Baker Ready for College Reunion With Burrow
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Linebacker Jerome Baker will be going back home to Ohio this week for the Miami Dolphins game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
It's a homecoming to which he had been looking forward, but there's another aspect of the game that's had him excited — a reunion with former college teammate Joe Burrow.
Sure, Burrow made his name when he won the Heisman Trophy while quarterbacking LSU to the national title in the 2019 season, but his college journey began with a couple of seasons at Ohio State.
"I’m definitely really excited to play against Joe," Baker said. "That’s my boy right there. So definitely, it’s going to be a fun one. And, of course, we’re going to talk a little stuff. But it’s all love and I’m definitely excited to play against him.”
Burrow attempted only 39 passes during his two seasons at Ohio State, then had an uneventful first year at LSU before he blew up in 2019.
Baker, though, said he saw something special in Burrow very quickly and isn't surprised in the least he's reached the point he has.
“Oh, yeah," Baker said. "I mean, just his whole personality, the way he goes about his business, it’s kind of hard not to see that. So early on, you can just see that he wants to win and he will do whatever to win. He plays with swagger. When you just play with him, you can just feel that we’re good. He’s going to get us there. It’s just a credit to him and credit to him, how he was brought up and everything he’s been through. So just all credit to him.
“What stands out? The guy is a competitor. That was the main thing. He had some guys in front of them or whatever but he didn’t care. He just came in and worked. Een going back to high school, when he played in the state championship game, the guy just found a way to just make plays and win games. So it’s going to definitely be a fun one Thursday. I know last year he had a great year, so I’m just happy for him. But I’m also excited just to play against him.”
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RILEY A BIG FAN OF BURROW AND CHASE
Like Burrow, Duke Riley played at LSU, though their time at the school didn't intersect.
As an alum, though, Riley clearly enjoyed Burrow's magical 2019 season, as well as the performance of Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase.
“Oh, man. I was there for the national championship game obviously in New Orleans," Riley said. "That was like the only good thing that happened in 2020. That was the COVID year that we all know. I mean, those two guys are like some of the greatest players. I told Joe Burrow, when I first met him, I was like, ‘Man, you’re my favorite college player ever.’ And that’s hard to say, because I’ve had a lot of people that I used to watch that I used to like, but Chase being from New Orleans, I’ve always seen him. He played at (Archbishop) Rummel. So I always knew he was going to be that type of caliber receiver and just to see him from high school to college to now it’s just like, it’s something that’s a beautiful thing to see."
Riley had the chance to play against Burrow in the NFL in 2020 when he was with the Philadelphia Eagles and the game ended in a 23-23 tie, with Burrow passing for 312 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions in his third career game.
This will be a first for Baker, who still can remember some good stories from Burrow at Ohio State.
“We used to have these mat drills and you had basically one-on-one pull the tire or whatever," Baker said. "The guy was going so hard. Like quarterbacks don’t really do that type of stuff too often. But man, Joe, he was going after it. He just wanted to win. Just to see that drive, that passion he had, it’s hard not to be happy for him and it really rubs off on everybody else. He just always had that passion and he just wants to win and Thursday, I’m trying to stop that.”
