Alright, let’s talk about the whole Joe Burrow situation I wrestled with recently. Sitting there, looking at my lineup, the big question popped up: should I actually start the guy?
First thing I did, like always, was check the basics. Is he healthy? Pulled up the injury reports, scrolled through the news feeds. Saw he was practicing, didn’t seem like there were any major issues holding him back this week. Okay, step one, check. He’s good to go physically, seemed like it anyway.
Looking at the Game
Next, who are they even playing? Had to figure out the matchup. Looked it up – okay, they were facing the Steelers defense. Now, the Steelers… sometimes they’re tough, sometimes they give up points. Especially thinking about their pass rush. Could Burrow handle that pressure? How have they been against quarterbacks lately? I spent some time digging into that, looking at how other QBs performed against them in recent weeks. It wasn’t exactly a guaranteed cakewalk, that much was clear.
How’s Burrow Been Doing?
Then, I had to be real about Burrow himself. Forget the hype, forget the name value for a second. How has he actually looked on the field the past few games? I went back and looked at his numbers, his points output. Let’s just say it wasn’t exactly setting the world on fire consistently. A good game here, a kinda ‘meh’ game there. Consistency wasn’t really his strong suit lately, and that worried me a bit, especially with that Steelers defense potentially breathing down his neck.
What Else Did I Have?
Couldn’t make the call without seeing who else was on my bench. I had Derek Carr sitting there. So, I did the same thing for Carr:
- Checked his health: He was fine.
- Checked his matchup: He was playing the Panthers, which looked a whole lot friendlier on paper than the Steelers.
- Checked his recent performance: Carr had been pretty steady, not spectacular, but solid enough.
Making the Call
So, I laid it all out. Burrow: huge talent, big name, but recent performance was shaky and the matchup looked tough. Carr: less exciting maybe, but steady recently and facing a much easier defense. My gut kept screaming about Burrow’s potential, but my head looked at the facts for this specific week. The risk with Burrow felt too high compared to the safer floor Carr seemed to offer.
In the end, I decided to sit Burrow. Yeah, it felt a bit wrong benching a guy like that, but based on my process – the matchup, the recent play – Carr felt like the smarter play for this one game. You gotta try and take the emotion out of it sometimes and just look at what’s in front of you.
How did it turn out? Well, that’s another story for another day, right? Sometimes you nail it, sometimes you don’t. But going through the steps, doing the homework, that’s how I got to my decision. Stick to your process, that’s the main thing I try to do.
