Joe Burrow continues to grow and has his sights set on his fifth NFL opening game

“Absolutely. I think there's a place for it,” Burrow said. “I think I'm at my best when I'm in shotgun mode and can see everything that's happening and distribute the football.”

“But it starts with running the football. If we can run the ball really well, then those tough plays where I turn my back to the defense are going to be a lot more effective. If we don't run the ball the way I think we're going to, then the D-ends aren't really going to respect the run, and then they're just going to go for it, and at that point the play is kind of null and void. So it kind of just depends on how the defense plays against us.”

One of the constants of training camp was Burrow's praise for the Bengals' running game. It has been revamped in the sense that new running backs Chase Brown and Zack Moss have a style that suits the shotgun. They also signed two massive right tackles during the offseason in 10-year veteran Trent Brown and first-round pick Amarius Mims.

“Yeah,” Burrow said of the need to run the ball better. “I think we will. I really like how that's looked this fall camp. I'm excited to see what all the work we've put in brings early this season.”

His five years as a Bengals have also made waves off the field. Pitcher says of the Heisman Trophy winner: “Hey, he was famous when we got him.” But he's never been featured in a Vogue spread or on the cover of Men's Health.

“I bet he liked it,” says his father, Jimmy Burrow, when told that his very reserved son was asked about his fame.

While Joe Burrow is getting better on the field, he says he's also getting better off the field as he deals with 2020s fame 24/7.

“It's very interesting. It's not a normal life, but we adapt to it,” said Joe Burrow, who doesn't go out much in Cincinnati. “Not around here, actually. I could, but it's too much every time. So I pick my spots when I do it. We adapt to it. I'm getting better at living like this, but it definitely takes some adjusting.”

Jimmy Burrow thinks Joe is warming up to the idea. Earlier this summer, he was honored in Boston when he witnessed his grandmother being inducted into the National High School Sports Hall of Fame. Dot Burrow was inducted along with former Bengals linebacker Takeo Spikes, former Giants running back Tyrone Wheatley and Baseball Hall of Famer Joe Mauer.

It turns out that young Joe Burrow was a fan of Minnesota's wall when the Burrows lived in nearby Fargo.

“It was a pretty good deal. The good thing was that Joe was around Joe Mauer in a few different situations. That made him a little more relaxed,” said Jimmy Burrow. “I know he doesn't go to many places without being recognized.”

“I think he's adjusted well. He's a little more comfortable with it, but I don't think he'll ever say, 'Hey, it's great to be so famous.' Basically, it's part of his job to be respectful of it. I don't think it'll ever be something he enjoys and looks forward to people acknowledging him.”

His father says he and his mother miss the days when they could go out to eat.

“Now he says, 'Can you just pick it up?' and that's fine,” Jimmy said.

Just like everything else. Burrow is working on it.

“In the beginning, I always said yes,” says Burrow. “But I'm getting better at saying 'no' politely and respectfully when I just want to be left alone. But sometimes I have time for all that comes with it, and sometimes I don't. And when I don't, I'm getting better at setting boundaries, and for the most part, people respect that.”

Burrow's development continues, even though Sunday suddenly marks the start of his fifth year. It turns out there's no better time than the present.

“I'm going to approach the first game like I always do and rely on the guys and go out there and make plays when I need to,” Burrow said of the near future. “That's how I'm going to approach every game. I'm going to play offense. I'm going to see how the game goes and then if something else is needed, I'm going to try to do it.”