"How devastating is that" - NFL analyst feels sacks could take a toll on Joe Burrow's career
burrow" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">Joe Burrow put himself on the map in 2021 for all of the right reasons. The offensive line also put themselves on the map in 2021, but for all of the wrong reasons.
Most would agree the offensive line is easily the biggest weakness for the Cincinnati Bengals. It is such a liability that NFL analysts are concerned about Joe Burrow's future in the NFL.
Speaking on Get Up, NFL analyst Jeff Saturday was adamant in underlining how Burrow's teammates could derail his career.
"I'll put this in perspective," Saturday said. "He [Joe Burrow] got sacked 19 times in the playoffs. I played 13 years with Peyton Manning. I don't know that he got sacked more than 19 times in a season. Like just to show you how I mean how devastating this is for a guy's career."
Jeff Saturday was a center who played with Peyton Manning when he was with the Indianapolis Colts. His decision to use his history of playing on a line that covered Manning's back has some humble-bragging undertones, but the essential point is clear and, most would say, correct. Joe Burrow has been sacked far too many times.
How the Bengals, Joe Burrow can fix their line issues
It doesn't help that the Bengals quarterback is more of a pocket passer than other quarterbacks. He can scramble, and he did so in the Super Bowl. However, he can't roll away from pressure and extend plays like Russell Wilson, Patrick Mahomes, or Lamar Jackson. In other words, he cannot overcome his teammates' troubles with his legs.
As such, when a pass rusher gets through, the quarterback's options become limited. Often, he doesn't get a choice and takes a sack. Of course, the quarterback does have some levers he can pull as time goes on. In only his second season, Burrow hasn't reached a point where he can identify blitzes and assign blockers as well as Peyton Manning.
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That said, he may never reach that level of being able to dissect a play like Manning, but he could get better to the point where he's nipping the defense in the bud. Over time, those adjustments at the line of scrimmage could pay dividends in extending his career. Otherwise, he could do what Brady did when he was with the Buccaneers. At the first sign of pressure, he could simply drop to accept the sack.
Joe Burrow: “We’re probably as hungry now as we were before the game. Not just for us, but for the fans as well.” https://t.co/eEzfofYPOy
If nothing is done, the Bengals quarterback could fall to injury in short order. He's already had one torn ACL and was injured in the Super Bowl. If this continues, he will not make it to 30 years old in the league. Put simply, the Bengals cannot hope for their No. 9 to fix their blocking issues. They need to make moves to get better pieces this offseason.
Of course, playing in the Super Bowl will go a long way towards getting free agents and top offensive line coaches interested in heading to Ohio.