As photos and stories from NFL training camps start to surface, and fans are overjoyed with the sight of their favorite players getting together and preparing for the 2020 NFL season, it’s easy to think that all the players pictured are best of friends, and they couldn’t be happier to be together.
However, a recent story from Washington quarterback Dwayne Haskins shows that this may not always be the case in football. It has little to do with the Washington Football Team, but Haskins’ story from college shines a light on the relationships that come from fierce competitions in camp.
This story has to do with two quarterbacks that were drafted in the first round, and how they got along when they played together at Ohio State and competed for the QB1 position. We’re talking about Haskins and Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow.
“I love Joe but during that battle, for almost two years, me and Joe couldn’t stand each other,” Haskins said on Monday’s Ring Chronicles series from FOX. “Every day, whether it was morning workouts or when we had to do mat drills and it’d be me and him on the mat drill, it was gritty. Or it was practice and me and him are trying to get in front of each other to get a rep to throw to one of the starting receivers. It was always this heated competition but we knew we got the best out of each other. He made it hard for me and I made it hard for him and I didn’t let him take it away.”
Haskins ended up winning the starting job and having one of the better seasons for a college QB in recent memory, while Burrow ended up transferring to LSU, where he would eventually top Haskins by putting together arguably the best season for a college QB in recent memory.
In the end, both found their way to the NFL, and they will now face off in Week 11 when Washington hosts the Bengals. If they were able to bring out the best in each other back at Ohio State, then that game is sure to be one to watch.
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