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4 reasons the media are split on Tua, Burrow, and the Cincinnati Bengals

By Steve Rivera

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - DECEMBER 28: Quarterback Joe Burrow #9 of the LSU Tigers walks off the field after winning the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl 28-63 over the Oklahoma Sooners at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 28, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - DECEMBER 28: Quarterback Joe Burrow #9 of the LSU Tigers walks off the field after winning the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl 28-63 over the Oklahoma Sooners at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 28, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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NEW ORLEANS, LA – JANUARY 13: Joe Burrow #9 of the LSU Tigers warms up prior to taking on the Clemson Tigers during the College Football Playoff National Championship held at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on January 13, 2020 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA – JANUARY 13: Joe Burrow #9 of the LSU Tigers warms up prior to taking on the Clemson Tigers during the College Football Playoff National Championship held at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on January 13, 2020 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/Getty Images) /

Is Joe Burrow a one-year-wonder? Probably not. Odds are, he’s exactly as advertised. What Burrow did in the best conference in college football, the SEC, isn’t just noteworthy, it’s historic. A Heisman Trophy, undefeated season and a national championship have him exactly where he should be, and his being the first pick in the 2020 NFL Draft makes sense.

The bigger question is if his season at LSU is a trend or a blip. It’s a fair question to ask. Burrow has created himself a nice little baseline of expectations that will be hard to walk back, under any circumstances. What Cincinnati will want, and what fans should expect, is that what happened last season at LSU is a springboard for a career with the Cincinnati Bengals.

As for those who find the tag “one-year-wonder” offensive, please find another season where Burrow has shown this tendency. The curiosity of whether he can elevate the game he showed last season in college into what he shows as a rookie in the NFL is a fair question. The Bengals will effectively be handing the keys to the franchise over to a quarterback with one amazing season on his resume, and then little else. Again, it is a fair question to ask.

Burrow didn’t win at LSU with smoke and mirrors. He made all the throws, all the smart decisions, and was central to a national championship. The question isn’t just whether he can do that at the NFL level, it’s whether he can get close.