Cris Collinsworth spoke with Joe Burrow during the offseason, and after hearing about his surgery and recovery from a torn ACL and MCL, the NBC TV analyst and former Bengal had to fight the urge to convince Burrow to take another year off.
“I had him on a show during the offseason, and I basically almost tried to talk him out of coming back this year,” Collinsworth told Boomer and Gio on Monday morning. “It was a major procedure on that knee.”
Burrow’s injury required reconstructive surgery after what had been a promising start to his NFL career, but an 8-9 month recovery timetable lay before him after the major surgery. But Burrow did come back in 2021, and now, the Bengals are getting ready for the Super Bowl, after their star quarterback managed to stay healthy all season, most recently taking down arguably the most talented quarterback in the league in Patrick Mahomes with a win over the Chiefs in the AFC title game.
For Collinsworth, Boomer’s former teammate, he still can’t believe how Burrow not only came back to play at this level so soon, but sustained it through the entire season.
“Part of the preparation getting ready for the Super Bowl, I watched all of their games,” Collinsworth said of Burrow and the Bengals. “When you look at the tape and look behind the quarterback, and look at the rush and see what he has to do to get away, this guy has some angels guarding him or something. There were times where people were running at him completely unblocked or had him in the grass…where you go ‘there is no way he’s getting out of this one.’ And then he does.”
Collinsworth believes that escapability and pass protection for Burrow will be the deciding factor in Sunday’s Big Game, as the Rams boast an elite defensive front that could expose the Bengals’ offensive line.
“Every time I put on the tape, I watch the Bengals offense and go ‘This might be the new Kansas City Chiefs. This might be the new group of unstoppable young players that are gonna blow the league away,’” Collinsworth said. “And then you turn on that [Rams] pass rush and go ‘how are these guys gonna be blocked?’”
Follow WFAN's morning team on Twitter: @7BOOMERESIASON, @GioWFAN, @Alsboringtweets, @JerryRecco, and @WFANMornings
Follow WFAN on Social Media
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitch