CINCINNATI (BVM) — On Jan. 28, 1969, the Belmont Plaza Hotel in New York City hosted the NFL/AFL draft. This would only be the third draft held since the AFL and NFL reconciled with a merger.

The draft for some was a hallmark for selecting all-time great players: O. J. Simpson No. 1 overall to the Buffalo Bills; Mean Joe Greene No. 4 overall to the Pittsburgh Steelers; Roger Wehrli No. 19 overall to the then St. Louis Cardinals and Ted Hendricks with pick No. 33 in the second-round to the then Baltimore Colts. 

Somewhere in between the selection of those players was a team in its sophomore season led by a future hall of famer and arguably the greatest coach of all time: Paul Brown. The Cincinnati Bengals were coming off a 3-11 record that slotted them with the No. 5 overall selection in the draft. 

Brown and company were looking to upgrade the quarterback position and had their eye set on a particular prospect. Luckily for the team, they did not have to travel far to find this prospect as he quarterbacked for the University of Cincinnati. 

So, with the fifth pick in the 1969 NFL Draft, the Cincinnati Bengals selected Greg L. Cook —  a 6-foot-4, 220-pound native of southern Ohio.

In 46 days, AFC North football returns. #BALvsCIN

Number 46 on #Bengals First 50: Greg Cook#Bengals50 pic.twitter.com/nr8MbtsSqn

— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) July 26, 2017

Fast forward 51 years, and the Bengals found themselves in an eerily similar situation; holding a top pick due to a horrendous record.

Now, Mike Brown – Paul’s son – and company were looking to upgrade the quarterback position and had their eye set on a particular prospect. Luckily for them, they did not have to travel far to find this prospect as he once quarterbacked for Ohio State and LSU to which they met him mostly over Zoom.

So, with the first pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Cincinnati Bengals selected Joe L. Burrow; a 6-foot-4, 221-pound native of southern Ohio.

With the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 #NFLDraft, the @Bengals select @LSUfootball QB Joe Burrow! (by @Bose) pic.twitter.com/mk142Itdjt

— NFL (@NFL) April 24, 2020

Having the opportunity to select a homegrown quarterback in the draft is probably a dream scenario for most teams. The storylines, ticket and jersey sales, the aurora of the homecoming; NFL franchises would drool over this. But, it seems to get glossed over that not only did Cincinnati hit the lottery once but actually twice. 

Not a bad gig for any franchise let alone a small–market one like the Queen City. 

However, Cook’s name is not commonplace amongst NFL fans for a reason and the similarities with Burrow are not all positive. 

Yes, both were studs and day–one starters in their rookie years. Yes, they proved to be a beacon of hope for the citizens of “Who Dey Nation.” And yes, they proved to be immensely talented and took the league by storm.

With the good comes the bad and the bad happens to be the fact that both buckeye-state quarterbacks wound up on the ground writhing in pain. For Burrow, the sour taste of his torn ACL still remains in the mouths of NFL brass, coaches, pundits and fans.

Some may have felt the same about Cook’s injury had they known the severity of it initially. Cook, who was 2-0 at the time as the rookie starter, found himself face-first on the field after taking a hit during a game against the Kansas City Chiefs. 

OTD 1969: Paced by 2 TD strikes from rookie QB Greg Cook in his pro debut, the #Bengals win a season opener for the first time — a 27-21 victory over the Dolphins at Cincy's Nippert Stadium.

Miami's Bob Griese has his first 300-yard passing game, one of only three in his career. pic.twitter.com/GF1zrdAgh6

— Kevin Gallagher (@KevG163) September 14, 2020

The hit rendered Cook’s arm useless as it took a beating when he was hit by linebacker Jim Lynch and consequently the ground. No. 12 left the game to have his arm checked out and would miss four weeks to which the Bengals would go winless. Cook would return against the Oakland Raiders and go on to finish the season to which he found out later about the severity of his injury. 

Cook would learn that not only did he have a torn rotator cuff, but also a partially torn biceps. From there, Cook elected to take “Cortisone shots” to help manage the pain during the season. This ultimately proved to be detrimental as the multiple games played caused significant damage to his shoulder. 

Cook would eventually receive multiple surgeries in hopes to repair his broken wing, but with the crude surgical methods of the 1970s, he would never regain his old form. Cook would retire from the NFL in 1973 after trying to make a comeback three times. 

Fortunately for Burrow, his rookie season did not end like Cook’s. Joey B was on pace to be in strong contention for Offensive Rookie of the Year (OROY) until his knee injury ended his season prematurely. On the contrary, Cook amazingly won OROY with his bum shoulder while putting up an 88.3 passer rating, 9.4 yards per attempt and 17.5 yards per completion — all league-bests at the time. 

Burrow though is expected to make a full recovery, something that Cook would probably have preferred over winning OROY. 

No. 9’s injury could not have come at a better time as well. Both Chad Pennigton and Drew Brees suffered similar injuries to that of Cook but were blessed with modern medical advancements and rehab.

Burrow has received that same blessing.

It seems to be that the Athens product has been on track to make a Week 1 start. Burrow himself stated that his knee is about “80-85 percent” after he participated in day one of the organized team activities during the 2021 offseason. 

The former Bearcat would find enjoyment in painting with his life after football but would on occasion struggle with alcohol. Sadly, Cook will not be able to see his spiritual successor as he passed away in 2012 due to complications of pneumonia.

The Cincinnati hopeful have been given another crack at the hometown hero storyline but, as they say, those who forget the pasta are doomed to reheat it. 

So, are the Bengals destined for an additional 30 seconds in the microwave, or did they learn a recipe for success from a prior Cook…?

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