Joe Burrow's spot in the QB rankings just doesn't make sense

AtoZ Sports

John Sheeran points out the flaw in the logic of ESPN's Quarterback Rankings surrounding Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow!

Transcript

00:00People have been predictably losing their minds over where Joe Burrow is in the latest quarterback

00:03rankings, but in this video, I'll explain how a debate from four years ago comes to my mind

00:08watching all this unfold. Hi again, Bengals fans, John Sheeran of A to Z Sports Cincinnati here,

00:16and about a month ago, I made a video about Joe Burrow's placement in the discourse of quarterback

00:21rankings and how overall, it's a pretty silly discussion at the end of the day. John Sheeran

00:26of A to Z Sports Cincinnati here, and we are on the precipice of rankings season, the time of year

00:31where literally nothing is happening and everyone is trying to grab your attention and get you mad

00:35about how your favorite players stack up against other players. And I also said that that would be

00:39the last time that I talk about Joe Burrow and quarterback rankings, and I'm not technically

00:43breaking that promise now, but in a way, I guess I kind of am. Because again, I'm not here to debate

00:48on the number, but I am here, I guess, to kind of talk about how the discourse is unfolding in real

00:54time right now. Because ESPN's annual top 10 position rankings in the NFL finally got to the

00:58quarterback position earlier this week. It pulled well over 70 executives, scouts, and coaches from

01:03around the league, and they had Joe Burrow listed at three, one spot ahead of Lamar Jackson. And in

01:07very predictable fashion, it has caused an uproar amongst the people who love to discuss quarterbacks.

01:13And I could engage in that debate, but I have no interest in doing so. What does pique my interest,

01:17though, is that a previous debate from four years ago feels very relevant right now. Because the whole

01:22argument against Burrow is that he has two elite weapons in Jamar Chase and Tee Higgins to throw

01:26to, and the likes of Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, and Lamar Jackson don't have that. And yet back in

01:312021, before Jamar Chase was even drafted, the debate around the Bengals was whether or not the

01:36Bengals should draft Chase or Pene Sewell. Like that was a huge, gigantic debate within the Bengals

01:41community. It even reached the national stage. Me, myself, I was on the side of the Bengals to draft

01:46Jamar Chase because my belief was that a single elite, potentially elite receiver,

01:50is more valuable than a single elite offensive lineman. Because an offensive line, at the end

01:55of the day, is only as good as its weakest link. Whereas a guy like Jamar Chase can truly elevate

02:00an offense all by himself. And if you were to pair a guy like Jamar Chase with a guy like,

02:04I don't know, Tee Higgins, who, if you remember before the 2021 season, there was some promise with

02:08him, but he wasn't nearly as highly regarded as he is now, that's a potentially dangerous and lethal

02:13duo. And four years later, that is exactly what they are regarded as by the very people who

02:18tried to discredit Burrow in these discussions. And if that says anything to me, it says that

02:22the Bengals' plan worked wonders. Like even when they drafted Jamar Chase, it was considered a risk

02:27and a gamble to pass up on a potentially elite passer protector when Joe Burrow was coming off

02:31of a traumatic knee injury. But now the Bengals have what people regard as a cheat code, whereas

02:35the other elite quarterbacks in the NFL do not. And to this day, when people look back at Chase

02:38versus Sewell, it's regarded as a win-win situation. Because obviously the Lions don't regret

02:42landing Panay Sewell, and the Bengals certainly don't regret drafting Jamar Chase. But for the

02:46Bengals, their plan worked so well that dozens of members around the league in scouting departments

02:51and in executive roles and coaches, they all believe that Joe Burrow is, if not better than

02:56Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen at that same level as both of them. And that breaks the brain of people

03:01from outside of the league. The very aspect that analysts try to use to discredit Burrow was being

03:07heavily debated not even five years ago. That is just so crazy to me. And if I remember correctly,

03:12it was some of these analysts that were saying that the Bengals should not draft Jamar Chase,

03:16which is even crazier. And I think these are the interesting things you can pick up on when

03:20you're not so engulfed by a debate in which both sides don't appear to be listening to the other.

03:24Because it obviously does help Joe Burrow to have two elite weapons, and it does help the other

03:28elite quarterbacks to have elite offensive lines and defenses and, frankly, elite organizations.

03:32But if I haven't said it before, nothing is more corrosive in the NFL than quarterback debates.

03:36And that continues to be the case.

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