[jwplayer L1kZfATH-ThvAeFxT]
Knowing Joe Burrow, it was only a matter of time before this happened once training camp started: Cincinnati Bengals veterans are impressed.
The players are merely doing walkthroughs without pads during this first week. But the fact Burrow’s advising his targets on depth of routes and making impressive, veteran-like checks at the line of scrimmage has the attention of someone like C.J. Uzomah, per Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com:
“I think he knows his stuff. He’s making the appropriate reads and checks. He’s going to be one of the boys for sure. He has a certain confidence in himself and you can tell he has the confidence in us to do what we need to do. I like him so far. I like what he brings to the table. That poise that he has. The moxie that he has is nice.”
And ask wideout Alex Erickson, it’s impressive Burrow, who didn’t have a huddle at LSU, is so easily taking command of a pro one:
“The first thing with a lot of the rookies, especially guys that go from a system where they’re not in a huddle, they’re yelling out plays. He’s got command in the huddle. You can tell he’s really worked hard at it in the offseason.
“It sounds like a little thing, but that stuff really matters. It makes a big difference when the quarterback says the play, you get a good break and it sets a tempo for the whole play.”
Oh and on the physical talent front? Here’s Erickson: “He can definitely spin it. Arm talent? That stuff? Not going to be an issue.”
Not that any of this is a surprise. During the all-virtual portion of the offseason, Burrow was so far ahead coaches had to ask him to slow down. Coaches were impressed with how quickly he’d nailed down the mental aspect of things.
Now we’re seeing that come to life on the field already. And while the pads won’t go on until roughly August 17 or so, this is an important first step for a rookie passer considering the weight of expectations he faces as he takes command of the franchise.
[vertical-gallery id=36596]