The Cincinnati Bengals crowned their next face of the franchise when the AFC North club selected LSU stud and reigning Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow with the first overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft last April. Now a former MVP quarterback for the franchise is imparting wisdom upon Burrow and the Bengals.
Per Tyler Dragon in the Cincinnati Enquirer:
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Anderson, 71, took the Bengals to the franchise's first Super Bowl appearance back in the 1981-82 NFL season, winning regular-season MVP honors in the process. Originally a third-round pick-up by Cincinnati out of Division III school Augustana College, Anderson turned in a very good career, spending 16 years all with the Bengals and four postseason trips.
Anderson, however, only started in four games during his rookie season with the Bengals back in 1971, with then-fourth-year veteran Virgil Carter getting most of the reps under center. Of course, Anderson's entrance into the professional football league does not hold a candle to Burrow's. The Ohio native, 23, had one of the greatest seasons for a college quarterback with the Tigers in 2019-20—an undefeated campaign capped off with the national title back in January.
During the season, Burrow threw for over 5,600 passing yards, completing an immaculate 60 touchdowns and just six interceptions, making him the easy choice for top quarterback off the board in the 2020 draft class.
Coming to the Bengals, Burrow is expected to hook up with new targets like star receiver AJ Green and rookie wideout Tee Higgins. On that note, Anderson called Burrow's outside weapons “encouraging.”