Cincinnati Bengals: Old teammates of Joe Burrow always knew his greatness
Scouts and fans alike have been amazed at LSU quarterback Joe Burrow’s ascension this season. His ex-teammates always knew he had what it took to be college football’s next great quarterback.
Prior to this season, Joe Burrow seemed to be an after thought when it came to this year’s crop of quarterback prospects. There was Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Herbert, and a host of other signal callers that came to mind before the man behind center in Baton Rogue.
Now, after a statistically marvelous regular season, a successful Heisman campaign and a thorough beating of the #4 team in the first round of the playoffs, Burrow finds himself on top.
Flashback to a time before the awards, the interviews, and the mock drafts featuring the 23-year-old as the first overall selection, Burrow was far from the forefront of attention at Ohio State. He was buried on a depth chart that left him struggling to break through. Despite getting little acknowledgement, his former teammate, Mike Weber, recognized his talent.
Weber, who is currently on the Chief’s practice squad, stunningly compared him to the 6-time Super Bowl champion three years ago. At that time, Burrow had just finished his third season as a Buckeye, where he was listed as the co-backup to J.T. Barrett. Through out his entire collegiate career, he had only attempted 39 passes and thrown for just under 300 yards in mop-up time. Clearly, Weber saw something in practice that the general public had not yet seen.
Weber is not the only former teammate that wasn’t surprised to see Burrow’s breakout season. In an interview captured by @BHollandSports, Chase Young had this to say,
"“We weren’t surprised, the way Joe works, the way Joe plays — we knew, wherever he went, he was going to take over. So we weren’t really surprised. We just always knew it was a matter of time.”"
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The few critics that Burrow hasn’t yet silenced claim he is simply a one-year wonder. While it’s true the Ohio native saw a big jump in production this season, it seems obvious he has always had the potential. He just needed the opportunity. Now, most of Cincinnati is collectively holding their breath in hopes that the Bengals front office gives him his next shot.