Cincinnati Bengals second-year quarterback Joe Burrow offered wise advice to young athletes on Monday, telling reporters that generating buzz on social media with workout videos isn't more important than honing skills away from the camera. In Burrow's words, young players should try to "work in silence," and let game performances prove progress.
Burrow certainly understands the value of social media -- his Twitter account has 669,000 followers and his Instagram reaches 2.4 million people. But the advice is sound, and it further illustrates the leadership traits he's developed at the young age of 25. Burrow exudes championship-level confidence, and there's more to the quarterback position than selling the sizzle.
"He's different. He's wired different. He's the guy who I talk about, when you go into a situation, who changes the environment," former NFL quarterback and current podcast host Ryan Leaf told the Maggie and Perloff show on Monday afternoon "Matthew Stafford didn't necessarily have that. He went to Detroit, which was systemically broken, and he couldn't change it, fully. Cincy, same problem, they're in a bad place.
"But this guy comes in and everybody -- even the GM and how he goes about -- gets guys differently when they walk in the room... He's a different cat, and he makes it fun to watch football. And he doesn't necessarily have to make it about him... He's come up with big plays when he's needed to. This team just follows. You look for the guy who can change the environment. Peyton was one of those guys, Joe Burrow is definitely one as well."
Burrow, who was drafted first overall by Cincinnati in 2020, has taken massive strides this season. Coming off a horrific knee injury, he threw for a franchise-record 4,611 yards with 34 touchdowns and a completion percentage of 70.4, and helped the Bengals climb out of the AFC North cellar and clinch their first division title since 2015.
Although the Bengals advanced to their first AFC title game in more than 30 years on a walk-off field goal made by rookie Evan McPherson, the moment wouldn't have been possible without sheer toughness and grit from Burrow. Despite being sacked a whopping nine times against the Tennessee Titans in the divisional round -- which tied an NFL playoff record -- he still managed to rack up 348 yards.
Cincinnati also overcame an 18-point deficit in the AFC championship to upset the Kansas City Chiefs on Jan. 30 at Arrowhead Stadium. Burrow orchestrated four scoring drives in the final 29 minutes of play, and finished with 250 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. If the Bengals outlast the hometown Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl 56, Burrow will become the first quarterback to win the Heisman Trophy, a college national title, and a Lombardi Trophy.
Super Bowl 56 between Cincinnati and Los Angeles will take place on Feb. 13 at SoFi Stadium, with kickoff scheduled for 6:30 ET. According to projections from FiveThirtyEight, the Bengals currently have a 32-percent chance to win. Before the regular season, they were given less than a 1-percent chance.
The entire football conversation between Leaf and Maggie and Perloff can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow the Maggie and Perloff Show on Twitter @MaggieandPerl and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.