:18 from there.
09:19 With some potential turnover, you know, young guys, how important will, you
09:22 know, offseason program, all that kind of stuff be for you guys, you know,
09:26 heading into 2024?
09:27 Yeah, we're -- you know, we counted on a lot of young guys this year, and that
09:31 first offseason from rookie year to the second year is the biggest one because,
09:36 you know, going into the league, you don't really know what to expect.
09:39 You're going through combine and pre-draft, and you don't really have time to
09:42 really, you know, lock in on your offense and what you need to do to get better.
09:46 And now this is the first year that you can really do that.
09:49 So we're counting on a lot of guys to make that jump from year one to year two
09:53 next year.
09:54 And we got the kind of guys to do it, and, you know, the veteran guys can help
09:58 them.
09:59 But at the end of the day, it's on them to take that jump in their career.
10:03 You were in the middle of two playoff runs, right in the middle of it, really
10:07 going through the practice process.
10:09 This time you were sitting watching a playoff run.
10:12 Is there anything that you took away from it that maybe you didn't get when you
10:17 were playing?
10:18 You know, whenever I've had these setbacks where I've got to, you know,
10:24 watch and not play, you just always are grateful for the times that you are
10:30 healthy and you're out there and being able to be there for your teammates and
10:34 go out and put your best foot forward.
10:36 And, you know, sometimes win, sometimes lose.
10:38 But you're out there and you're giving it a chance.
10:40 So that's just always what I take away from that is, you know, I'm grateful to
10:45 be able to play this game.
10:46 I'm grateful to be out there with my guys.
10:48 And I'm grateful to be in the position that I'm in.
10:50 Will being the only team in the AFC North not make the playoffs this season be a
10:54 motivating factor this offseason?
10:56 I wouldn't say that's -- I mean, obviously it's not ideal.
10:58 But, you know, my motivation year in and year out never changes.
11:05 The external factors are what they are.
11:09 They're never going to make me work harder or not work as hard.
11:14 The motivation for me is internal.
11:18 I have my own goals.
11:19 I have my own aspirations, just like everybody in that room.
11:22 I have individual, team, organizational goals.
11:25 So those never change.
11:27 Would you feel like you guys were on the right track with the season when you
11:30 took the lead in Baltimore?
11:31 Big picture, what makes you feel like you guys are still on a Super Bowl track?
11:35 Yeah, that five-week stretch, I think we were playing some pretty good ball.
11:39 You know, the Houston game was a step back as a team.
11:43 And then going into Baltimore, I felt really good about where we were.
11:46 Obviously it didn't play out the way we wanted to.
11:49 But just never really felt like -- it was a weird year.
11:54 Never felt like we really reached our potential to what we were.
12:00 And then, obviously, the injury happened right where we usually start to take
12:04 that jump in the year where we had in years past.
12:07 And so it was a tough year.
12:09 Zach talked about this -- we wanted to win the championship level
12:13 and bring that back.
12:14 Make sure you're not really being satisfied with the winning record.
12:16 What's it like hearing that be kind of where you don't want to be
12:19 and not feeling happy with just being over 500?
12:21 Yeah, we know that's the standard here.
12:24 So that's what we've got to get back to.
12:27 And it's going to -- you know, we're going to take a couple weeks off.
12:31 Everybody is.
12:32 But as soon as everybody gets back to it,
12:35 you've just got to focus on getting better every day.
12:37 And that's how you get to where you're going to get to.
12:39 You can't focus on the end goal.
12:41 That's not a recipe for success.
12:44 You've got to focus on the day-to-day and getting better
12:47 and improving yourself and doing everything with intent to get better.
12:50 And that's all that matters.
12:52 What's your thoughts on Tanner?
12:53 What's your thoughts on the Taylor this year?
12:55 Yeah, Tanner played really well for us.
12:57 Hopefully we can get him back to really have a full offseason with him
13:01 to get that chemistry.
13:03 But he brought something that was exciting to see.
13:07 He made plays when his opportunity presented and made the most of them.
13:11 So I'm excited to really have a full offseason with him
13:15 and work and talk and see what he can do.
13:19 You mentioned not reaching the full potential of this team.
13:21 Was this just the year of the injury?
13:23 Because it wasn't just you.
13:24 A lot of guys got banged up.
13:26 Yeah, it wasn't -- you know, every year injuries happen.
13:30 But there was a lot of things that went into this year
13:34 that were not up to our standards.
13:37 So we've got to get those things fixed, and we'll go from there.
13:42 Obviously, like I said, we'll find out more once the roster is settled.
13:47 You get into OTAs, free agency ends, combine is over, draft is over,
13:51 and you can really sit down and focus on the guys you have.
13:55 What's been your favorite thing about this kind of three-year stretch?
13:58 I know this roster's been a little tight,
14:00 but a lot of the guys who have been critical may not be here for a little while.
14:03 What's been your favorite part of kind of this group
14:05 and being around them over the last few years?
14:07 The locker room.
14:08 That's really why we've won, in my opinion.
14:11 We have the right guys to do it.
14:15 You've got guys that never fold.
14:18 You know, we've been through a lot of adversity the last couple years.
14:22 And, you know, when you go through that kind of adversity,
14:26 you've got to work with the people that you have around you
14:28 to help bring you out of it, and we had all the right people in the locker room.
14:32 You know, like you said, we'll see who's back and who's not.
14:35 You know, the offseason is an ever-changing thing that you go through every year.
14:40 And so once you get to OTAs, you've got to go through that process again.
14:44 You've got to build trust.
14:45 You've got to build that relationship in the locker room
14:47 so it translates onto the field.
14:49 You guys have had really long seasons the last couple of years.
14:54 Is there an unwanted silver lining that this team, you know,
14:58 isn't playing until the end of January?
15:00 You know, it's never ideal, like you said,
15:02 but it does give us an opportunity to get everybody's bodies healthy.
15:06 And like I said at the beginning, it gives us--
15:09 you know, I had seven weeks of the regular season.
15:11 That was my--you know, was able to get that leg up.
15:16 And then we have, you know, three, four, or five weeks on the guys
15:19 that are playing right now to start our offseason
15:23 and start getting better each and every day for next year.
15:25 And that's our leg up.
15:27 So that should give us a good opportunity to, you know,
15:30 get a head start on the offseason compared to everybody else.
15:33 Based off of all the adversity you faced this year, what did you learn this year?
15:38 You know, it's always tough.
15:40 You know, like I said, I'm grateful for the opportunity to play.
15:44 That's kind of something you always take for granted when you are playing
15:50 and you haven't been injured for a while.
15:52 And then it happens and you take a step back and like, damn,
15:56 I wish I was playing right now.
15:57 So that's always what goes through your mind after something like this happens.
16:01 Who's impressed you, Joe, quarterback spot this year
16:04 just looking around the league?
16:06 You know, I think CJ has done a great job.
16:09 It's always tough to go into that situation as, you know, a high pick
16:13 and perform the way he has.
16:16 And so that's been impressive.
16:18 I think, you know, Dak has done a really great job with that group.
16:22 You know, he's been fun to watch.
16:27 You know, there's guys all across the league.
16:28 I think a couple of college guys have a really good chance too.
16:30 They've been fun to watch.
16:33 You know, I don't really have an opportunity to watch college much
16:35 the last couple years because you're so locked in.
16:37 But this year I have.
16:38 And so there's some really good college quarterbacks coming out
16:41 that I think have a good chance to play well.
16:43 How much are you pulling for Lou and Brian now as the head coach
16:46 and cycle gets underway?
16:47 Yeah, I'm always rooting for those guys to get those opportunities.
16:51 I think they both do a great job.
16:53 You know, part of being a head coach is the ability to build relationships
16:56 within the locker room, and those guys are some of the best at it.
16:59 So I think if they do get their opportunities,
17:01 they're going to do a great job.
17:03 What's Kyle Boyd been to you to help with?
17:06 Yeah, he's been kind of my security guy since I've been here.
17:10 He's been the sure hand guy on the inside.
17:13 If when going gets tough, I know I can count on TB to make those plays
17:17 when they're needed, and that's been the same way since I got here in 2020.
17:22 So he's been a great player for a long time.
17:26 You know, like I said, we'll see how the offseason plays out.
17:31 Love to have him back, but, you know, the NFL offseason is a crazy thing,
17:37 so we'll see what happens.
17:39 You had a chance, not a wanted chance, to peek into what it might be like
17:43 to be a coach.
17:44 You know, you had a much different perspective, just your own meetings
17:48 and relationships and all that.
17:50 What did you think?
17:51 I mean, you mentioned that who knows, maybe someday be a coach.
17:54 Did this maybe increase that desire?
17:56 No, I don't think so.
17:58 I don't want to be a coach.
17:59 [laughter]
18:00 Maybe high school one day, but I think I'm good on the college and NFL coach.
18:05 I'll stick to playing.
18:07 When you said everybody expects T to be back,
18:10 were you speaking of the players,
18:11 or do you think that's the sentiment building wide?
18:14 You know, I can't speak for everybody, but I can speak for myself.
18:19 I expect him to be back.
18:21 It's, you know, I know everybody in the locker room wants him back.
18:25 So, like I said, we'll see.
18:26 Offseason is a crazy thing.
18:28 You never know how it's going to play out, but I don't know.
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