LSU Football: NFL Network analyst expects Joe Burrow to hit the ground running

Former LSU football quarterback Joe Burrow could be off to a quick start in the NFL.

NFL Network analyst Bucky Brooks doesn’t think the unorthodox offseason will affect LSU football’s Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals.

In fact, Brooks thinks Burrow will “hit the ground running”.

Brooks made the comments during an appearance on NFL Total Access on Tuesday.

How will Burrow be ready to go?

The reasons that Brooks thinks Burrow will be able to get off to a quick start?

For one, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor is incorporating Burrow’s favorite plays from LSU into Cincinnati’s playbook. That will help Burrow be a bit more comfortable with the Bengals’ playbook.

Brooks also pointed out that Burrow will have a great supporting cast around him.

Cincinnati may have been terrible in 2019, but they aren’t a franchise without talent. Wide receivers AJ Green and Tyler Boyd, along with running back Joe Mixon, will provide Burrow with plenty of offensive weapons.

And Jonah Williams, the Bengals’ first round pick in 2019, will return in 2020 after missing all of his rookie season to give Cincinnati’s beleaguered offensive line a boost.

Lessons from the past

There’s actually a precedent for the bizarre offseason that Burrow is dealing with as a rookie.

In 2011, the NFL experienced a lockout that lasted over four months. This prevented normal offseasons from happening. As a result, rookies were forced to learn playbooks away from team facilities.

One of those rookies was Andy Dalton — Burrow’s predecessor in Cincinnati.

Dalton had a fairly successful rookie season, throwing for 3,398 yards and 20 touchdowns in 16 games in 2011.

Another rookie quarterback that had a lot of success in 2011?

Former Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, who tossed for 4,051 yards (his career high) and 21 touchdowns.

During the lockout, teams utilized “tutors” to help rookies learn the offense.

Burrow, however, will have more resources than those players had in 2011, since he can actually communicate with coaches and participate in virtual meetings.

While it’s impossible to know what kind of numbers Burrow will put up in 2020, there’s at least some examples of rookie quarterbacks having success in the same situation.