Joe Burrow continues to thrive as he heads into his fifth NFL opener

“Absolutely. I think there’s room for that,” Burrow said. “I think I’m at my best when I’m in the shotgun position and I can see everything that’s going on and I’m distributing the ball.

“But it starts with running the ball. If we can run the ball really well, those tough plays, I’m turning my back on the defense, are going to be a lot more effective. If we’re not running the ball like I think we are, the underdogs aren’t going to respect the run, and then they’re just going to back off, and at that point the play is gone. So it just depends on how the defense plays us.”

One of the consistent features of training camp was Burrow’s praise for the Bengals’ running game, which has been revamped in that new quarterbacks Chase Brown and Zack Moss have styles that fit the shotgun, and they added two big-time right quarterbacks in the offseason: 10-year veteran Trent Brown and first-round pick Amarius Mims.

“Yeah,” Burrow said of the need to run the ball better. “I think we will. I really like how it’s been going this fall camp. I can’t wait to see what all the work we’ve put in comes out of this season.”

His five years as a Bengal also flew by off the field. Pitcher says of the Heisman Trophy winner, “Hey, he was famous when we got him.” But he has yet to appear in Vogue or on the cover of Men’s Health.

“I bet he loved it,” his father, Jimmy Burrow, said when told his highly private son had been asked about his fame.

Joe Burrow says that as he gets better on the field, he’s also getting better off it, dealing with the constant 24-hour clicking of the 2020s.

“It’s very interesting. It’s not normal life, but we’re adjusting to it,” said Joe Burrow, who doesn’t get out much in Cincinnati. “Not so much here. I could, but it’s a lot every time. So I pick and choose where I go. We’re adjusting to it. I’m getting better at it, but it’s definitely going to take some adjustments.”

Jimmy Burrow thinks Joe is warming up to the idea. He was recognized in Boston earlier this summer when he saw his grandmother inducted into the National High School Sports Hall of Fame. Dot Burrow was honored along with former Bengals linebacker Takeo Spikes, former Giants running back Tyrone Wheatley and Baseball Hall-of-Famer Joe Mauer.

It turns out that young Joe Burrow was a fan of Mauer’s from Minnesota when the Burrows lived in nearby Fargo.

“It was a good opportunity. The good thing was Joe had been with Joe Mauer in a few different places. That made him feel a little more comfortable,” Jimmy Burrow said. “I know he doesn’t go to many places without being recognized.

“I think he’s adjusted well. He’s become a little more comfortable with it, but I don’t know if he’ll ever say, ‘Hey, it’s amazing to be this famous.’ It’s basically part of his job to deal with it in a respectful way. I don’t think it’s ever going to be something he’s going to like and want people to recognize.”

His father says he and his mother miss the days when they could go out for dinner.

“Now he says, ‘Can you just pick it up?’ and that’s fine,” Jimmy said.

Just like everything else. Burrow is working on it.

“At first, I always said yes,” Burrow says. “But I’m getting better at saying no in a polite and respectful way when I just want to be left alone. But sometimes I have time for all that and sometimes I don’t, and when I don’t, I’ve gotten better at setting boundaries, and people have mostly respected that.”

Burrow’s development continues, even as his fifth year suddenly arrives on Sunday. It turns out there’s no time like the present.

“I’m going to approach the first game the way I always do, I’m going to lean on the guys and I’m going to go out and make plays if I have to,” Burrow said of the near future. “That’s how I’m going to approach every game. I’m going to play offense. I’m going to see how the game goes and if I need to do something more, I’m going to try to do it.”