Joe Burrow (Bengals QB) off to a good start in the NFL.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

Joe Burrow has now played 16 games in the pros and his numbers are fantastic
https://bengalswire.usatoday.com/2021/10/19/joe-burrow-bengals-played-16-games-pros-numbers-fantastic/

He's played extremely well against the blitz this year too, which is especially impressive given the Bengals' porous offensive line:

Link to tweet

Burrow's senior stats in high school (Athens OH):
250/346, 4445 yards, 63 TD, 2 INT
(Winner of Ohio's Mr. Football award; 15-1 team record with only loss in the state's title game)

His senior stats in college (LSU):
402/527, 5671 yards, 60 TD, 6 INT
(Winner of the Heisman Trophy; 15-0 team record and national title)

[Hugh_Lebowski]

1. Drafted #1 overall, total college stud and considered as close to a sure thing in the NFL as it gets

I'd rank him only slightly below guys like Manning, Luck and Lawrence in terms of what the consensus was about how he'd do in the NFL coming in.

It's cool he's doing well and of course there are no guarantees, but it is at the same time a case of him living up to what was expected.

Just sayin

[Buckeye_Democrat]

2. Urban Meyer let him slip away from Ohio State...

... after he looked better than Dwayne Haskins in their Spring game imo (quicker passing decisions), but the coaches were supposedly still concerned about Burrow's broken hand and surgery from the previous season. (Not that Haskins performed poorly at all, setting several Big Ten passing records during his only season as the starter.)

Burrow was a Nebraska fan as a child and he wanted to transfer there, but Coach Frost thought Martinez was better. So Burrow ended up at LSU.


The upcoming Bengals/Ravens game might be close, but we'll soon see.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

3. By the way, it was pretty clear to me...

Last edited Wed Oct 20, 2021, 03:11 AM - Edit history (1)

... that he'd be a good QB after he almost won the high school title game single-handedly. (Which obviously doesn't happen in a team sport, but you know what I mean.)

Athens OH isn't a very big city, and they were playing a Toledo school with a population about 11 times bigger. And the Toledo kids on the opposing team were clearly bigger and stronger overall.

Yet Burrow kept completing passes and throwing touchdown passes (6 of them in that game), despite how it seemed like there were defenders right in his face every play. (Athens lost 56-52, and Toledo had over 500 yards rushing in that game.)

Video in the link, showing the regular defensive pressure on him:
https://www.maxpreps.com/m/athlete/joe-burrow/32B6x_TxEeKZ5AAmVebBJg/videos.htm

I really think he'll become an elite NFL QB for years... if the Bengals OL doesn't get him killed or permanently maimed.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

4. Well, I was wrong.

The Bengals/Ravens game wasn't close at all.


Burrow with over 400 yards passing, and the Bengals currently winning 41-17.

The Bengals will be the current #1 seed in the AFC, believe it or not.

[Xavier Breath]

5. I do believe it.

There's been a lot of hype about the Bengals this season, mostly from them and us fans, but the Ravens had a chance today to erase much of that and knock 'Nati back into their "place." Well, they are in their place, alright: first

Still a lot of football to be played, but the results thus are are encouraging.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

6. Every position on a football team matters, of course...

... but this Bengals team wouldn't be much of a threat at all without Burrow.

And the draft of his former LSU receiver, Chase, appears to be a wise choice now. He currently holds the all-time NFL record for receiving yards among rookies in their first seven games.

I think other teams would be smart to not blitz against Burrow too much. He recognizes it, audibles, and then quickly passes. What makes him special is his head, not so much physical prowess. But he's a gifted passer too, of course.

Fake blitzes and dropping back into pass coverage might be the best tactic of opposing defenses for now. Burrow still throws a few interceptions from inexperience in the NFL.

[Xavier Breath]

7. The consensus amongst the talking heads this past week

was that Burrow was effective against the blitz, sure, but he hasn't experienced the Wink Martindale blitz so blah blah blah. Joe shut up the critics today.

It was amazing the teeth-gnashing that went on with Bengals fans when they passed over Sewell for Chase. Burrow was going to get killed and we'd live to regret it. Yeah, pretty much crickets at this point.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

8. Many Buckeyes fans thought Burrow would be...

... the starter after seeing his performance in their 2018 Spring game compared to Dwayne Haskins, as evidenced by the comments in this video:

And here's a good video that describes what many Bengals fans recognized about him last year:

[Xavier Breath]

9. I'm one of the few people in Ohio that is not an OSU

fan, so I wasn't paying much attention. But, I remember the guys at work discussing this at the time and there was some consternation about Haskins. He did have one great season with Madden-like numbers, though.

By the way, Burrow looks about 15 in that video. I am getting ooooooold

[Buckeye_Democrat]

10. If the Bengals actually care about winning...

... and there's many people who are convinced that owner Mike Brown doesn't care about winning at all, they'll try to acquire more talented blockers for Burrow as their main priority. Build the team around him, mostly, while solidifying other positions on the team as well.

Edit:
Yeah, he looked so young!

I suspect that JT Barrett felt most threatened by Burrow, based on some of his comments about him when Barrett was the Buckeyes' starter. He'd call him "Johnny" and say he was "funny", like Burrow was a big joke. Meanwhile, it was already clear that Barrett couldn't pass nearly as well as Burrow.

[Xavier Breath]

11. I think that's the misconception about Mike.

I actually do believe he cares about winning. Unfortunately, he insists on doing it his way. He isn't his father but I believe he goes to work each and every day believing exactly that, and that it's useless for him to listen to anyone not named Brown or Blackburn.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

12. Yeah, he probably thinks he automatically inherited...

... Paul's traits in terms of football decisions.

I've worked for companies that went down the tubes as soon as the child took over the reigns. Nepotism seems to frequently overrule a previous owner's good sense.