For a guy who spent a lot of time around Cajun cooking in Louisiana, it does not sound like Joe Burrow has a firm grasp on seafood.
In his first game back since turf toe surgery, Burrow led the Cincinnati Bengals to a 32-14 Thanksgiving win over the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. Burrow was 24-of-46 passing for 261 yards, two touchdowns, and zero interceptions as he helped the Bengals snap a four-game losing streak.
After the game, he and his fellow teammates gathered for a customary on-field Thanksgiving meal along with NBC sideline reporter Melissa Stark. This being Maryland, the traditional Thanksgiving spread was integrated with crabs and other local seafood. As one of Burrow’s teammates was being interviewed, he looked quizzically at one of the crabs on the table, picking it up and smelling it as he attempted to identify what he was looking at. Then, as Melissa Stark was presenting him with the game ball, he turned towards her and asked, “What is this?”
“That’s a Maryland crab,” responded Stark. “Joe is asking what the crab is. I’m from Maryland, so…,” adding that “it’s hard shell, you don’t bite it. You have to pull the legs off.”
Stark then pointed at some Cincinnati chili on the table to bring Burrow back to the familiar.
We appreciate Stark’s keen Maryland food knowledge for saving the day, but at the same time, we took it for granted that an able-bodied adult like Burrow would be able to identify a crab by sight. We stand corrected.
It wasn’t Burrow’s only viral food-related moment of the evening, as he later admitted he didn’t want anything to do with the turkey on that table because of its unknown provenance and preparation. And honestly, fair enough. That also makes us think that Joe was more concerned with how the crab was prepared than just what it was.
If Omaha Productions isn’t currently on the phone with Burrow’s agent to do a web series in which the Bengals QB tries “strange and unidentifiable” foods after every road game, like king salmon in Seattle or clam chowder in Boston, we give up.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.