Few if any NFL quarterbacks have the aura that surrounds Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow.
Whatever the “it” factor is, he displayed it in college at LSU, takes it to the field on Sundays, and recently took it across the ocean to wow a different audience.
Burrow prominently strolled through a Fashion Week presentation in Europe along with Justin Jefferson of the Vikings, and all eyes were on the Bengals quarterback.
He sported a black dinner jacket with no visible shirt in the front and over half of the back cut out in the shape of a diamond.
This impressed one former NFL star, who made a striking comparison between the man dubbed “Joe Cool” and a gridiron legend from the 1960s and 70s.
According to Howie Long, “Burrow reminds me kind of a little bit of Joe Namath. He’s got a little Joe Namath in him.”
“Burrow reminds me kind of a little bit of Joe Namath. He’s got a little Joe Namath in him.”
– Howie Long on a past player that matches Joe Burrow’s aura @JOEL9ONE pic.twitter.com/vY91aVU0PS
— Green Light with Chris Long (@greenlight) July 3, 2024
That is an obvious comparison to make for anyone old enough to have watched “Broadway Joe” or who is simply a fan of NFL Films.
Namath gave the improbable guarantee before Super Bowl III that his upstart New York Jets of the AFL would defeat the NFL’s heavily favored Baltimore Colts.
As has often been said, it isn’t bragging if you can do it, and Namath engineered a 16-7 upset that many credit with the eventual merger between the two football leagues.
Long is a Hall of Famer who spent 13 illustrious seasons with the Raiders and followed his playing days with a career in Hollywood and then the broadcast booth.
He should know.
