HeHateMe
05-16-2005, 10:03 PM
http://www.cowboysplus.com/topstory/stories/051705cpdraftburnett.27fa4a072.html
Burnett on a fast track
09:58 PM CDT on Monday, May 16, 2005
By MATT MOSLEY / DallasNews.com
Third in a series on the Cowboys' eight draft picks
The Cowboys added a talented former free safety this off-season. But even though that's still an area of concern for the club, second-round draft pick Kevin Burnett has found his calling at linebacker.
It took the coaches at Tennessee about five games Burnett's freshman season to move him to linebacker, where he made an immediate impact with two sacks and a fumble recovery.
Burnett went on to be one of the most prolific linebackers in school history. But maybe just as important to the Cowboys is the fact that he was voted captain his junior and senior seasons, something that hadn't happened in Knoxville since the 1920s.
The defining moment in Burnett's career came on the third play of his junior season in 2002, in a game against Wyoming. Burnett came down awkwardly on his left knee after coming on a blitz, tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.
"Emotionally it just crushed him," said Tennessee defensive coordinator John Chavis. "And the sad thing was that he'd had his best spring before that."
Burnett said it only took him a few days to decide his career wasn't over. He launched himself into rehabilitating the knee and was ready to go the following spring. As a precaution, coaches and doctors decided to hold him out of spring practice.
"Looking back, we probably held him out too much," Chavis said. "But he was ready to go once the season started. I think Kevin learned there were no guarantees."
Univ. of Tennessee
Kevin Burnett was a rare two-time captain at Tennessee. And that may have played a role in Burnett racing through school. Once he secured his undergraduate degree in less than three years, Burnett began work on a degree in sports management. He even briefly considered pursuing a doctorate degree in 2004.
Turns out Burnett has always been in a hurry. He'd just turned 17 when he arrived on the Tennessee campus, but that didn't keep him from making an immediate impact on special teams his freshman season.
"I was just focused on knocking it all out," Burnett said. "And things moved pretty quickly."
Chavis said Burnett studied so much film that he almost became too analytical on the field. Burnett sat in meetings and asked question after question.
"I had to finally tell him just to go play," Chavis said. "He was thinking a little too much."
Burnett had a tendency to get lost in coverage at times. And he was so aggressive that he sometimes overran plays. Still, Chavis thinks his intensity and "eagerness to please" will make him successful in the NFL.
"His intensity ranks with some of the top guys I've been around," said Chavis, who has been at Tennessee for 16 years. "And people feed off that."
E-mail mmosley@dallasnews.com
ABOUT KEVIN BURNETT
College: Tennessee
Position: Linebacker
Ht., Wt.: 6-3, 230
Out-of-the-blue fact: Burnett calls himself a "neat freak" and said he enjoys cleaning up his house. His neatness stems from helping his father clean movie studios in the Los Angeles area as a child.
Notable: All-SEC in 2004. ... Had 120 tackles, six tackles for a loss and one interception his senior season. ... Played running back and safety in high school.
What they're saying: "Kevin's pretty quiet by nature. But he can be very direct with questions in the film room." – Tennessee defensive coordinator John Chavis.
Burnett on a fast track
09:58 PM CDT on Monday, May 16, 2005
By MATT MOSLEY / DallasNews.com
Third in a series on the Cowboys' eight draft picks
The Cowboys added a talented former free safety this off-season. But even though that's still an area of concern for the club, second-round draft pick Kevin Burnett has found his calling at linebacker.
It took the coaches at Tennessee about five games Burnett's freshman season to move him to linebacker, where he made an immediate impact with two sacks and a fumble recovery.
Burnett went on to be one of the most prolific linebackers in school history. But maybe just as important to the Cowboys is the fact that he was voted captain his junior and senior seasons, something that hadn't happened in Knoxville since the 1920s.
The defining moment in Burnett's career came on the third play of his junior season in 2002, in a game against Wyoming. Burnett came down awkwardly on his left knee after coming on a blitz, tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.
"Emotionally it just crushed him," said Tennessee defensive coordinator John Chavis. "And the sad thing was that he'd had his best spring before that."
Burnett said it only took him a few days to decide his career wasn't over. He launched himself into rehabilitating the knee and was ready to go the following spring. As a precaution, coaches and doctors decided to hold him out of spring practice.
"Looking back, we probably held him out too much," Chavis said. "But he was ready to go once the season started. I think Kevin learned there were no guarantees."
Univ. of Tennessee
Kevin Burnett was a rare two-time captain at Tennessee. And that may have played a role in Burnett racing through school. Once he secured his undergraduate degree in less than three years, Burnett began work on a degree in sports management. He even briefly considered pursuing a doctorate degree in 2004.
Turns out Burnett has always been in a hurry. He'd just turned 17 when he arrived on the Tennessee campus, but that didn't keep him from making an immediate impact on special teams his freshman season.
"I was just focused on knocking it all out," Burnett said. "And things moved pretty quickly."
Chavis said Burnett studied so much film that he almost became too analytical on the field. Burnett sat in meetings and asked question after question.
"I had to finally tell him just to go play," Chavis said. "He was thinking a little too much."
Burnett had a tendency to get lost in coverage at times. And he was so aggressive that he sometimes overran plays. Still, Chavis thinks his intensity and "eagerness to please" will make him successful in the NFL.
"His intensity ranks with some of the top guys I've been around," said Chavis, who has been at Tennessee for 16 years. "And people feed off that."
E-mail mmosley@dallasnews.com
ABOUT KEVIN BURNETT
College: Tennessee
Position: Linebacker
Ht., Wt.: 6-3, 230
Out-of-the-blue fact: Burnett calls himself a "neat freak" and said he enjoys cleaning up his house. His neatness stems from helping his father clean movie studios in the Los Angeles area as a child.
Notable: All-SEC in 2004. ... Had 120 tackles, six tackles for a loss and one interception his senior season. ... Played running back and safety in high school.
What they're saying: "Kevin's pretty quiet by nature. But he can be very direct with questions in the film room." – Tennessee defensive coordinator John Chavis.