Peyton Manning gives advice to Joe Burrow: "It's a marathon, not a sprint"

Joe Burrow called Peyton Manning for advice on how to have a successful transition to the NFL

The Bengals are going to select Joe Burrow with the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft on Thursday night. The former LSU Tigers quarterback had an historical season last year that ended with a 15-0 record and a National Championship.

Burrow is hoping to duplicate that success in Cincinnati. He reached out to legendary quarterback Peyton Manning for advice about the transition to the NFL.

"He called me about some of the things that I tried to do as a rookie that maybe he can apply to his NFL career," Manning said Sunday on ESPN's SportsCenter. "Looks like it's going to be with the Cincinnati Bengals. Look what I told him, I said, 'Joe if you're the first pick in the NFL draft you are going to a team that has really earned the first pick in the NFL draft. There are going to be some holes there. And there's a reason the Colts were picking No. 1 that year. There's a reason the Bengals are picking No. 1 this year. The Giants when they had Eli.'

Manning was the No. 1 pick in the 1998 NFL Draft. The Colts were coming off of a 3-13 season. Manning started all 16 games as a rookie.

"I learned a lot that year, I played every game and learned some things in those fourth quarter blowouts about what it took to have success in this league,” he said. 

Manning stressed that Burrow needed to keep the big picture in mind, even if he’s struggling on the field.

“I tried to tell him, ‘It’s a marathon, not a sprint. Look, I lost more games my rookie year than I had in my entire high school and college career combined,’” Manning said. “I played every game. Jim Mora never took me out. I learned some things in the fourth quarter of those blowouts about what it took to be an NFL quarterback. And the next year, we went from 3-13 to 13-3. That wouldn’t have happened had I not hung in there and kind of learned the ropes as a rookie, even though we took some bumps and bruises.”

It’s advice Burrow needed to hear. The Bengals went 2-14 last season. They added talent in free agency, committing nearly $150 million to eight players, but expecting rookie success could be unrealistic. 

The Bengals aren't taking Burrow because they think he'll carry them to a 14-2 record this season. They're going to draft him because they believe he can turn around their franchise, much like Manning did in Indianapolis. It takes time for organizations to reverse course, even if they do get the right quarterback. 

“That’s what I encouraged and relayed to Joe is that your rookie year isn’t going to be the same as your senior year in college. If you learn how fast these defensive backs are, how soon you have to get rid of the ball and understand defenses, then you can really get it going the year or two after that.”