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Legendary Giants QB compares Joe Burrow to Joe Montana

Quite the compliment from a quarterback who had several battles with the great Montana.

Cincinnati Bengals v Detroit Lions Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has earned the respect of several current and former players throughout the NFL. One former quarterback has compared Burrow to a former signal-caller Bengals fans could only dream Burrow will have the success of.

Appearing on “Inside the NFL,” former New York Giants Super Bowl MVP quarterback Phil Simms, now of CBS Sports, compared Burrow to the great Joe Montana.

“Smooth, graceful, great feet. Really knows how to move in the pocket. Throws the ball in tremendous rhythm,” Simms said of Burrow. “Joe [Montana] is one of the greatest quarterbacks of all-time. Joe Burrow’s a little quicker, probably a little more athletic, and maybe a little bit of a stronger arm than Joe Montana.

“And just the uncanny ability to just know how to play the game. I think that that comes from Joe Burrow’s background that he was just an all-around athlete growing up. It shows when you watch him play. His movement in the pocket and just buying time has been really good for him so far this year.”

Simms would be able to compare someone to Montana as good as anyone.

Montana’s San Francisco 49ers and Simms Giants had several battles throughout the 1980s, including several postseason showdowns that saw both quarterbacks earn their share of wins. They also were both selected during the 1979 NFL Draft.

The comparison to Montana is quite the compliment to Burrow, who has the Bengals at 4-2 six weeks into the 2021 season.

Montana played 16 seasons in the NFL, with 14 of those coming in San Francisco and the other two with the Kansas City Chiefs.

He won four super bowls, including two over the Bengals, won three Super Bowl MVPs, two NFL MVP Awards and earned eight trips to the Pro Bowl.

Can Burrow live up to that? Probably not, but if he’s even a quarter of it, the Bengals have a top quarterback in football as their franchise signal-caller.