Joe Burrow on BUYING Batmobile, Bengals-Cowboys Matchup, Hard Knocks
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00:00Who's your favorite superhero?
00:07I don't know, I was always an X-Men guy.
00:13They don't make that shit.
00:15No, they don't make that shit. I don't know who my favorite one is.
00:18The internet says it's not street legal.
00:21Again, I don't know what you're talking about.
00:25What's the coolest car you've ever driven?
00:29We're just going to dance around it.
00:31I've really only driven my cars. I wouldn't say I've driven anything crazy.
00:37Have you driven a Batmobile yet?
00:38No.
00:40Did you watch the episode?
00:42I did not.
00:43So, did people start hitting you up about this potential theoretical Batmobile?
00:49No, not really.
00:51Why does it take a year?
00:53I don't know.
00:57I don't know what you're talking about.
01:01How funny would it be if T. Higgins wore a Batman suit to a club?
01:05That would be pretty funny. I'd pay to see that.
01:10Is it okay if I ask you a football question?
01:12Yes, please. That'd be great.
01:15Dallas' defense, does it remind you of Zimmer from Minnesota at all?
01:21The style of what they do?
01:23Yeah, they're doing their pressure packages.
01:26Advanced, so you've got to be ready for that on third down.
01:30They've got Micah Parsons.
01:32He's an unbelievable player.
01:35You've got to be ready for him and not let him wreck the game.
01:38They're getting their corners back healthy.
01:41Those guys are aggressive ball hawks.
01:45They want to go get the ball, so you've got to be aware of them to jump routes.
01:52It'll be a challenge.
01:54Did you see the Trevor Lawrence slide-hit situation that happened in Jacksonville?
02:00I did.
02:01What's your opinion on sliding it?
02:04Do you feel like there needs to be more clarity in that rule and that situation
02:07for quarterbacks to make sure that type of stuff doesn't happen,
02:10whether it's avoiding fake slides or things like that?
02:13Do you feel like there's enough clarity in what that is in the league right now?
02:18I think so.
02:21Do you feel like there needs to be more clarity in what that is in the league right now?
02:26There's times you don't want to late slide,
02:31and I think refs have done a good job of when quarterbacks do late slide,
02:38then if you get a hit that's on you.
02:43I wouldn't say I've studied that play enough to know whether that was a late slide or not.
02:49It didn't look like it at first glance.
02:51I didn't watch it a ton, but refs have come to me and said on certain ones,
02:58hey, that was too late, and that's why they didn't call it.
03:00And all we want is communication from the refs,
03:05and I think they've done a good job of that.
03:07What's your biggest worry if you're going to slide?
03:10Do you worry about taking hits when you're trying to go down like that?
03:14Do you ever worry about that?
03:17I used to, but I wouldn't say that I worry about that too much.
03:24I think that's the first time that something like that has happened in several years.
03:29And they suspended him.
03:32They threw flags.
03:34They ejected him.
03:35So I think the point was made.
03:37When you're taking off out of the pocket as a quarterback,
03:40are you even thinking about that?
03:42Because there must be so many different variables going through your head.
03:46It depends on the situation.
03:48Is it third down, I'm going to try to go get it?
03:52Do I already have the first down, and now I'm just trying to protect myself?
03:57Am I trying to make a play outside the structure and throw the ball?
04:04Usually when I don't feel like I have anywhere else to go, I slide and get down.
04:10I don't remember many touchdown passes.
04:13Have you done many of those?
04:15That was the first one.
04:17I don't know where it came from, but it happened.
04:19I feel like that was the only way I could get that ball off.
04:21And it's not something that I've really worked on,
04:25but I did it two or three times on Sunday,
04:30so I'll have to start working at it to improve.
04:33Can you describe that feeling when you realize you've completed a jamar
04:37and you just did something you haven't done before?
04:39I think I just said, that was freaking sick.
04:43I didn't know I had that one in me.
04:46So what did Manny say?
04:49No, he never says anything to anybody.
04:52Since we're talking about quarterbacks taking hits,
04:56the topic of the run game and the Bengals has come up again,
05:01kind of based on how your season is going.
05:03When you look around at some of the teams that are definitely headed to the playoffs,
05:08the majority of them rank in the top ten in the run game.
05:13Knowing you and the best way this offense has played
05:18is obviously with the ball in your hands and the receivers that you have,
05:22it brings up the question of what does the Bengals run game need to be?
05:27Because there's a balance of taking it out of your hands.
05:30Do you think your run game needs to be better than it has been in years past?
05:35Do you think you guys need more from that,
05:38or are you comfortable with the scheme and the production in the run game?
05:42I think we've been really good in spots.
05:44I think we were good on Sunday.
05:47I think we've been in some games that you can't commit to the run
05:51because of how the game is playing out,
05:54and you have to drop back and throw it.
05:56The first half of the year we were really good.
05:58We fell off there for a little bit.
06:01Who did we play two weeks ago? Chargers?
06:04Chargers.
06:08I don't think we were great in that game,
06:10but I think we were really good on Sunday in the run game.
06:12We had some explosives.
06:14Chase was running hard.
06:15We were finding gaps.
06:17Just the way the game played out, we weren't able to commit to it.
06:21We've been good in spots, and we haven't been good enough in spots.
06:24I think you'd like to see more consistency,
06:26but you can see where the production could be.
06:31It's about finding the consistency in what we did on Sunday
06:38and just translating that over from game to game, play to play.
06:41Why do you think it hasn't been consistent enough this year?
06:47I don't know.
06:50When we lost Eric, that was tough
06:53because he was our second tight end.
06:56We were using him like a fullback,
06:58and that created some mismatches for us in the scheme.
07:04We lost him, and so we weren't doing as much of that.
07:10A lot of our really good run plays were coming off of those sets.
07:17I think it took us a second,
07:20and we're back to an 11-person run game.
07:23Then Cam Grandy is filling that Eric All role.
07:27We hit some really good 12-person runs on Sunday,
07:30and so it's nice to see Cam fill that role.
07:32I think you'll see his role start to evolve a little bit this year.
07:38I think, again, we've found ourselves in games
07:41where there's no time to run the ball,
07:46and you've got to drop back and throw it
07:48based on how the opposing offense is playing.
07:51Do you think this is the best stretch,
07:53if you look at November individually,
07:55of your career, Joe, in the regular season?
08:02That's tough to say.
08:03I think overall this year has been my best year.
08:07I think I've been play-to-play better than I've ever been.
08:13I think I'm creating better than I ever have.
08:16So I'm happy with how I'm playing.
08:19Why is that?
08:20Is that a physical thing,
08:21or is it the way you're seeing the game differently,
08:23or just experience?
08:27I think experience.
08:28I think my wrist is feeling good right now.
08:33That's improved throughout the season.
08:36I wasn't throwing it quite the way that I wanted to early in the year,
08:41and that's improved.
08:44Early in the year, I didn't throw a ton on the run.
08:50I wasn't doing all my different arm angles,
08:53and as my wrist has improved,
08:55I've been able to expand that part of my game.
08:57I think I'm working on it more than I ever have throughout practice,
09:00and so I think that's translating to on-field success in that department.
09:05Joe, Zach has already said to us a couple times this week
09:09that he feels like kind of the spectacle of Monday night football
09:14is a good opportunity for you guys to showcase what you're all about.
09:18At this stage in the season, at 4-8,
09:21does a Monday night game versus a 1 p.m. Sunday kickoff,
09:24does that move the meter for you guys at all?
09:26I always like playing on prime time.
09:28I like showcasing my abilities and hard work
09:33and putting that on display in front of the world.
09:37So it's always an exciting opportunity,
09:39and I think whether you like it or not,
09:46how you perform on prime time games matters
09:50as far as perception across the league.
09:53That's when people watch.
09:55That's when the most people pay attention.
09:59So you have to be consistent,
10:01but I think if you perform great on prime time nights,
10:04you start to get a little different reputation across the league.
10:08Do you feel like, or let me ask you like this,
10:11what impression would you want to give to the viewing audience
10:16for a national TV game at this stage?
10:18What do you guys hang your hats on at this point,
10:21and what of that would you want to convey to America?
10:25I want to win, but I want to be fun to watch.
10:27I always want to be fun to watch.
10:29I want people to see my command of the offense
10:33and accuracy and playmaking ability
10:37and everything that I bring to the table.
10:40But I want people to tune in to the Bengals
10:44and want to watch us, and I think people do.
10:51I take pride in the fact that we're exciting.
10:55I'm exciting to watch.
10:57That's something that I take pride in.
10:59Is there anybody that you said to yourself when you were a kid,
11:03or maybe even however, you want to make sure you watch,
11:06you want to turn on the TV, is there anybody that you want?
11:10I always wanted to watch Aaron Rodgers.
11:13I was always tuning in when he was playing.
11:18Tom Brady, obviously.
11:19Peyton Manning.
11:21I watched Drew Brees.
11:23Those caliber of players are usually
11:28the types of players that get the most primetime games,
11:31and so you're seeing them the most.
11:35It's just always nice to, we've had six now,
11:39and so that usually means that people want to watch you.
11:43That's usually a good thing.
11:45I guess this is kind of a two-part question.
11:47Bronk said on Julian Edelman's podcast
11:50that you sent him a text a couple of years ago
11:53about coming to play with you,
11:55and he came up to you at the White Party,
11:58and you were like, you didn't text me back.
12:00He ghosted me.
12:02He talked about that exchange.
12:06Looking back, I'm sure obviously you wish he answered your text,
12:11but do you view that as, I know you're involved to some degree,
12:15free agency, like we've heard the stories
12:17about you going to join the free agency dinners and things like that,
12:20but do you view that as an area of growth for you
12:23where you could see yourself being more involved in recruiting
12:27and personnel, getting guys to come play with you in Cincinnati?
12:35I think I've done a pretty good job of that so far.
12:37I think more so knowing the more experience that I have,
12:43the more I understand who fits into our system,
12:48who would work well with us,
12:52and less the recruiting part and more understanding the kind of guys
12:57that we want to go after in those departments.
13:00Off the bat, do you feel like Mike's been everything
13:04you thought he would be in that role?
13:06Yeah, yes.
13:07He's played really well for us this year, making a ton of plays,
13:10understands what we're trying to do in his role and within his route,
13:17so I'd love to have Mike back.
13:19What's Orlando made?
13:21Here's a guy, Orlando, he wanted to come here and you guys met.
13:25What has he meant since he's been here?
13:28You're going through a tough time now.
13:30Yeah, he's been as advertised, and he was having the best stretch
13:34of his career early this year, I would say.
13:37He was lights out, and then he's dealt with some injuries
13:41and was fighting through it last week,
13:43and he doesn't get enough credit for what he does in the locker room.
13:47He's a great leader.
13:49We're lucky to have him
13:51and hopefully get to play with him for a lot longer.
13:54Does it mean something when he plays on Sunday?
13:57Clearly he's not 100% but there he is.
14:00Yeah, you know he wants to be out there.
14:02He wants to be out there with the guys.
14:04He's going to do everything that he can to go out and play,
14:08and sometimes as a player you've got to take that decision out of their hands.
14:12I've been through that before,
14:14and the fact that he wanted to be out there and give it his all
14:19says everything in the world about him.
14:21Zach was talking about Jamar's work ethic, your work ethic, and Trey's as well,
14:25but he singled out Jamar.
14:27What is it about Jamar's work ethic that you see that maybe we don't
14:31that stands out about him?
14:33If we need to get around practice full speed, he's not.
14:41He might say, give me a play,
14:43but he's going to go full speed, 100% game rep,
14:49so we can bank that rep for the game.
14:53He's been that way since we were together at college.
14:57He wants to get that full speed game rep,
15:00and that's how you have to do it if you want to be great
15:03because if you run it like the game in practice,
15:06now when you get to the game, you've already had a rep in that situation,
15:09and I know how fast he's going to run,
15:12and I can put the ball where I need to and judge his speed
15:16because I've seen it so many times in practice
15:19that now once we get into the game, his full speed's not different,
15:23and I'm not underthrowing him.
15:26That's just him day in and day out, and not a lot of people are like that.
15:31Have you ever seen anybody accelerate after catching the ball like he does?
15:34No. No, he's great.
15:36You said Sunday after the Pittsburgh game, Joe,
15:38that the cornerstones will be remembered,
15:40how you handle this adversity this season.
15:43How do you hope the leaders like yourself
15:46handle this adversity you're facing right now as a team?
15:50That we kept fighting.
15:52I'm going to keep giving it everything that I have.
15:55There's still a lot to play for.
15:58The playoffs are probably out of reach,
16:01but personally, and I know everybody in the locker room feels the same way,
16:07these are valuable reps to go and prove yourself,
16:12prove how hard you've worked all offseason,
16:15prove that you can be a guy that can be counted on going forward.
16:22There's individual awards up for grabs.
16:25There's a lot of things that are still there to seize,
16:30and so I'm excited about those opportunities.
16:32Joe, a comeback player of the year, for you, meaningful?
16:36Very much so.
16:38I'm not sure there's ever been a two-time comeback player of the year.
16:41It's not exactly an award that people want to be up for,
16:45but I found myself in that position, and so that one would mean a lot to me.
16:51What do you think you would have said eight months ago?
16:55I'd say you'd be playing at this level if you're playing that way.
17:01I expect to.
17:03Whether you're coming back from injury or whether you're not,
17:06I always expect to play at the peak of my abilities
17:13and be productive and give ourselves a chance to win.
17:17I think I've done that.
17:24I didn't play as great as I wanted to early on,
17:27but that's kind of how it usually goes.
17:30I get better as the season goes,
17:32and I think I'm playing my best ball right now.
17:34What's the smartest thing you ever saw Jermiah do on the field?
17:46I just think his progression as a receiver this year,
17:51moving from being basically an outside receiver for his entire career
17:58to all the motions, all the pre-snap movement, putting him in the slot,
18:02putting him in different positions and running different routes,
18:06and that requires a nuance in the slot that he probably had never done before,
18:12and he really has excelled at it,
18:15continued to get better and better at reading the coverages,
18:18finding spots to sit down,
18:20and just watching his progression as a receiver this year has been impressive.
18:26You had said you didn't know how your wrist would react to the cold.
18:30Did you have any issues with that?
18:33No, it was great.
18:34Is there a difference you're having with him?
18:36No, I felt great.
18:38Would you take pride in Jermiah winning the Triple Crown?
18:40Hell yeah, absolutely.
18:43I think he's second in receptions now.
18:48He's like sixth or seventh.
18:49Yeah, he's tied for seventh.
18:51Yeah, so hopefully we can get him that.
18:54Joe, who are the cornerstones of this organization?
18:57In your mind right now, who are those people?
19:00I think we'll find out over the next five weeks.
19:03I don't think that I have an answer for you right now,
19:06but I think over the next five weeks we'll say a lot.
19:09Is that concerning that at this point in the season you don't know who they are?
19:14I think the NFL is a what have you done for me lately league,
19:18and it doesn't matter what you did last year.
19:23It matters what you're doing now.
19:26Some guys have played great.
19:28Others haven't.
19:31The guys that watch the tape every day upstairs know that better than I do
19:36outside of the offense, which is my realm.
19:41But I think the next five weeks will say a lot.
19:46What is it like for you with Hard Knocks being here
19:49and extra guys being dug, cameras behind closed doors in the meeting rooms?
19:54What is it like for you knowing that there is an extra level of access
19:57to the outside world right now?
19:59I'm just trying to ignore it as much as I can,
20:02and I'm not changing anything about how I act or my process
20:07or the things that I say.
20:09Trust the people that are watching the videos not to put things out
20:15that I wouldn't want out and put the things out that I do
20:20and hopefully make me look good.