The meteoric rise of young quarterback Joe Burrow

• The Bengals have become one of the best teams in the league thanks to its young QB Joe Burrow, while Cincinnatti had one of the worst ratings before his arrival.

• With his 1.93 m for 100 kg, Joe Burrow has the typical profile of the modern quarterback.

• For former quarterback Kurt Warner, "Burrow's greatest strength is his ability to analyze the situation and make split-second decisions."

From our correspondent in Los Angeles,

Two years ago, the Bengals were the worst team in the NFL, with a sad record: two wins for 14 losses.

Sunday, however, Cincinnati will challenge the LA Rams, and try to win the first Super Bowl in its history.

An improbable turnaround that owes a lot to his young quarterback Joe Burrow.

Unlike many college stars, "Joey Franchise," who just turned 25, adapted to the NFL at lightning speed.

And after the retirement of Tom Brady, he could well take up the torch.

File photo of Joe Burrow peroxidized in high school, not in 1997 but in 2014. pic.twitter.com/ziW8FRBw5Z

— Philippe Berry (@ptiberry) February 11, 2022

Joe Burrow – 1.93 m for 100 kg – has the typical profile of the modern quarterback.

Son of a coach, he comes from a dynasty that produces athletes in series, but never at his level.

A dominator in high school, he joined Ohio State's prestigious college program.

As is often the case, he waxed the bench his entire first season.

“You throw like a girl”

According to the legend told by

, his coach Urban Meyer, not really renowned for his finesse, does not spare him.

The criticisms are recurrent: “Your arm is weak.

You throw the ball like a girl.

You're a Division 3 quarterback.” Burrow then went to California to see guru Tom House, a former baseball

turned biomechanical expert, with whom Tom Brady and Drew Brees went.

He starts all over again, with a lot of work on the speed of his

(footwork) to better transfer energy to his arm.

Blocked in Ohio, where he played only ten games in three years, Burrow then made the decision that would change everything: he left for the dampness of Louisiana, at LSU University.

His first season is solid (ten wins, three losses, sixteen touchdowns and five interceptions).

But it was during his last year, as a senior, that the metamorphosis took place.

LSU had the perfect season and finished undefeated.

Burrow sickens Georgia (37-10) and Oklahoma (63-28).

In the final, Clemson and his Golgoth Trevor Laurence are powerless (42-25).

Joe Burrow broke the (at the time) college record with 60 touchdowns in a season for just six interceptions.

A perfect year that owes a lot to the explosion of

Ja'marr Chase, who alone receives a third of the TDs launched by Burrow (20).

A logical winner of the Heisman Trophy (player of the year), Burrow thanks each member of his

one by one .

“I come from South East Ohio, where the poverty rate is almost double the national average.

I'm here for all the kids in Athens who are hungry after training,” he says.

A good guy, therefore, who cries hot tears when he dedicates his victory to his coach, Ed Orgeron, for whom he has always been ready "to run into a wall".

Surgical precision

For a quarterback, the transition to the pros remains a lottery.

Johnny Manziel and Tim Tebow can attest to that.

The synthetic lawns of the NFL are littered with talents crushed by

of 130 kg who run the 40 yards dash (36.5 m) in 4.5 seconds.

But if Burrow is nicknamed "Joe Cool" by some, it's not for his '90s high school haircut. He never seems to lose his temper, even under pressure.

Former quarterback Kurt Warner recently felt that "Burrow's greatest strength is his ability to analyze the situation and make split-second decisions."

An

that he compares to that of a Tom Brady, combined with a surgical precision of the pass.

After Burrow's promising first season was cut short after ten games by a ruptured cruciate ligament, Cincinnati scored a big blow by drafting Ja'marr Chase to recreate LSU's ruthless duo.

Conclusion: this year, Joe Burrow has the highest conversion percentage over the regular season (70%) and

(average distance per pass attempt).

And even if his stats fell slightly during the playoffs, he was able to show himself "clutch" to sound the charge and go up an 11-point deficit on the lawn of Kansas City in the AFC final.

Despite his talent, the Bengals arrive at the Super Bowl as outsiders, facing the Rams who will play at home in Los Angeles.

On paper, Joe Burrow and Ja'marr Chase come close to rivaling LA's magical Matthew Stafford-Cooper Kupp connection.

But Cincinnati has a big weak point: a cardboard offensive line, which leaves its quarterback to be shaken like a piñata, with 51

suffered during the regular season.

On Sunday, he will have Aaron “Terminator” Donald, three-time Defensive Player of the Year, on his way.

If he takes the 130 kg of the

launched at full speed, Joe will face his biggest challenge: to get up.

» Head over to 20

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