After the international NFL games were announced recently, Cincinnati Bengals players and fans found out their wish had come true: The Bengals were traveling to Atlanta to play the Falcons in Madrid, as it’s being considered an away game for Cincinnati.
Following the schedule release, NFL analyst Peter Schrager, formerly with Good Morning Football and now with Fox Sports and the podcast “The Schrager Hour,” talked about what it really means for the Bengals being chosen.
It was pretty much summed up with two words, one name: Joe Burrow.
Schrager puts a big emphasis on the fact that Burrow is a big fan of his extracurricular activities away from the game of football, such as fashion shows, the MET Gala, different superstar parties, etc. He describes Burrow as an international superstar.
He believes Madrid is a major opportunity for the NFL to expand its brand, and Burrow, alongside Chase, is the perfect example to do so.
Schrager makes a good point about some people thinking Burrow’s hobbies get in the way of him doing his full-time job, but there’s an argument there since Burrow is currently with the team participating in team workouts. This is also a good sign for him to be with the new guys (rookies and new additions) to illustrate how much this team means to him and how intensely he wants to win.
After a couple of years pleading indirectly to the NFL, it’s safe to say Burrow was happy when he heard the news break.
Hopefully, the decision keeps the fire lit under them to have a strong camp, carry that fire into the season, and capitalize on a major offseason.