Joe Burrow confident despite up-and-down padded practice

The Bengals had their first padded practice of training camp, and Joe Burrow is getting closer to his first NFL action.

The rookie quarterback experienced some growing pains on Tuesday practicing in the red zone. He completed 6 of 12 his attempts in the 7-on-7 red zone drills. Even though he threw touchdowns to Tyler Boyd and Mike Thomas, he also throw an interception to Carlos Dunlap.

“It was ok. It wasn’t what you’d like to see on a red-zone day, but it was the first one,” Burrow said. ”That was my first taste of NFL red zone. I’m gonna hopefully play better the next time we do red zone. I played really well the last two days, so I’m gonna really focus on the red zone.”

An NFL red zone is going to be different from any college scenario he’s ever seen before. Even teams like Alabama and Clemson are no comparison to pro defenses.

“I wasn’t really sure what to expect out of the first red-zone day,” he said. ”I’m excited to see how the defense kinda changed up certain coverages they played, where I could’ve gone with the ball, where I couldn’t have gone with the ball. It’s all about understanding what you’re trying to do on every single play.”

Even though Burrow had an off day, he still feels just as confident as he was before. This is what made him a Heisman Trophy winner, National Champion, and first overall draft pick. He didn’t let his performance get him down, and he plans on dominating the red zone the next time he gets the opportunity.

“I feel very comfortable with the offense right now. I feel comfortable with my guys,” he said. “I think we’re gonna be pretty good on offense. I’m excited more so than nervous.”

Don’t you dare bring up nerves in front of Burrow.

“You ever heard anything else about me about being nervous?”

That’s what you like to hear.