Super Bowl LVI Notes: Joe Burrow, Bengals, Rams, Aaron Donald

Burrow’s confidence has been on display as one of his super powers in a breakout season and run to the Super Bowl, and Dr. ElAttrache said it factored into his strong rehab as well. 

“Confidence comes into play,” he said. “Because someone’s willingness to jam on that leg and really stick their foot in the turf — it takes a mindset.”

“It’s night and day from the first half of the season,” Burrow said this week. “I’m starting to finally feel like myself and able to pull out of some of those tackles when defensive players have me wrapped up in the pocket, and I’m starting to be able to get out of those situations and make some plays.”

Bengals

Bengals WR coach Troy Walters spoke about the growth that he has seen from WR Ja’Marr Chase during his first year in the NFL. He also added that while Cincinnati has three receivers capable of 1,000 yards, he doesn’t anticipate any issues around sharing the ball. 

“He’s a rare type of guy where success really doesn’t change him. He’s been the same person, even in the preseason when he had all those drops. He hadn’t changed,” Walters said, via Bengals.com. “So he doesn’t change whether things are going well or things aren’t going well. . . . Very humble. Very even keel. Tremendous worker. . . . He doesn’t get too high, doesn’t get too low. If he messes up, he’s hard on himself. . . . He wants to correct it. I don’t ever see him getting that big head, becoming a diva. I’m going to stay with him. I let those guys know, even after his 200-yard performance, I let them know the next day that was the past. It’s all about what have you done for me lately. He gets it and he puts the work in.”

Aaron Donald

Rodney Harrison said on the pregame show that Rams DT Aaron Donald told him that he will consider retiring from the NFL if they win the Super Bowl.

“He’s big on legacy,” Harrison said, via Pro Football Talk. “He doesn’t want to be known as a defender that accomplished so many individual things and never won a Super Bowl. But he also told me this: If he wins a Super Bowl, there’s a strong possibility he could walk away from the game and retire.”

Rams

• ESPN’s Adam Schefter notes the Rams are interested in hiring Kentucky OC Liam Coen to potentially replace OC Kevin O’Connell when he leaves to take the Vikings head coaching job. Coen has already worked for the Rams under HC Sean McVay as a QB coach. 
• Schefter adds Raiders OC Greg Olson is also likely to join the Rams’ offensive coaching staff. He was the QB coach in Los Angeles in 2017. 
• Along with Olson and Coen, Rams RB coach Thomas Brown is a potential internal candidate to be promoted to offensive coordinator, per Schefter. It’s also worth mentioning that with McVay calling plays, he left the offensive coordinator role vacant on the staff in past seasons before hiring O’Connell in 2020. 
• Former Rams WR DeSean Jackson is set to earn the same amount as Rams WR Cooper Kupp for a Super Bowl win ($150,000) or a loss ($75,000) due to the fact that he played eight games with the team this season. (Joel Corry)