Bengals: Ken Anderson knows just how to get Joe Burrow off to a fast start

Legendary Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Ken Anderson knows just how to ensure Joe Burrow hits the ground running to begin his career.

As the Cincinnati Bengals continue preparation for their week one opponent, the Los Angeles Chargers, the football world collectively holds their breath in anticipation for Joe Burrow’s opening snaps of his professional career. The hype has been raging all offseason, but now the moment of truth is finally on the horizon.

The orange and black faithful can rest assured that the coaching staff has been working diligently to ensure that their rookie signal-caller is comfortable and capable. How Zac Taylor and Co. will go about getting Burrow into a rhythm quickly remains to be seen. However, if you ask Bengals’ legendary quarterback Ken Anderson, he knows exactly how he would handle the gameplan if he were calling the shots.

In a tweet sent out on Monday, the deserving Hall of Fame candidate emphasized the importance of sticking to the run game, even if it doesn’t work right away in the opening drives. Anderson goes on to explain that if they remain committed to their rushing attack, it will open up the playbook for play-action, ultimately leading to bigger windows for Burrow to throw into.

Ken Anderson’s advice led to better results in 2019

The Bengals were guilty of doing exactly what Ken Anderson warns against in the opening half of the 2019 campaign. Often times, the run game got off to a slow start and was largely abandoned.

The coaching staff opted to change that in the final 8 game stretch, however. Joe Mixon saw his average rushing attempts go from roughly 13 per game to a whopping 22. This resulted in Cincinnati’s two lone wins of the season and an overall better performance from the entire team.

It’s clear the club found their footing in the ground game and they would be wise to continue to use last year’s discovered formula. It’s been well documented that a star running back can be a young quarterback’s best friend, and that’s almost assuredly going to be the case this year for the Bengals.

If the Bengals lean on the freshly extended Joe Mixon, Burrow should have a much easier time adjusting to the NFL and will be able to utilize the many other weapons the team has surrounding him.