Ben BabyESPN Staff Writer4 Minute Reading
Joe Burrow uses Aaron Rodgers as a resource on calf injuries
Joe Burrow talks about how Aaron Rodgers has been a resource for him in dealing with his calf issue.
Calf injuries.
On Tuesday, Rodgers revealed on “The Pat McAfee Show” that he reached out to Burrow after the Bengals quarterback played with a right calf injury in the team’s 19-16 win over the Los Angeles Rams.
Burrow said the two connected last week because he wanted to use Rodgers as a resource given his own injury history.
“He’s dealt with calf issues his whole career and wanted to use him as a resource and get his thoughts, what he can do,” said Burrow, who added that he took into account what Rodgers said. “He’s been through it, done that. And he’s good about it.”
Cincinnati held a walk-through Wednesday after its game against the Rams on “Monday Night Football.” Burrow, who aggravated a preexisting calf injury during Week 2’s loss to the Baltimore Ravens, was cleared by a game-morning workout that gave him and the team confidence he could play in the bullpen. That night, Burrow threw 49 passes and helped the Bengals get their first win of the season.
In his interview with McAfee, Rodgers praised Burrow’s toughness and described the difficulty of playing through the calf injury.
“For him to struggle with it, I don’t think people realize how much pain and limited his mobility is,” Rodgers said. “But for him to pull it off last night and make enough plays to win, like I texted him, that’s what great competitors do.
Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan said Burrow was candid about his feelings and what he was comfortable doing in the prime-time game against the Rams. But even at the beginning, the coaching staff wasn’t sure what Burrow would look like. Burrow had key plays in the second half as Cincinnati overcame a slow start to pull out the win.
Callahan said the offense should get better as the season goes on, even with Burrow dealing with a calf injury. But Cincinnati’s fifth-year coordinator acknowledged it will have an impact on how the offense operates.
“There is one minor limitation that we have to work on, and that’s all for the foreseeable future,” Callahan said Wednesday.
When it comes to his mechanics, Burrow said building speed without putting pressure on his right calf is something he thinks about. He initially took time to throw right after he suffered the injury in late July so he didn’t mess up his mechanics.
The pain Burrow felt Tuesday was not as bad as Wednesday, when he said he felt better. If the team holds a full practice, Burrow will likely be a full participant, according to the team’s injury report.
The quarterback’s practice workload will be monitored on a day-to-day basis as the team prepares for Sunday’s game against the Tennessee Titans (1-2), coach Zac Taylor said Wednesday.
With a smile, Burrow declined to take any specific advice Rodgers gave when it came to playing with an injured calf. But the Cincinnati star was all ears.
“[I’m] continue to use that as a resource,” Burrow said of Rodgers. He’s a great guy. Anytime you have a guy like that willing to help, you use it.”