Peyton advises Burrow on transition to NFL: It's a marathon, not a sprint
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Joe Burrow's NFL career is about to begin, and the former LSU quarterback is looking for advice from one of the greatest to ever to it.
Burrow called Peyton Manning last week with questions about what to expect in his rookie season.
"I told him, 'Look, Joe, if you're the first pick in the NFL draft, you are going to a team that has earned the first pick in the NFL draft,'" Manning said Sunday on "SportsCenter." "There are going to be some holes there. There's a reason the (Indianapolis) Colts were picking No. 1 that year (Manning was drafted). There's a reason the (Cincinnati) Bengals are picking No. 1 this year.'"
Manning added: "I was trying to say it's a marathon, it's not a sprint. I lost more games in my rookie year than I had in my entire high school and college career combined."
The retired signal-caller was selected first overall by the Colts in 1998 and posted a 3-13 record that year. The Bengals, who are expected to nab Burrow first overall in the 2020 draft, finished 2-14 last season.
Burrow produced a historic senior year at LSU, winning the Heisman Trophy and leading the school to the national title. But Manning says the young quarterback will face new challenges in his transition to the NFL.
"That's what I tried to encourage Joe and all the other rookie quarterbacks, that your rookie year is not going to be the same as your senior year in college," Manning said. "But if you learn how fast the defensive backs are, how soon you have to get rid of the ball, understand defenses, you can become a better player and really get it going the year or two after that."
Manning still holds an unenviable record from his rookie season and joked that Burrow is welcome to surpass it.
"I threw 28 interceptions my first year," Manning said. "That's still an NFL record. If Joe wants to break that, I'd be OK with that. We'd still be friends."
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