NFL’s coolest athlete out to deny Kroenke
Burrow is big threat to Rams in Super Bowl
FOR Cincinnati Bengals to win their first Super Bowl, they will need one player to make his mark on the showpiece.
In only his second season in the NFL, Joe Burrow has transformed the fortunes of the franchise facing Los Angeles Rams today.
The No1 overall pick of the 2020 draft, Burrow’s rookie campaign ended in only his 10th NFL game when he tore both his anterior and medial cruciate ligaments.
But the 25-year-old has recovered both physically and mentally, showing no scars from the injury during a magic carpet ride of a season.
He has proven capable of magnificent throws, damaging runs and inspirational play, and manages to be as likeable off the field as he is on it. Both team-mates and opponents talk about him in gushing terms.
‘If you look up the word “cool” in the dictionary, there should just be a picture of him,’ said Rams receiver Odell Beckham Jr.
As for Burrow, he loves playing the pivotal role in a game. ‘My favourite part about playing quarterback... there are great players at every position in the
NFL, but only a few really affect the game in a drastic way,’ he said.
‘Quarterback is the one position on the field that can really affect the game on every play. I like having the ball in my hands every play and being able to win or lose with me.’
When you read that, it may chide. But if you listen to Burrow you end up liking him — and rooting for him.
After winning the Heisman Trophy and the national championship with Louisiana State University in his final year of college football, he can join namesakes Namath and Montana as the only quarterbacks to complete the triumvirate.
He could also give Bengals their first Super Bowl victory, with the franchise having lost in 1982 and 1989, their two previous appearances.
The Rams have won it once, in 2000, 10 years before Arsenal owner Stan
Kroenke purchased a browbeaten franchise for a discounted $750million (£553m). He moved them back to Los Angeles from St Louis in 2016 and the Rams’ value has soared.
But their popularity is yet to reach fever pitch. Deprived of an NFL team for 22 years following their relocation after the 1994 season, most of Los Angeles’ fair-weather fans lean towards the Raiders as their team.
Though now based in Las Vegas, the Raiders became part of Los Angeles folklore between 1982-1994, with their black and silver becoming synonymous with street culture and rap group NWA.
As a result, Rams’ home games are regularly attended by more away fans than those in the team’s trademark blue and yellow. That will be no different in California today, when they will need to stop a player whom Beckham Jr believes will become one of the best ever. He’s going to be one of the greats,’ he said. ‘I really believe that.’
Super Bowl LVI: Cincinnati Bengals
v LA Rams. Live on BBC One and
Sky Sports NFL. Kick-off 11.30pm.