New Bills coach Joe Brady/QB Joe Burrow Prove Scheme Matter.
Scheme and fit can be the difference between Bust and Boom!
Joe Burrow’s rise from a pedestrian player to a future college football Hall of Famer illustrates the importance of timing, coaching, scheme, and fit.
The Burrow Transformation: Why Scheme and Fit Are Everything
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is among the most accomplished and recognizable players in professional football. In 2019, as a college player, he led LSU to a national championship and won the Heisman Trophy as the nation’s top collegiate player. Since entering the NFL, Burrow has battled injuries but remains one of the league’s top performers when healthy. His professional accolades include two Pro Bowl selections and leading the Bengals to a Super Bowl appearance in 2021.
Former college football coach Rick Neuheisel once referred to Burrow as a “wunderkind” for his ability to mentally process the game and dissect a defense. As the son of a coach, Burrow’s mental acumen is impressive, giving him an edge every time he takes the field. What makes him deadly is that the Ohio native possesses the size and arm strength to complement his wits.
With the collection of magnificent accomplishments Burrow has garnered in his career, most who don’t follow college football assume he was always a blue-chip player destined for stardom. However, the history of Burrow’s career tells a very different story. Despite being a highly rated four-star recruit, he was not projected as NFL talent out of high school. Instead, he was viewed as more of a mid-tier Power Five starting quarterback or a backup at a major Power Five program. However, as Burrow’s career progressed, a change of scenery and a stroke of luck would change the trajectory of the young quarterback’s career path.
This story will illustrate by exploring the data on how Burrow’s transfer to LSU in 2018, and the Tigers’ hiring of assistant coach Joe Brady as the team’s passing coordinator, ignited the QB’s career from one that was pedestrian into a final season that will perhaps go down as the single most dominant season from a quarterback in the history of college football. The point is simple. When it comes to a quarterback’s success, outside of natural skill and ability, scheme and program fit are essential to success.
This exploration hopes to address the age-old question in football. Is the quarterback a bust or is the franchise or program the QB plays for simply dysfunctional to the point, that the player has little chance of finding any measure of meaningful success? Over the years since the evolution of the NFL into a multi-million-dollar money-making behemoth, countless players who play the game’s most famous position have met with mounds of pre-draft hype by all the experts who cover the game.
Some are considered booms and others busts. But why? Was the evaluation of the player by the so-called experts and the NFL scouts wrong? Was the player simply overrated? Were the signs for the quarterbacks who ended up being busts there all along and those signs were just missed leading up to the draft?
Certainly, all questions and theories have been debated by fans and football professionals alike over the decades.
The NFL Draft serves as an annual launchpad of hope for the latest and greatest college prospects as they prepare to transition from amateur to professional football. The quarterback position holds particular significance in the league, as an elite signal-caller can stabilize a struggling franchise for years to come. Due to the high demand for top-tier quarterbacks, the Draft presents an opportunity to unearth the next Patrick Mahomes or Josh Allen. However, it also tempts teams into desperation and impatience as they search for a long-term solution at the position.
This raises an important question: Why? Many of these prospects possess similar intangibles, catching the eyes of scouts in strikingly similar ways. So why do some go on to thrive while others fade into obscurity? Will analyzing data comparisons provide a clearer picture, or will we remain just as perplexed by the mystery of why some players become busts?
Burrow started two years in college in Baton Rouge. One year was exclusively under the direction of offensive coordinator Steve Ensminger. The next year, the Bayou Bengals added a young passing game coordinator, Joe Brady. In his first year, Burrow was a meager 57% passer, accounting for 16 touchdown passes. One year later, he completed a whopping 76 percent of his throws and tossed 60 touchdown passes. Truly an amazing rise to glory that thirsts to be examined by the numbers.
This phenomenon isn’t unique to the Bengals quarterback. Several other signal-callers — including Jalen Hurts, Jared Goff, and Alex Smith — serve as compelling examples of how a change in scheme and coaching can completely reshape a player’s trajectory. Hurts, in particular, stands out as a quarterback who was initially undervalued in one system, only to thrive and emerge as a star when given the right fit and opportunity.
Burrow struggles to find the field
Joe’s father, Jim Burrow, spent his coaching career at several colleges, primarily focusing on defense. Over the years, he coached at schools like Nebraska, Iowa State, North Dakota State, and Ohio. Although Joe would eventually shine on offense, his defensive upbringing and time spent with his father helped shape his understanding of the quarterback position. His close relationship with his dad and deep love for the game allowed him to grasp football at a level rarely seen among players.
When recalling Burrow’s visit to LSU, head coach Ed Orgeron once said that after just 10 minutes of conversation, he and his staff realized Burrow was the smartest person in the room. Burrow later responded to Orgeron’s comment, saying, “I knew it in five.”
Joe Burrow brought his talent to Columbus, Ohio, joining the Buckeyes in the fall of 2015 as a redshirt freshman. For two seasons, he served as a backup under national championship-winning coach Urban Meyer. He attended high school in Athens, Ohio, while his father worked as an assistant coach at Ohio University. Burrow excelled in high school, leading his team to its first seven state playoff victories in program history. With his father’s experience as a coach, Burrow became a true student of the game.
Although Joe Burrow always had the acumen and talent to succeed at the highest levels — as proven by his Heisman Trophy win as a senior — college coaches didn’t always see him as a future star. While Urban Meyer praised Burrow’s leadership and toughness, he ultimately chose Dwayne Haskins to be the Buckeyes’ starting quarterback after J.T. Barrett. Burrow was coming off a hand injury suffered in 2017 camp, and Haskins had a stronger arm and more explosive upside in the eyes of the staff. Burrow, recognizing the writing on the wall, sought a better opportunity.
Burrow committed to Ohio State as an in-state recruit and joined the team in 2015, a clear indicator Meyer had no immediate plans to work him into the quarterback competition early in his career. The QB climbed the depth chart and eventually served as the team’s backup quarterback behind J.T. Barrett in 2016 and 2017. He played in limited action both years, mostly in mop-up duty after Barrett and the Buckeyes had already put games away. In limited duty in garbage time, Burrow played in 10 total games, threw 39 passes, and completed 29 for 287 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Although the Ohio State coaching staff never fully identified his potential, Burrow knew he was being underutilized in Columbus. He told the media, “I didn’t come here to sit on the bench for four years. I know I’m a pretty good quarterback. I want to play somewhere.” The message was clear: Burrow believed in himself and was tired of waiting. He would later indicate the Buckeyes never saw him as a game-changer — just a dependable option in case of emergency. The time had come for Burrow to make a change, and it just so happened that Ed Orgeron needed a boost at quarterback.
When Burrow entered the quarterback competition at LSU, Orgeron made it clear that nothing would be promised and the job was far from guaranteed. Burrow was viewed as a nice piece to add depth to the quarterback room but not a star acquisition. He entered a wide-open competition for the starting job in 2018 and was joined by prospects Myles Brennan, Justin McMillan, and Lowell Narcisse. Orgeron said coming out of spring practice that year that “every one of them has a chance to start at LSU and play and they all know it.” Even though Burrow had a fresh change of scenery in the SEC, the facts remained — he would have to earn the job to fulfill his goal of being the Tigers’ starter.
In 2018, Steve Ensminger served as offensive coordinator and called all the plays for the LSU offense. Ensminger, an older coach, favored more traditional pro-style schemes that emphasized balance and ball control. While his approach provided stability, it lacked the explosive traits needed to dominate in the evolving world of college football.
The era of the RPO (run-pass option) was taking flight across the country, and teams that executed the scheme effectively were experiencing massive offensive success. Orgeron knew a conservative, throwback offense would not be enough to win big in the SEC. It wouldn’t attract elite recruits, nor could it keep pace with the high-powered attacks coming out of places like Alabama and Oklahoma. Enter Joe Brady.
Brady was a 28-year-old staffer with the New Orleans Saints when Orgeron invited someone from the Saints organization to visit LSU and teach the staff about modern offensive trends. Brady’s presentation blew Orgeron away. His understanding of the spread passing game and RPOs — and his ability to teach it — made a major impression. Instead of just borrowing a few ideas, Orgeron hired Brady as LSU’s new passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach.
Brady wasn’t the offensive coordinator — Ensminger kept that title and continued calling plays — but Brady’s influence modernized the offense dramatically. His work with the Saints under Sean Payton brought pro-style passing concepts to LSU’s playbook, helping create mismatches and simplify reads for the quarterback.
While everyone in Louisiana hoped Brady’s addition would spark improvement, no one could have predicted what was coming. The combination of Brady’s offensive innovation and Burrow’s football IQ, toughness, and accuracy produced one of the most legendary seasons in college football history. Together, they rewrote record books and changed how we think about quarterback development — and what a great offense can be.
A ROCKY START
After Cardale Jones was named Ohio State’s starting quarterback following the 2015 Buckeyes’ Spring Game, the writing was on the wall for Joe Burrow. The recent Ohio State transfer knew that to play high-level college football as more than a backup, he would have to leave Columbus and find an opportunity elsewhere. The good news was that Burrow would not have to sit out a year after leaving Ohio State. He had already earned his degree and was eligible to play immediately based on NCAA transfer rules. Current rules in college sports allow student-athletes to transfer once without penalty, but that wasn’t always the case. Up until recently, only graduate students received immediate eligibility, while undergraduate students had to sit out a year of competition to become eligible to participate in their sport again.
After Urban Meyer informed him, he would not be the starter after the Ohio State Spring Game, the Burrow family had to re-evaluate what would be best for the young player’s future. The early leader to land Burrow’s talents was the Cincinnati Bearcats. The Bearcats were considered one of the top mid-major programs in the country from the American Athletic Conference and had recently hired former Ohio State defensive coordinator Luke Fickell as their head coach. As a result of the program’s success and Burrow’s familiarity with Coach Fickell, it seemed an obvious landing spot for Joe to find the playing time he so desperately desired.
Cincinnati certainly made sense from a fit and comfort perspective, but the Burrow family wanted to make sure it explored all its options. Enter LSU. Coach Ed Orgeron invited the Burrow family on an official visit to Baton Rouge to discuss the possibility of Joe playing for the program and where he would fit into the starting quarterback competition. Both sides impressed each other enough during the visit that the Burrows took a chance on Joe playing for LSU. Coach O insisted Joe would not be given the job and would have to beat out some stiff competition. However, there was certainly a belief after the weekend that maybe Burrow was the fix at quarterback the Tigers desperately needed to catch the top programs in the SEC.
Burrow would eventually win the job in fall camp, beating out a variety of competitors including the perceived favorite, Myles Brennan. Burrow found success in his first season as the starting quarterback for LSU and was solid across the board — but far from spectacular. Certainly, nothing about the 2018 season would indicate what was to come in 2019 after some major tweaks to the offensive scheme, ushered in by new assistant Joe Brady.
In 2018, under offensive coordinator Steve Ensminger, Burrow completed 58 percent of his passes. He ranked 45th among all quarterbacks in passing yards that season, and his completion percentage put him outside the top 50 nationally. To put it bluntly, absolutely nobody looked at those numbers and projected that just one season later Burrow would go №1 overall in the NFL Draft. His junior year stats suggested a potential late-round pick or undrafted free agent at best when his college career ended.
Against top opponents as a junior, the numbers show Burrow’s performance was adequate but not spectacular. Joe’s first start as LSU’s quarterback was nothing short of a disaster. The Tigers played the Miami Hurricanes in Arlington, Texas to open the season, and Tiger fans were anxious to see if any improvements had been made to the offense. LSU fans had grown used to elite defenses paired with pedestrian offenses. The program remained competitive but lacked the firepower to contend for the sport’s biggest prizes.
After that opener, any preseason hype about Burrow quickly faded. His debut did not offer a promising glimpse into the future. He finished the game 11-of-24 passing — a mere 45 percent completion rate — in a 33–17 win over the Hurricanes. He had zero touchdown passes and left the Tiger faithful who made the trip to Texas underwhelmed and unsure.
Things improved, and LSU would finish the season as one of the top teams in college football. Thanks in large part to a dominant defense and an offense that was just good enough to win — but far from explosive.
Against top defenses in the Southeastern Conference, Burrow’s statistics remained pedestrian as a junior. LSU’s win over Auburn early in the season is a perfect illustration of how the Tigers were able to piece together enough victories to finish sixth in the final AP poll, thanks to a top-notch defense. Burrow’s performance against Auburn was less than inspiring, as the quarterback completed just 44 percent of his passes, going 15 for 34 with only one touchdown. Despite the lackluster performance from their quarterback, LSU managed to gut out a tough 22–21 win on the road.
Two of LSU’s three losses in 2018 perfectly showcased the Tigers’ desperate need to find answers to jumpstart their lackluster offense. During a 29–0 loss to Alabama in a November rivalry game, Burrow struggled. The Tide’s pass rush consistently kept the quarterback under duress, and he had difficulty finding any sort of rhythm. He finished the game with a meager 51 percent completion percentage, accounting for no touchdowns and one harmful interception.
A month earlier, in a road loss to Florida, LSU’s offensive struggles told a similar story. Burrow completed 19 of 34 passes that day, with just 54 percent accuracy at the Swamp. Mistakes ruled the day, as Burrow threw two interceptions and failed to score a touchdown.
Burrow was running Steve Ensminger’s more traditional, run-heavy pro-style offense. The quarterback’s numbers were not overly impressive in 2018, but in many ways, they weren’t designed to be. The system relied heavily on play-action and followed a traditional pro-style approach to the game. LSU ranked 35th nationally in rushing in 2018, averaging just under 200 yards per game on the ground. The Tigers implemented a ball-control strategy while relying heavily on their defense. The passing game featured more medium- and short-range routes to avoid turnovers. This approach minimized the use of vertical routes that could stretch a defense and reduce focus on the box. While the style was enough to win games, the Tigers finished with nine wins that year, but their offensive production paled in comparison to offensive juggernauts of the time, like Alabama and Oklahoma.
A Season to Remember
LSU quarterback Joe Burrow was not given any Heisman Trophy future odds and was not listed as a top prospect heading into his final season at LSU. While he was expected to remain the Tigers’ quarterback, expectations for Joe were relatively low compared to some of his peers in the SEC.
Coach Ed Orgeron was entering his third season as the full-time coach at LSU and was desperate to compete for a national championship. Orgeron took over the job on an interim basis after the firing of Les Miles a few years prior and was working diligently to prove to his bosses that they made the right decision in handing him the reins to the program on a full-time basis.
RPOs were all the rage across college football and were making headlines with quarterbacks like Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray putting up eye-popping numbers at Oklahoma under offensive innovator Lincoln Riley. In Year 3, it was now or never for Coach O to prove he could lead the Tigers to a championship, but he felt he could not do it if his team continued to run a traditional pro-style offense. Therefore, Joe Brady was hired away from the New Orleans Saints to upgrade the Tigers’ offense.
Coach O did not want to move on from Steve Ensminger and retained him as offensive coordinator, but he wanted Brady to join the offensive staff and bring the scheme and play calling into the modern era of college football. After a historic season that led to a national championship and one of the greatest offensive outputs in the history of football at any level, it is safe to say the Tigers accomplished their goal of upgrading the offense — and then some.
Brady’s inclusion on the Tigers’ staff appears to be the missing piece Joe Burrow needed to go from a solid quarterback to an elite one. Burrow’s talents, including his ability to read a defense and throw the deep ball with accuracy, were hindered by the previous scheme. LSU had a player capable of producing big numbers, but the offensive scheme was holding him back. Perhaps it was stubbornness or lack of foresight, but for whatever reason, it was clear in hindsight that the scheme itself was preventing Burrow from reaching his full potential.
This raises a question for any football fan about how many other quarterbacks’ talents may have been wasted over the years and how many careers were ruined because of the coaching staff’s stubbornness or ignorance. It might be an impossible fact to measure, but it certainly deserves investigation, especially after Burrow’s miraculous change in production from 2018 to 2019.
The 2019 season opened with high expectations for LSU but modest compared to some rivals in the SEC. The Tigers were ranked №6 in the preseason AP poll but were behind conference rivals Alabama (№2) and Georgia (№3). Clemson took the top spot at №1. Brady’s addition to the staff brought plenty of preseason hype from college football media, yet it was not enough to convince experts that the Tigers would win the SEC that season. Although observers were hopeful for an improved offense from LSU, the expectation remained that the Bayou Bengals would be a strong team but not elite enough to compete for a title.
The Tigers’ campaign kicked off at home against Sun Belt opponent Georgia Southern. The Tigers’ offense was brilliant that day, but little could be gleaned regarding the outlook for the season based on that performance against a vastly inferior opponent. SEC teams are typically bigger, stronger, and faster than mid-major opponents and, thus, are expected to win those games by a significant margin. The Tigers won 55–3, with Burrow throwing for five touchdowns, yet uncertainty remained about how much the Brady-Burrow collaboration would impact the Tigers’ fortunes on offense.
In Week 2, everything changed forever. The Bayou Bengals faced their first big test of the season in a nonconference road matchup against Texas in Austin. The game turned into a shootout; the Tigers prevailed 45–38, with Burrow shining for the first time against a major opponent. The signal-caller finished passing for 471 yards and was incredibly efficient — 31 of 39 — resulting in an 80% completion percentage for the game. He threw for five touchdowns against the Longhorns. A star was born that day, and the senior immediately entered the nation’s Heisman watch lists.
The Texas game was just the beginning as the new-look RPO offense took flight. Burrow’s completion percentage against ranked opponents had been pedestrian at best before 2019; however, it was record-breaking that year. After a lighter schedule in September, the Tigers were poised to prove they were a legitimate contender for a conference championship as their league slate ramped up in mid-October. The Tigers have enjoyed a long-standing rivalry with the Florida Gators of the SEC East, competing annually. This year’s version of the rivalry was sure to be a litmus test to see whether this new offense would hold up against the highest-caliber defenses in America. Burrow and Brady would more than answer that question.
After a 5–0 start against lesser competition, LSU thumped Florida to prove its valor and eliminate any doubt that the Burrow-Brady connection was as powerful as the first month of the season had suggested. The quarterback lit up the Gators, completing 21 of 24 passes — an incredible 87% completion rate — and threw for three touchdowns with no interceptions. Burrow had a near-perfect day en route to a dominant win over the №7 team in the country.
By comparison, Burrow had completed only 55% of his passes against the Gators the year before and was picked off twice. The message was clear: scheme and fit matter. In fact, to ensure a player’s success, they could be everything. The numbers clearly back that up.
After an 8–0 start and rising to №2 in the major polls, LSU had now convinced football fans everywhere that the Tigers were different and ready to play for big prizes. Burrow’s red-hot start made him the Heisman Trophy favorite, and LSU was now viewed as a legitimate contender for the national title. Standing in the Tigers’ way was perennial power Alabama.
A win over the Crimson Tide would cement LSU’s head-to-head advantage in the SEC West, putting the Tigers in position to reach the conference title game and earn a College Football Playoff invitation. Alabama was ranked №3 heading into the showdown, and this year’s installment of the rivalry would be played in Tuscaloosa. Alabama had appeared in each of the previous four national championship games and won two of those under the leadership of legendary head coach Nick Saban.
Remember, last year against Alabama, LSU was dominated in every phase of the game. Burrow completed only 51 percent of his passes with one interception, and the Tigers were shut out by the Tide in Baton Rouge. This year’s version of the annual tilt could not have played out more differently. The Tigers cemented themselves as the country’s top team on the way to edging the Crimson Tide 46–41 in a hard-fought battle. Burrow needed to be spectacular to beat Alabama, and he delivered — completing 31 of 39 passes, an 80 percent completion rate for the game. That’s 25 percentage points higher than his mark against the same team just one year earlier. The dramatic improvement by Burrow and his three touchdown passes helped the Bayou Bengals secure their spot as the №1 team in the nation.
The quarterback had gone from borderline NFL prospect to the projected №1 pick in the draft in just three months. The newly installed system was playing to his strengths, and Burrow was capitalizing — elevating LSU, rewriting records, and drastically improving his NFL stock all at the same time.
Burrow was on his way to completing one of the greatest seasons in college football history. He would go on to set NCAA records for most touchdown passes (60) and highest completion percentage (76%) in a season. His 5,671 passing yards also set an SEC record for most in a season. The quarterback went from mediocrity to stardom in just one season. The reason for this transformation is clear: the scheme was adjusted to fit his skill set in his final season, and the records prove how crucial fit, and system can be. Burrow was a one-man wrecking crew who dazzled anyone lucky enough to watch him play during his senior season.
After an entire year of development, the Burrow and Brady connection proved extra lethal in college football, leading LSU to a national championship. LSU played Oklahoma in the Peach Bowl in a national semifinal, and Burrow’s first-half performance may be the most impressive by any quarterback in history. In the first 30 minutes alone against Oklahoma, Burrow threw for 7 touchdowns and finished with 493 passing yards.
In the national championship game against Clemson, Burrow and the Tigers took on future #1 draft pick QB, Trevor Lawerence. The results were like other games LSU played all season as the Bayou Bengals crushed Clemson 42–25 behind an excellent performance by Burrow. LSU’s QB1 passed for 463 yards, 5 touchdowns and was clean, with zero interceptions. Trevor Lawerence in the loss was 18–37 for 234 and 0 touchdowns. In a dual of the nation’s best future NFL prospects at the game’s most important position, Burrow sent a clear message as to which QB was superior, capping off a record-breaking season for the history books.
Hurts so good
Comparing Joe Burrow’s statistics at LSU from 2018 to 2019 after a coaching addition and scheme change should be enough to convince any skeptic about the importance of scheme fit for any player, especially a quarterback. However, let’s go a step further and focus on another player who found success changing schemes, schools, and systems: reigning Super Bowl MVP and former Oklahoma QB, Jalen Hurts.
Jalen Hurts began his career at Alabama, experiencing considerable success early on. Initially, Hurts ran a more traditional pro-style offense, which relied heavily on the running game and ball control. While Hurts led the Tide to victories, he struggled to develop as a passer and was eventually benched during the 2018 National Championship Game in Atlanta. Despite Alabama’s rally from behind to defeat Georgia in overtime, Hurts lost his starting job to Tua Tagovailoa, who would remain as the starter. After sitting behind Tua for a year, Hurts decided to transfer to Oklahoma, hoping to revitalize his professional prospects.
In 2019, Hurts and Joe Burrow met in the Peach Bowl, with LSU claiming a decisive victory. However, Hurts’ 2019 season was a turning point. He reinvented himself as a quarterback, finishing third in the Heisman Trophy race, just two spots behind Burrow. This was especially impressive for a player who had been written off at Alabama due to his passing struggles, despite his remarkable athleticism and running ability. While Tagovailoa was also a talented runner, he was more refined as a passer, leading Nick Saban to make the switch at quarterback.
Hurts’ numbers after transferring to Oklahoma show just how much scheme and fit matter in a player’s development. At Alabama, Hurts started for two seasons, completing 60% of his passes in his second year. He passed for 2,081 yards and had a 17-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio. These were solid numbers for a winning quarterback, but Hurts found a new level of confidence in Lincoln Riley’s quarterback-friendly, wide-open system at Oklahoma.
In his lone season with the Sooners, Hurts led Oklahoma to a Big 12 championship and a College Football Playoff appearance. He completed 70% of his passes and threw for over 3,800 yards — nearly 1,800 more yards than his previous season at Alabama. This new confidence as a passer made Hurts a highly appealing selection for NFL teams, and the Philadelphia Eagles drafted him in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
Since entering the NFL, Hurts has continued to improve. He has led the Eagles to multiple Super Bowl appearances, winning the most recent one, and has earned two Pro Bowl selections.
Conclusion
Joe Burrow’s rise to from an average college quarterback to one of the greatest players of all time did not happen by accident. It was also not simply the work of quarterback development over time. Burrow’s rise is rooted in scheme, timing, and fit. Coaching matters. Just ask Joe. Burrow’s climb to Glory was chosen as a focal point because it accurately illustrates how much players get blamed for not performing at a high level but is the coaching staff giving the player the best chance to succeed? Burrow’s career is proof positive, that coaches often fail to maximize the potential of the talent on their rosters.
The comparison to Hurts is also informative. Jalen was always a productive player, but a more pro-style offensive approach at Alabama limited his ability to develop as a passer. The development of Hurts’ passing skills at Oklahoma, while not as drastic as Burrow’s transformation, was still clearly noticeable. Jalen’s year at Oklahoma gave him the boost he needed to gain traction as an NFL star.
Ultimately, the Burrow transformation serves as a case study in the value of context — and how media often see things through a narrow lens while ignoring the totality of the story. Players often get labeled as busts, but is their failure all theirs to bear? Raw statistics simply don’t exist in a vacuum. Coaching matters. So does scheme, and program or organizational fit. Sometimes, a future Hall of Famer may just be the right coach and scheme away from unlocking true greatness. Going from a 55% to a 77% passer in exactly one season does not happen simply by accident. Like any great recipe, to achieve greatness, you need the right ingredients. Joe Burrow is the perfect example.