It’s not even February yet, and it seems that nearly every angle of Joe Burrow has already been thoroughly analyzed.
We haven’t really heard from the quarterback himself since the days following the National Championship, and his father, Jimmy, explained why in a recent interview with the Eddie and Rocky radio show on 700WLW.
In the interview, father Burrow elaborated on how grateful he and Joe have been to be able to tell the tale of Joe’s uprising over the past year, as well as further confirming his mindset as the projected No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft:
“We’re just happy that Joe’s put himself in a position where he’s got a chance to be drafted really high,” Burrow said. “And I know the politically correct answer may not be what everybody wants to hear, but it is what it is. It’s true: Any NFL team is gonna be an honor for Joe to play in. That’s really true. I’m not just saying that. He’s put himself to the point where he’s gonna have a great chance to be drafted high and play in the NFL. And that’s all he can focus on at this point.”
This should be common knowledge at this point. The narrative that Burrow would be opposed to playing for the Cincinnati Bengals was snuffed out as quickly as it arose from the media.
The narratives about Burrow’s intangibles, on the other hand, they are much harder to dispute:
”I think there’s probably three (qualities Joe will bring to an NFL team): his competitiveness, his will to win and then his leadership. That’s all three qualities that really don’t have anything to do with his athletic ability and the strength of his arm. It’s just part of who he is. When people are interviewed at LSU and we can even go back to Ohio State, I think those three things stand out with people who have played with him. Again, you can go to high school and ask his guys...about that competitive spirit, his will to win. I mean he doesn’t like losing. ...And then just his leadership, he tends to just be someone that has those type qualities. And the guys around him seem to raise their level of play and follow in his footsteps.”
Nobody who’s played football for essentially their entire life “likes losing”, the difference between certain players is the contentment with the status quo. Burrow is being advertised as a leader who doesn’t need to vocally charge his teammates towards victory, but will do anything and everything necessary to ensure victory.
It’s no surprise that Burrow had personal thoughts to share on the death of the player that embodied this personality better than anyone in his generation: Kobe Bryant.
Some of My fondest memories of sports growing up were watching Kobe take over games with my dad. Modeled my mentality after him. Thanks for that Kobe. https://t.co/yRbe7mjYCH
— Joey Burrow (@Joe_Burrow10) January 26, 2020
When talking to Duke Tobin last week at the Senior Bowl, we asked him what he and head coach Zac Taylor share the most in terms of what they value in players. Without hesitation, he said “enthusiasm for the game”. When Zac Taylor was asked about what he wants in a quarterback, Taylor responded with: “I want a winner, that’s it.”
Looks like everyone is still on the same page.