Refs Want To Keep Joe Burrow Around, Remind Rookie To Work On His Slide

During Sunday's game against the Jags, Joe Burrow ran into some cool refs who didn't want to see him get knocked out of a game after taking a punishing shot, especially on a slide. The message from the refs, according to NFL Films footage, is to perfect his slide and use it.

"You've been doing good, but remember if you're going down, just go down," seventh-year NFL referee Alex Kemp told Burrow. "We'd like to keep you around for a while," Kemp added.

Burrow was especially hit hard in the Week 3 game against the Eagles, leading to Cincinnati offensive coordinator Brian Callahan to say that Burrow has to use his head about when to take a shot and when not to.

"You don't want your quarterback to get hit as much as he has," Callahan said after the Eagles game. "Some of those are on protection, just pure pass protection. Some of those are on him and the style of his play. The play is never over for him. He does everything he can to keep it alive."

As you can see in the NFL Films video from this Sunday's 33-25 win, the Bengals rookie quarterback got the message Callahan was trying to send. The slide is a work in progress, but getting blown up isn't smart for the Joey B brand.