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The Bengals failed Joe Burrow, and the NFL is worse for it
In an era of quarterback preservation, the NFL was supposed to be past the type of injury that Bengals rookie quarterback Joe Burrow suffered on Sunday.
sports.yahoo.com
n this new era of elite quarterback preservation, we were supposed to be beyond this.
We were supposed to be through with the days of the injury cart ferrying off the most prized franchise commodity, often to the disgust of every competitor on the field. Rule changes were made for this. Offensive philosophies were augmented. Equipment was enhanced. All in the name of extending the longevity of special talents — in the hopes that guys like Patrick Mahomes, Kyler Murray and Deshaun Watson can all play into their 40s.
But as the Cincinnati Bengals have taught us this season, the NFL can go only so far to protect the best parts of the league’s product. The NFL can penalize defenseless hits, dirty shots and earhole-slapping concussions — but it can’t force franchises to build the right way around a quarterback. It can’t dictate scheme tweaks that are meant to preserve the future. And it sure as hell can’t fix bad management.
Any future QB drafted by the Bengals should refuse to play for them.