12-29-2019, 10:51 PM
(12-29-2019, 10:32 AM)Fan_in_Kettering Wrote: Joe Burrow is a terrific player; no doubt about it! He’s had a great season and he’s set college football records which may never be broken. The Cincinnati Bengals will make Burrow the first pick in the 2020 NFL Draft and he’ll get some solid sideline mentoring from Andy Dalton who Mike Brown, right or wrong, will not trade and demand he stay in Cincinnati though his last contract year.
When it comes to Joe Burrow I’m neither a detractor nor a contrarian. I am very cautious and extremely pragmatic. With this in mind please understand I want one and all to see what Joe can do against Clemson. I’m all for drafting him even if Clemson beats LSU badly but let’s temper our expectations once Joe becomes a Bengal. It’s one thing to rip the Oklahoma defense a new one and another thing to dominate the Ravens or Patriots with stellar quarterback play. I truly hope Joe can elevate his game in the NFL but as a lifetime fan of the Cincinnati Bengals I’m too realistic.
Will Joe Burrow be better than Andy Dalton? Yes, this will be painfully obvious during the first mini camp and onward into the future. There is no way Andy beats him out for the starting job. Andy knows this and it’s okay. For every established quarterback this awful day arrives.
My fear, however, is real: Zac Taylor’s offense is a mess and his play calling is atrocious. Great quarterbacks can overcome lots of adversity but no quarterback in the history of football has ever overcome incompetent coaching. When Joe Burrow comes to Cincinnati an offense will need to be created around his skills just like LSU did. Will the Bengals do this? Do the coaches have the brains to know they need to try?
That would be a downright moronic move. I can only hope Mike doesn't want to pay a backup $17 million.
As for the rest of your post, I'd say you're spot on. Drafting Burrow is 100% the correct move. I have zero doubt about it. That said, will we make ALL the correct moves? Probably not. Is keeping this staff intact the right move? Probably not. Will we part with the players we need to part with (Andy, AJ, Glenn, etc)?
Will we be aggressive in FA to remedy the line, to make sure Burrow isn't pummeled before he can develop?
If we draft Burrow, then have a typical Bengal off-season (sitting on our hands in FA, retaining all coaches, etc) then we'll be putting all the pressure squarely on Burrow's shoulders. Basically setting him up for failure.
The training, nutrition, medicine, fitness, playbooks and rules evolve. The athlete does not.
