National Football League
Today, We Are All Joes
Joe Cool sets the bar high
I know what it means to be a Joe. While I’ve always gone by my middle name, having Joe as one of my three names has always been very important to me. Joes are solid, standup guys who know how to problem solve. They’re lateral thinkers who can get you out of a bind and point you in a better direction. And they have a way of instilling confidence that something really good is about to happen.
Since Joe Burrow transferred from Ohio State to LSU and promptly won a National Championship, us Joes have had a new hero. Burrow reminds us that Joes can be uber-cool athletic leaders who know how to bounce back from their ninth sack of the game and drive their team down the field without breaking a sweat.
In winning the AFC Championship yesterday and taking the long-suffering Cincinnati Bengals to their first Super Bowl since 1988, Burrow, like his predecessors Montana and Namath, has etched his name in the Joe Hall of Fame.
Seemingly undaunted by major knee reconstruction, 18-point deficits, or the loudest, most hostile crowd in the NFL, Burrow was also unfazed by the skeptics who loudly questioned whether he could beat the great Patrick Mahomes. Turns out he could, and did.
Burrow led his team to this win while eschewing the underdog, why-not-us narrative that is so tempting with a team like this. Instead he chose to focus his energy on the players around him, repeatedly expressing his confidence that they could perform at the sport’s highest level.
It’s funny what happens when somebody sets the highest of expectations and then shares his utmost confidence in you to meet them: you tend to actually do so. This, sports fans, is the takeaway.
Joes are self-confident and comfortable in their own skin. If they want to wear tinted, rectangular glasses that remind some people of that pair your grandma wore back in the 70’s, they really couldn’t care less what you think. It’s about what makes them feel cool, not what you think fits the bill.
It’s this self confidence that gets you a nickname like Joey Franchise, and it’s also what makes those who are around Burrow better. Nobody except for Boomer Esiason gave this team a chance. They had an inferior offensive line and not enough dogs on defense. Good thing nobody told Burrow that.
Today, we are all Joes. Whether you are a Bengals fan or not, we are all walking a little taller and with just a bit more swagger. We’re a little more confident in wearing that one hat that our friends make fun of. For Joe Burrow has set the bar incredibly high and he expects us all to jump over it together. I say we go for it.
