There are a countless in-game moments that could be pointed to as a clear demonstration of Joe Burrow's football brilliance, but that wasn't what stood out most to one of his former coaches.
That moment came early one Saturday morning on the practice field, when there was no game -- or even an official practice -- to be played, said Steve Ensminger this week on SportsTalk with Bobby Hebert, Kristian Garic and Mike Detillier.
Listen to the full interview with Steve Ensminger in the player below. Can't see the embed? Click here.
The moment came during the offseason, after Burrow had spent a Thursday breaking down the offense. He told his teammates: " ‘look, I’m coming up here Saturday morning, 11 o’clock, and I’m throwing,’ " Ensminger recalled.
There was no mandate to be there. No one was specifically invited. It didn't matter.
"I showed up Saturday morning, sit in my office and look out the window. Our whole offense is there. I mean, our offensive line was there doing drills," Ensminger recalled. "I was like, ‘yea, this guy’s special.’ "
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Ensminger, who was the Tigers' offensive coordinator during that title march in 2019, knew then and there that Burrow was built a bit different. The team clearly saw that as well. But if he had to pick a moment in a game, it would be the same as many others: The third-and-18 touchdown to Justin Jefferson that sealed a shootout win over Texas early on in that magical 2019 season.
It was 3rd-and-17 with the Tigers leading 37-31 in a game that felt like the last team with the ball was going to win. In most cases you'd run a draw and play it safe, but not this game. Ensminger and then-head coach Ed Orgeron spoke before the play and knew they'd need points to put this one away. So they went back to a play that had worked several times already, and Burrow pulled out the magic with a 61-yard touchdown to Justin Jefferson.
"I remember watching film with Joe on that Sunday," Ensminger said, "and I was like 'that's a hell of a throw.' And he said, 'I'll be honest, coach, that's the best throw I've ever made in my life.' "
It's likely that best throw of his life could've changed since that point, and Burrow will hope he has more magic in that right arm when he takes the field with the Bengals against the Rams in Super Bowl 56 this weekend.
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