Joe Burrow’s hometown wants him on the Bengals, for better or worse

Southeast Ohio awaits native son Joe Burrow to become the Cincinnati Bengals’ quarterback savior. Is this necessarily a good spot for him to be in, though?

By the end of the week, Joe Burrow should be a member of the Cincinnati Bengals.

The 2019 Heisman Trophy winner led the LSU Tigers to an undefeated national championship, as he put together arguably the greatest single-season by a college football player to date. Only Cam Newton‘s magnificent 2010 campaign with the Auburn Tigers rivals it as a quarterback. The only other comparable is Barry Sanders‘ stellar 1988 season for the Oklahoma State Cowboys.

Barring an unforeseen catastrophe, Burrow will take his Bayou Bengal stripes northbound from Baton Rouge to the Queen City, where he is expected to take an AFC afterthought and transform it into a winner. While Cincinnati hasn’t won a playoff game in his lifetime, those who know him best are all-in on Burrow elevating the Bengals into something they haven’t been in over 30 years.

In Patrick Schmidt‘s “Pride of The Plains” feature for FanSided, Burrow’s high school teammate, high school physics teacher and high school basketball coach are all excited about the prospect of him playing for the nearby Bengals. They also realize Cincinnati hasn’t exactly been the standard for what a high-functioning NFL organization looks like for more than a quarter of a century.

Burrow’s high school teammate and childhood best friend Adam Luehrman finds it surreal someone he’s know since 2003 will end up being the face of the NFL team he grew up rooting for.

“It’s kinda weird how your best friend could be the quarterback of your favorite [NFL] team,” said Luehrman. “We’re happy wherever he goes but we want the Bengals to take him because so many people from Athens would be able to see him play. Of course, we want him to be in a place where he’s successful. That’s the most important thing for us.”

At the NFL Scouting Combine up in Indianapolis, Burrow mentioned two of his best friends are Bengals fans during the interview process. It’s a pretty cool shout-out from one best friend to another. Maybe Luehrman will get the chance to watch Burrow lead the Bengals to victory at Paul Brown Stadium for years to come?

Chad Springer taught Burrow physics at Athens High School, a place where he is now the principal. He told Schmidt “he’s heard from people who prefer he go somewhere else, while some want him to go to the Bengals so they can watch him. But ultimately, they all want whatever’s best for him.”

“They’re going to get a genuine person,” Springer said. “There’s nothing fake about that man.”

Burrow’s high school basketball coach Jeff Skinner perhaps puts it best. “Whether he goes to Cincinnati or wherever, his teammates are gonna find out real quick that Joe’s gonna keep his head down, do his work and lead by example. Once he establishes himself as the alpha in the locker room then the expectations of his teammates are gonna be high. That’s the kind of leader Joe is.”

For Burrow to begin his NFL career only 2.5 hours away would be wonderful for the people who saw him grow up. However, these same people who cheered him on at Ohio State and LSU understand who the Bengals are and what they have been for 30 years. Regardless, you could say Southeast Ohio is optimistic about Burrow changing the Bengals’ perception in a positive manner.

For better or worse, Southeast Ohio is ready for Burrow to be a Bengal.