JWill's 3 takes: Joe Burrow and Kroger (yes, Kroger) is a win-win

What's the backstory on Joe Burrow's Kroger commercial? Predicting who will be the University of Cincinnati's starting quarterback. And yet another example that UC is a much friendlier place these days. Join the "3 takes" conversation. Contact columnist Jason Williams with your questions, comments and complaints on email at jwilliams@enquirer.com and Twitter @jwilliamscincy. Include your first name and city/neighborhood to have your questions and comments considered as a "3 takes" topic or included in a mailbag.

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1. Bengals' Joe Burrow goes to Kroger, smells pineapple – and Twitter grief

Joey B. became the biggest local celebrity since Marty and Joe to cut a TV commercial for Kroger, which rolled out its new ad with the Bengals' quarterback on Thursday. It's Burrow's first non-NFL affiliated local TV commercial.

Kroger officials were tight-lipped about how the commercial shoot came to be and behind-the-scenes details, but it was shot on location at the Anderson Township Kroger Marketplace.

In June, Kroger announced Burrow as a new brand ambassador to promote living a healthy lifestyle. Burrow's girlfriend, Olivia Holzmacher, is a senior process specialist and analyst for Kroger, but it's unclear if the connection led to the endorsement deal.

Kroger and Burrow teaming up seems like a natural fit. Beloved Ohio guy. Popular hometown Cincinnati company. Win-win.

But of course, nothing positive and fun goes without being panned in a world where Twitter exists. In the 28-second spot, in which Burrow hangs out in the produce section and smells a pineapple, the Super Bowl QB might have referred to the grocery giant as "Krogers" on second reference.

I watched the commercial five times. It sounded like Burrow said: "That's why I wanted to partner with Kroger is because it's really the perfect relationship for me professionally and personally."

It's debatable, per Twitter. Some thought Burrow said ... "partner with Krogers because ..." Regardless, not a big deal. Burrow definitely pronounced it correctly on first reference.

Besides, Burrow is from Southeast Ohio. Everyone in Ohio's Appalachian region affectionately calls it "Krogers." Walmart doesn't exist there, either. But "Walmarts" does. And even some call him "Burrows."

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2. Predicting University of Cincinnati Bearcats’ starting QB

Don’t expect UC coach Luke Fickell to make a public announcement about his starting quarterback leading up to the Sept. 3 opener at Arkansas. We’ll find out on game day.

Prediction: Fifth-year senior Ben Bryant will be the Bearcats’ starting quarterback against the Razorbacks. His game experience and passing accuracy give him the slight edge over sophomore Evan Prater. But expect Prater to get meaningful playing time throughout the season, including against Arkansas.

Fickell has handled the quarterback competition well, knowing the transfer portal always looms as a temptation for a player who doesn’t get the starting job.

If Bryant does get the starting nod, Prater will certainly be faced with a decision to stay or transfer after this season. Bryant has up to two seasons of eligibility if he uses an extra pandemic year. UC has high hopes for Prater’s future, and look for offensive coordinator Gino Guidugli to include situational plays in the offense for the former Wyoming High School star.

UC’s quarterback competition is a study in the double-edged sword that is the transfer portal. With Desmond Ridder entrenched as UC’s starting QB, Bryant transferred from UC to Eastern Michigan for the 2021 season. He passed for 3,100 yards and 14 touchdowns in the Eagles’ 7-6 season. With Ridder now in the NFL, Bryant returned to UC after gaining valuable experience.

On one hand, that’s a good thing. UC gets an experienced quarterback with ties to the program. On the other hand, the transfer portal makes it challenging for programs to take time to develop a quarterback.

There will always be experienced quarterbacks sitting in the portal to tempt programs to go for the quick fix rather than remain patient with a kid already in the program. And for their part, athletes also aren’t patient and want to play immediately. Case in point: Highly touted true freshman QB Luther Richesson left UC last week and entered the transfer portal.

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3. UC listens to fans

Those fancy-named athletic department strategic plans, fan councils and fan surveys aren’t just PR fluff.

UC athletic director John Cunningham used those things to gather fan feedback over several months and guide his decision not to re-seat basketball season ticket holders until at least the 2025-26 season.

Re-seating is a hot-button issue for fans across college athletics. Athletic departments are doing it to get the big-money donors in the best seats in the stadium and arena, often times at the expense of long-time season ticket holders. In 2015, a group of Texas A&M football season-ticket holders went as far as to file a lawsuit against the school’s athletic foundation over a stadium re-seating decision.

Last year, Cunningham separately launched a fan council and “Fan Transparency Plan” to get feedback on issues such as re-seating. UC, once notorious for bad PR, being fan-friendly is just another example that it’s not the same place your mom and dad attended.

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This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: How Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow's Kroger commercial was made