Emergence of another in a line of explosive wide receivers for the Bengals

When one of the most productive wide receivers in Bengals history appeared on the field at Paycor Stadium before last month's Ring of Honor game, TJ Houshmandzadeh made sure to put his arm around Jermaine Burton and whisper inspiration in his ear.

Houshmandzadeh, who coached Alabama native Burton during this year's draft process, reminded him how good he is and how important the little things were to him while he caught 507 balls for the Bengals.

At the start of the weekend, Houshmandzadeh mused: “Great boy. I love him. I tell him, 'If you don't play, you're the reason.'

Fast forward to the next game on Sunday at Paycor Stadium (1 p.m. – Cincinnati's Fox 19) against the Raiders, and Burton is the reason Bengals coaches are talking about giving him more work after last Sunday against the Eagles, he played his team's career-high 24 snaps. One less than he had all season.

“No missed plays,” wide receivers coach Troy Walters said after practice Wednesday. “No mental mistakes.”

There is no doubt about Burton's talent. It's hard to remember a Bengals receiver who made such an impact with his first few snaps.

Even the three-time Pro Bowler ahead of him, Ja'Marr Chase, lost two yards on his first catch. Even Ring of Honor member Isaac Curtis, Lord of the Long Ball, had 46 yards on four catches in his first game.

After Burton made his first NFL catch down the left sideline for 47 yards in Kansas City, it took six weeks for him to make his next catch down the right sideline on a fake 41-yard go-ball last Sunday at Paycor .

According to Elias, Burton is the first player to reach 40 yards on his first two NFL catches since the Rams' TuTu Atwell did so two years ago, but Atwell had already been in the league for a year.

And then back to Burton's first catches of 37 and 38 yards in the preseason. The boy is a walking explosive.

“Since he’s been here, he’s made plays when the ball comes his way,” Walters said. “The reason I didn’t play was because of the details and all that. But a lot of that was because of the guys in front of him. Andrei (Iosivas) plays well. Tee (Higgins) and Chase, and he understands. I always told him to be ready.” He was a little frustrated because he wasn't playing. I always told him that the time will come and you have to be ready to make plays and he made a play in the last game.

With Higgins (quad) missing Wednesday's practice after not playing Sunday and a Thursday night game in Baltimore next week, Burton could get even more work against a stingy seventh-ranked Raiders secondary against the pass.

The biggest support comes from Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow. Not just because he targeted him three times last Sunday and once in the end zone on third down, but also because he pulls Burton aside in the locker room.

“He does the little things within the way to open up, like a vet does. You don’t have to teach him to break up,” Burrow said Wednesday. “He knows how to do it. You just have to teach them how to do it within the structure of the offense.”

“And that’s the process every rookie goes through. He is smart enough and willing to learn that he will reach this point. He's going to be a really good player. I’m excited to be a part of it.”

Walters, a fifth-round pick in the first draft of the century, remained where he was supposed to be for quarterbacks like Daunte Culpepper, Peyton Manning and Kurt Warner for eight years and 139 catches. These details that Burton improved kept Walters in the league.

“The receiver has to know what the quarterback expects on each route. It’s just a matter of consistency, both from a preparation standpoint and a training standpoint,” Walters said. “As a receiver, you always want to reassure the quarterback that you know what to do, where to line up and that you know the route. He’s getting better every day.”

Or as offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher puts it: It's not just about being on the same page, it's about writing on the same page.

“I need you here and here’s why. What's the look in your eyes when I tell you that? Do you understand me?” said Pitcher, the old quarterback and quarterbacks coach. “Are you just taking a little and I’m not entirely sure you understand me?” Do you just look at me with a blank stare…”

“That happens in any relationship between two teammates, but when it happens between a quarterback and a young receiver, how quickly that guy can contribute is critical. As an experienced leader who falls within the landscape of Joe's responsibility to help Jermaine get that done. “I think Joe has done that well and I think that will continue.

Here are the two plays from the Eagles game that thrilled Walters. Both were routes against cornerback Darius Slay, who may not be a burner at age 33 but is playing in his 170s^Th Game, how many newbies has Slay defeated with pure cunning?

First, Burton got behind him with a go ball for 41 yards. Who doesn't Burton hit with a go ball? Perhaps an even bigger route was run in the red zone, where Burton took a step from Slay in the end zone toward the right pylon. In the end, Slay Burton denied his first NFL touchdown pass when an experienced hand came into play at the last moment.