09-11-2021, 09:29 AM
Comparing Joe Burrow with Justin Herbert or Tua Tagovailoa isn’t fair to any of these three quarterbacks. Each of the three were picked by teams in different stages of rebuilding. Tua joined a Miami team who went 10-6, the Chargers went 7-9, and the Bengals finished an abysmal 4-11-1.
If these three quarterbacks had been drafted by different teams i.e. Tua to Cincinnati, Justin to Miami, and Joe to Los Angeles I am having trouble justifying how the teams’ 2020 win-loss records would have been much different.
Let’s say hypothetically Mike Brown and Zac Taylor rolled the dice in the spring of 2020 and drafted Tua Tagovailoa. In fact, before Joe Burrow’s outstanding final year at LSU I thought that’s exactly what would happen in Cincinnati. Tua would have inherited the same situation Joe Burrow did with an inexperienced coaching staff, a waddling flinching false starting leaky offensive line who can’t run block or pass block well, and a playbook which looks like it was put together by Dr. Frankenstein.
Like it or not, Hue Jackson and Jay Gruden were the best offensive coordinators the Bengals had in the last decade. Those two men put together an offensive playbook which was so effective even Andy Dalton and AJ McCarron made it work. I’m sure Brian Callahan is doing his best but he’s not at the Jackson/Gruden level of proficiency.
I’m 100% certain Joe Burrow is a zillion times better than Andy Dalton or AJ McCarron in every aspect of the game. He is a once in a lifetime generational player and the Cincinnati Bengals are fortunate to have him. However, even a generational player will suffer and underachieve when surrounded by mediocre players and substandard coaches. The comparison I made after the 2020 draft with respect to Joe Burrow is Archie Manning. If any other team besides the New Orleans Saints had picked Archie he would have won multiple Super Bowl rings. I want Joe Burrow to have a career more like Peyton or Eli Manning than their father.
If these three quarterbacks had been drafted by different teams i.e. Tua to Cincinnati, Justin to Miami, and Joe to Los Angeles I am having trouble justifying how the teams’ 2020 win-loss records would have been much different.
Let’s say hypothetically Mike Brown and Zac Taylor rolled the dice in the spring of 2020 and drafted Tua Tagovailoa. In fact, before Joe Burrow’s outstanding final year at LSU I thought that’s exactly what would happen in Cincinnati. Tua would have inherited the same situation Joe Burrow did with an inexperienced coaching staff, a waddling flinching false starting leaky offensive line who can’t run block or pass block well, and a playbook which looks like it was put together by Dr. Frankenstein.
Like it or not, Hue Jackson and Jay Gruden were the best offensive coordinators the Bengals had in the last decade. Those two men put together an offensive playbook which was so effective even Andy Dalton and AJ McCarron made it work. I’m sure Brian Callahan is doing his best but he’s not at the Jackson/Gruden level of proficiency.
I’m 100% certain Joe Burrow is a zillion times better than Andy Dalton or AJ McCarron in every aspect of the game. He is a once in a lifetime generational player and the Cincinnati Bengals are fortunate to have him. However, even a generational player will suffer and underachieve when surrounded by mediocre players and substandard coaches. The comparison I made after the 2020 draft with respect to Joe Burrow is Archie Manning. If any other team besides the New Orleans Saints had picked Archie he would have won multiple Super Bowl rings. I want Joe Burrow to have a career more like Peyton or Eli Manning than their father.
![[Image: 4CV0TeR.png]](https://i.imgur.com/4CV0TeR.png)
