CINCINNATI -- Not even a thunderstorm and a couple of mishaps could put a damper on Joe Burrow's confidence.
The Cincinnati Bengals' rookie quarterback had the ball slip out of his hands and threw an interception as rain pounded the field toward the end of Tuesday's practice. Still, Burrow was teeming with optimism after the team's first padded practice of the training camp.
Burrow said he feels confident about being ready for Week 1 and comfortable with the offense through the first weeks of the training camp. The top overall pick in the NFL draft also said he felt excited, not nervous, about the challenge of starting his new job as Cincinnati's next franchise quarterback.
"You ever heard anything else about me about being nervous?" Burrow said.
The answer to the question about the lack of nerves, given almost reflexively, shows why there has been so much optimism with Burrow.
He earned rave reviews from coaches and teammates in the buildup to his first training camp. On Tuesday, he took another big step as rookie -- wearing shoulder pads for the first time as an NFL quarterback.
While Burrow threw a few touchdowns during 7-on-7 drills inside the red zone, it wasn't all smooth. As the clouds opened toward the final minutes of practice and the rain cleared out nearly everybody but the players, Burrow had to contend with the wet ball and a defense that was up to the challenge.
Burrow had one snap slip out of his hands before he scooped it up and rushed through the middle of the field to make the most of the play. In the closing minutes, Burrow had a pass intercepted by defensive end Carlos Dunlap, one of two interceptions of Cincinnati quarterbacks in the wet conditions.
The finish led Burrow to give a subdued summation on Tuesday's performance.
"It was OK," Burrow said. "It wasn't what you'd like to see on a red zone day, but it was the first one. It started raining a little bit. Obviously I'd like to play better than I did, and I know as an offense we'd like to play better than we did."
In working on the transition from winning a national championship at LSU to joining the NFL team with the longest playoff victory drought (going on 30 years since Cincinnati's last postseason win), Burrow said red zone offense wasn't a top priority, as it's something that is more specific to a team's game plan.
Despite Tuesday's errors, Bengals coach Zac Taylor continued to praise Burrow's efforts.
"There's still things that we need to work on as a unit," Taylor said after practice. "Obviously, the quarterback is the one that leads that unit. But I think he's on the trajectory that we hoped he would be on through three days of training camp."
Taylor also praised the way Burrow has led his teammates. When asked about Burrow's confidence, Taylor had only word to describe the importance of that attribute: "critical."
Taylor isn't surprised in Burrow's belief in himself. He cited Burrow's journey from Ohio State to LSU, where he started his final two years of college and led the Tigers to a national championship and cemented his status as the No. 1 pick in April's draft.
"He has had to do this quick-study stuff before where you really have a summer to prep with no physical reps before you show up for training camp," Taylor said. "It doesn't surprise you because you know his history."
It certainly wasn't a new feeling for Burrow, either. That should serve him well as he continues to experience some of the growing pains he went through on Tuesday. But it's all part of the refining process that will get him ready for the season opener on Sept. 13 against the Los Angeles Chargers and the rookie campaign that will set the foundation for his NFL career.
"First red zone day, there's always little kinks to work out," Burrow said. "We'll work those out and we'll get better."