Much has been said about the decision to let Joe Burrow start for the Cincinnati Bengals in the team’s preseason finale against the Miami Dolphins.
Many of those thoughts have centered on the idea of Burrow taking a hit in a meaningless game — and Burrow himself says he wants to take a hit.
But besides just getting a feel for live action, there’s actually a critical reason for the coaching staff to get him out there for a series or two — to make sure everything runs smoothly.
Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com elaborated:
“Also, Taylor wants to make sure he’s in sync on the headset with Burrow and on the phones with his two new assistants, offensive line coach/run game coordinator Frank Pollack and running back Justin Hill. Cincinnati’s newest parlor game until Sunday is going to be guessing what plays Taylor calls.”
Rest assured the play-calls will be quick-hitters, if not only handoffs as the Bengals don’t want to unnecessarily risk Burrow.
But what’s going on in the background with communications and new coaches is an important detail to keep in mind — it’s not exactly something a team wants to work out in Week 1 when the games matter.
