One of the more interesting stories of training camp thus far has been Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow’s issues. Last year’s first overall pick has struggled by all accounts, and has been characterized as looking uncomfortable and struggling to complete passes that he had little trouble with in 2020.
On Saturday, Burrow spoke to the media and addressed the issue. He said his problems are purely mental and, while he is frustrated, he’s also not panicking yet.
Burrow: Right now it’s a mental thing. I’m facing top level competition. In a few days I’ll be back to my old self.
— Jay Morrison (@JayMorrisonATH) August 7, 2021
Burrow on frustration level: It’s up there
— Jay Morrison (@JayMorrisonATH) August 7, 2021
Burrow: I can guarantee my expectations of myself are higher than everyone elses. If we get close to Game 1 and this is still going on, maybe that’s time to hit the panic button.
— Jay Morrison (@JayMorrisonATH) August 7, 2021
Burrow is working his way back from a major knee injury, which has been theorized as a potential cause for his early struggles. Burrow’s admission that the issues are primarily mental will only reinforce that hypothesis. Even though his recovery from surgery has gone great physically, there can be a bit of a mental block when it comes to actually taking hits again.
Burrow was excellent in ten starts in 2020, throwing for 13 touchdowns and five interceptions before his season-ending injury. While you never want to hear the word “panic” associated with a quarterback at this point, there’s no reason to be there yet. It may be a case of shaking off some rust and getting back into the swing of things. Burrow has plenty of weapons around him, and he should be fine — as long as the offensive line does a good enough job of keeping him on his feet.
