Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt is undeniably one of the league’s best edge defenders. But he also presents a distinctive challenge to quarterbacks when it comes to the pass game.
Entering his eighth season, Watt has seven career interceptions — two of which have come off of Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow. In an interview with the Pardon My Take podcast, Burrow noted what makes Watt so difficult to play against.
“Yeah, I can definitely feel [him],” Burrow said. “T.J. is a unique player in this league. There’s no other defensive lineman that I have to treat like a DB. I have to be conscious about where he’s at because he’s just going to jump up and catch it. And there’s nobody else who can do that.
“You have to be alert for him in the pass game, which is very unique, I would say.”
Watt finished second in AP defensive player of the year voting in 2023 after registering 19.0 sacks, 19 tackles for loss, 36 quarterback hits, eight passes defensed, and one interception. The 2017 first-round pick has 12.0 sacks, seven passes defensed, and two picks off of Bengals quarterbacks in his career.
Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has spent more time in front of a piano than under center since hurting his wrist during the 2023 season and he thinks his time out of the spotlight has had an impact on how he’s viewed in the NFL.
During an appearance on Pardon My Take, Burrow was asked about how he stacks up with other top quarterbacks in the league. Burrow said “time will tell” before the discussion moved into whether people have forgotten how good he is because of how much time he missed last year.
Burrow agreed with that assessment and said that he’s planning to offer a strong reminder about what he can do come the fall.
“I believe that,” Burrow said. “That’s what happens when you get hurt, though. You don’t play football, people forget about you. . . . If you’re not out there and people aren’t watching you, then there’s nothing to talk about. I’m going to give people something to talk about this year. I’m excited about it.”
Injuries have been the only thing to really slow Burrow down since he entered the NFL, which is why he’s prioritizing availability heading into the 2024 season.
Who dey say dey gonna buy dem TVs?
As a renovation commences at Paycor Stadium, home of the Cincinnati Bengals, the powers-that-be in Hamilton County have powered down a bunch of televisions. And they’re selling them.
Via WCPO.com, 200 monitors have been sold and another 150 will be available later this week.
The televisions are being sold at a steep discount, with prices ranging from $30 to $60.
The highest price can get a screen from 56 to 85 inches.
It begins on July 13 at 8:00 a.m. ET. It’s happening at Gate D of Paycor Stadium.
The sale is cash only, with no remotes but free mounting brackets. Also, only one TV may be purchased per customer with no returns.
Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow’s 2023 season ended in November with an injured wrist, and he has found a novel way to work on making that wrist healthier: Playing the piano.
Burrow says he took up piano this offseason and discovered that it is making his wrist healthier.
“I’m learning the piano right now, hopefully I can get pretty good at that by next offseason. I guess it’ll be pretty tough during the season, but it’s helped my rehab too for my wrist, so that’s something I want to get good at,” Burrow told Complex.com.
Burrow said playing the piano had long been an interest of his, but the injury was what pushed him to do something that would be fun while also forcing him to make sure he had his mobility back in his hand and wrist.
“I’ve always wanted to learn how to play, but this was an opportune time to work on my hand and wrist dexterity while also learning that. So it was kind of the perfect storm,” Burrow said.
Burrow says his main focus for 2024 is being healthy enough to play every game. Getting better at the piano is a secondary goal.
Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow’s 2023 season was a tale of two injuries.
Burrow hurt his calf during training camp and dealt with the fallout from that issue throughout the early weeks of the season. Burrow didn’t miss any time due to that injury and eventually led the Bengals on a four-game winning streak, but any hope of a return to the playoffs went up in smoke when Burrow suffered a season-ending torn ligament in his right wrist.
Rehab went well enough for Burrow to get on the field during the team’s offseason program and making sure that he doesn’t have to miss any more time has been his top priority heading into the 2024 season.
“Well, number one, I want to be on the field for all the games,” Burrow said, via Ben Felderstein of Complex.com. “I know I’m going to play well when I’m out there. I’m at that point in my career where I’ve seen enough ball and I know myself that I can go out there and play as well as anybody in the game. The biggest strides this year are going to be my body and learning how to get through the season, get through practices with my body, feeling tip, top shape. And so that’s the main focus for the offseason.”
The Bengals won the AFC North and made back-to-back AFC title games with a healthy Burrow running the offense in 2021 and 2022. A return to that kind of health and production would be a welcome development in Cincinnati this year.
