Bengals: Joe Burrow gets compared to former league MVP by teammate

Cincinnati Bengals’ defensive tackle Mike Daniels compared rookie quarterback Joe Burrow to former league MVP Aaron Rodgers.

Add Mike Daniels to the long list of people that have compared Joe Burrow to stellar quarterbacks, both past and present. Leading up to the draft process the Bengals’ man under center was compared to the likes of Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and even Joe Montana. Now, Cincinnati’s big-time free-agent acquisition has placed Burrow’s name alongside another outstanding signal-caller, Aaron Rodgers.

As a former Packer himself, Daniels would know enough about Rodgers to accurately make such a comparison. The Pro Bowl defensive tackle arrived in Green Bay in 2012, just after Rodgers’ MVP campaign and Super Bowl win. He then spent the following six seasons with a front-row seat to his greatness.

So, what exactly do Burrow and Rodgers have in common? A physical attribute? A strength? A play style? According to Daniels, it’s all in the way they carry themselves,

"“His [Burrow’s] poise reminds of Aaron [Rodgers’]. He doesn’t seem like a guy who has only been here for five months…His whole demeanor and the way he carries himself, he understands the importance of his role…he carries himself in the way that lets everybody know he’s the leader.”"

That’s quite the praise, especially from a nine-year veteran, but after Burrow was showered with compliments from his teammates all offseason, it should come as no surprise.

Joe Burrow is keeping his cool in the face of pressure

From the moment Cincinnati locked up the first overall selection, the football world knew the pressure of the franchise would fall on Joe Burrow’s shoulders. He was prepared for that sort of weight though, as he clearly had prepared for such a responsibility throughout his collegiate career.

What Burrow may not have been expecting, however, is the amount of pressure he’s experienced from opposing defenses. Anybody that’s tuned in to a single snap of a Bengals game this year has witnessed just how little time he’s had to get the ball delivered.

The numbers back up the eye test as well. Through three games, Burrow has been sacked a league-high 14 times and according to Pro Football Focus, he doesn’t have a single offensive lineman with a grade higher than a 67.

Amazingly, that fact hasn’t caused a shift in the demeanor that drew the comparison to Rodgers. If it were any other rookie signal-caller, the same likely couldn’t be said.

Despite all the pressure, all the sacks, and all of the hits, Burrow still carries the same confidence that he did during his LSU days. It’s what separates him from the rest, and it’s what has his teammates and the fanbase believing he can right the ship sooner rather than later.