The Cincinnati Bengals are going to the Super Bowl in the second year of Joe Burrow’s career. Burrow wasn’t able to finish off his first season due to an ACL tear, so really, Burrow is now playing in his first Super Bowl in his first true, legitimate season.
The Bengals didn’t really expect to be here at the start of the off-season. The Bengals put together an incredible roster of young talent. But that’s what it was. Young talent. Now the Bengals, led by Burrow have a chance to win a Super Bowl over a much more experienced Los Angeles Rams team.
And the reality is, the Bengals are too young to even know that they probably shouldn’t be in the Super Bowl. Anyway, it’s clear that Burrow is one of the brightest leaders in the NFL. We saw him with a National Championship with LSU, putting together one of the most historic seasons in college football history.
Then, in that season, Burrow went on to win the Heisman and get selected first overall, over Justin Herbert. At the start of the season, that wasn’t the projection, where Burrow would beat out Hebert. But Burrow just defies the NFL odds.
Gamblers get it. Burrow is a competitor and has that swag about him. Everyone in the locker room talks highly of him. Burrow just gets it. He’s the perfect man to lead a team. He says the right things with the media and goes about his business.
He’s a little cocky, but that’s what makes him special. Because often, he’ll back up his words with his actions. Right now, it’s clearly too early to talk about legacy. Cam Newton’s legacy was looking really hot in his first few years in the NFL and now he’s basically the laughing stock of the NFL and can’t win a game.
Burrow clearly isn’t Newton, but still, it’s early to talk about legacy in the second season of his career and really the first full season of his career. However, a win over the Rams on Sunday would only help him in his quest to become the greatest quarterback to ever play the game. He’s going to have to find a way to catch up to Tom Brady’s ring collection. An early one would help.
Plus, the Bengals have cap space to add more talent. Burrow’s leadership and determination should help bring in more talent, especially on the offensive line and on the defensive end moving forward. So, personally, I wouldn’t worry about Burrow’s legacy right now.
He’s got a long career ahead of him. But again, if he’s able to get a ring in his first full season of the NFL, the league better watch out. He’s going to be looking for more and will try to beat Brady’s ring and trophy collection. This Super Bowl appearance is only the start of Burrow’s legacy. He’s got a lot more to offer and an offense, that if they stick around, could be lethal for a decade.