Burrow: Camp struggles are a 'mental thing' after torn ACL
The Cincinnati Bengals' offense has sputtered during the opening part of training camp, with quarterback Joe Burrow looking out of sync coming off a torn ACL.
The sophomore quarterback was lauded for his ability to perform under pressure while playing at LSU and during his rookie season. Burrow said Saturday he has yet to fully regain that pocket presence despite feeling physically recovered.
"I would say right now it's a mental thing, that I'm just getting back used to playing football again against top-level competition," Burrow said. "Hopefully a couple more reps, a couple more days, we'll get back to my old self."
"I just need to get back to being able to feel the people around me as opposed to seeing the people around me," he added. "I've always had a great feel for the pocket, a feel for where everybody is. It's just going to some more reps to get that back."
When asked about his level of frustration with his performance, Burrow said, "It's up there."
"It's frustrating right now, more so just not feeling like myself," he said. "I know I've put the work in to make my knee feel good, make my body ready for the season. It's just now trusting my abilities, trusting my work, trusting everything."
Burrow also said he needs to be more patient with himself while just eight months removed from reconstructive knee surgery.
"I have to temper my expectations of myself down a little bit so I don't get frustrated," said Burrow. "When we get closer to Game 1, if this is still happening, the panic button will start off. But right now, there's no panic button going on."
The Bengals attempted to bolster Burrow's supporting cast heading into his second season.
Cincinnati drafted wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase - the quarterback's former Tigers teammate - with the No. 5 pick, and the Bengals signed offensive tackle Riley Reiff.
They only won two games with Burrow under center in 2020, but he still lived up to expectations through 10 contests before getting hurt.
The Heisman Trophy winner racked up 2,688 passing yards and 13 touchdowns against five interceptions while completing 65.3% of his throws.