Building Joe Burrow: Get to Know Dak Notestine, the Man Who Trains Bengals' Star

Joe Burrow has rebounded after being limited by a calf injury earlier this season.

When the Bengals started the season 1-3, criticism of the highest paid player in the league started pouring in and fantasy owners asked if they should drop Joe Burrow from their teams. After the last three games, fantasy team owners who dropped Burrow missed the boat.

That slow start seems like a distant memory, just over a month after Cincinnati's ugly loss to the Titans. 

Burrow was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week after he completed a career-high 87.5% of his passes for 283 yards and three touchdowns in a 31-17 win over the 49ers. 

“Anybody can do anything they want if they’re willing to work for it,” Burrow said on Wednesday. “Nothing is going to be handed to you but as long as you put in the work to get somewhere, you’re going to get there eventually as long as you don’t quit."

Burrow gave a significant amount of credit to his personal trainer Dak Notestine.

“Dak is instrumental in my success,” Burrow said. “I’ve been working with him since I was really 14, 15. He played for my dad. So, he knows my body, knows how I like to work. We have the same mentality so he gets me right every offseason, and I wouldn't be able to do what I'm doing without him.”

Burrow’s 134.8 passer rating was better than every other quarterback in the AFC, and he did it against a San Francisco 49ers team who’s defensive grade ranks first in the NFL according to Pro Football Focus.

“I was happy to see him showcase the ability that he has and some of that is intangible,” Notestine of Black Sheep Performance said. “I’m not going to sit here and say that’s all from what we do but we definitely try to put him in situations that are going to be similar to where he’ll find himself on the field and quick reaction and getting the most out of each and every step that he can. It was good to see him go out there and showcase it as well as show a little fire because you know sometimes he’s always so straight laced and it's hard to get a read on him so it definitely fired me up.”

Notestine has worked with Burrow for over a decade. He's been around for all of the highs and lows that come with being an NFL star. 

Burrow has had to overcome at least one major setback in all four years of his NFL career from dealing with the COVID year as a rookie, to rehabbing from an ACL injury, recovering from an appendectomy last summer to a calf injury that kept him sidelined for the entire preseason. The calf injury Burrow suffered on July 27 set him back, but he didn't miss a game with the injury.

“That’s just how he was raised, both of his parents are phenomenal people, his brothers I definitely think probably gave him a little pressure to perform but Joe’s tough,” Notestine said. “Nobody is going to take that away from him. He’s going to go out and represent for his team, his family, his city no matter the circumstance. I think this is just another chapter in the book of many more to be written. He’s resilient in every sense of the word and I think his discipline and everything outside will allow him to come back maybe better than ever."

Notestine was once recruited to Ohio University by Joe’s dad, Jimmy Burrow. He walked on for the Bobcats, but like Burrow, he kept working and was eventually named a captain ahead of his senior season. Both men thrive off of hard work, which makes their strong relationship very unsurprising, especially after hearing Notestine’s life mantra. It's a quote from retired professional golfer Gary Player, who is the only non-American to win all four majors for a career Grand Slam.

“The harder you work, the luckier you get.”

That quote seems to fit perfectly when describing Burrow’s well documented journey to his current status. From being overlooked at Ohio State to then winning the Heisman Trophy and National Championship at LSU in 2019. Being drafted No. 1 overall in 2020 by Cincinnati, overcoming multiple setbacks, to earning the biggest contract in the NFL, to now working to come back after a tough start to the season.

“No matter what is thrown his way he seems to be ready for the trials and tribulations that are there. In the long run I think optimistically, it all makes him better," Notestine said. “It makes him work on something that otherwise might have not been touched on. He sees the bigger picture and that’s definitely something that we talk about when discussing anything. It is just a long term plan and what we need to do to set him up for success.”

Running sprints was a big part of Burrow’s offseason training in hopes of becoming quicker and more explosive on the field.

“This year a main focus, unfortunately we didn’t get to see it in the first few games but he really wanted to improve his speed,” Notestine said. “I know he always gets so excited when he hits a certain speed at practice he’s quick to get on the phone and let me know how much faster he is than me.”

How much faster? 

“Much faster. Much, much faster,” Burrow said with a laugh on Wednesday.

“There’s never been a race, but I think my time has passed me of ever beating him," Notestine said. "I should have hit him when he was in high school."

There is a popular phrase that states, “You are the company you keep.” Burrow is known for keeping highly competitive, hard working company around him from his inner circle to his teammates.

“You see how it reflects in the locker room, those guys do some amazing things and I think that’s a little bit on the backing of what he brings to a locker room, the person he is and what he stands for, " Notestine said. “It makes it easier to lay it all on the line for someone you completely trust in.”

Check out our entire interview with Notestine below and subscribe to our YouTube Channel.

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