LB Kevin Burnett Ready to Play

[sago1]

Eatman also brings us up-to-date on LB Kevin Burnett in his bloggingtheboys. website re Burnett. BTW: While I'm glad to hear Burnett is ready to go, wonder how much time, if any, he could spend in our offseason weight conditioning program or did his efforts recover from his injury totally precluded his participation in the program. Well we will know shortly.


Jerry Jones said Burnett has been cleared to begin practicing at the start of camp, less than seven months after the linebacker underwent reconstructive knee surgery after tearing his ACL in the final week of the regular season.
"I am excited about Kevin Burnett and I am glad to see him get out here and compete," Jones said. "I feel like he had some things. We felt that way when we drafted him and he showed some of it last year. I like our new acquisitions at linebacker. I am excited bout seeing all of them." Burnett will line up behind DeMarcus Ware at right outside linebacker, but could have an expanded role in the nickel defense.

 

[Juke99]

I've liked Burnett from day one....think he's got a great upside.

Hopefully he can stay healthy. He's a high energy guy who can really put a charge into a defense.

 

[ghst187]

I've liked Burnett from day one....think he's got a great upside.

Hopefully he can stay healthy. He's a high energy guy who can really put a charge into a defense.

dittos
He's a phenomenal athlete with serious quickness, burst, and tackling ability. I was pretty excited when we drafted him, I had seen him play a lot at UT. He was the best player on a good defense.
The few instances where he got to play last year, I thought he showed some flashes of playmaking ability. He can also play all 4 LB positions and that's important.
However, I do fear that we'll be holding our breath all the time regarding him and his knees.
If he's healthy, we have a pretty darned good and deep LB corps.

 

[CrazyCowboy]

sounds great

 

[Vertigo_17]

if he's healthy and shows improvement - it should make the James situation interesting. I think Burnett is best suited as ILB and he could possibly take over.

again, he's got to stay healthy, but he's got serious potential.

 

[Hostile]

if he's healthy and shows improvement - it should make the James situation interesting. I think Burnett is best suited as ILB and he could possibly take over.

again, he's got to stay healthy, but he's got serious potential.

Good post and I agree with you on the point about James. He's a FA at the end of the year. I think the Cowboys are not offering him a contract now like Roy and Witten because they want to see if Burnett can take that role. Even though he's backing up Ware right now, they will move him around because he's versatile.

 

[big dog cowboy]

Good post and I agree with you on the point about James. He's a FA at the end of the year. I think the Cowboys are not offering him a contract now like Roy and Witten because they want to see if Burnett can take that role. Even though he's backing up Ware right now, they will move him around because he's versatile.

Still taking the cheap way out at LB seems to be the mantra at Valley Ranch. The only one I can think of that got a decent extension was Dat. I'm probably wrong.

 

[KingTuna]

If this guy can stay healthy he might prove to be a "comeback" type player of the 2006 season. TONS of potential and we NEED depth at LB.

 

[sago1]

How can you say we taking the cheap way out at LB. Sssch, all our Cowboy LBs are too young & aren't anywhere near end of their contracts, except for James. Just because we want to wait til we see more of James (took him until 3rd season to win starting job) doesn't mean we cheap. Nor does waiting see what Burnett does mean we cheap. In fact it's only this board who even mentioning Burnett might affect James contract. Burnett's play might have no bearing whatever in Cowboys mind on James new contract.

Also, depending on Ware's & Carpenter's performances over next few years, Jones will indeed be paying out big bucks to these 2 #1 draft picks--particularly to Ware if he puts up the BIG sack numbers we all hoping for. You sure are a little out-of-step with new Cowboys reality as it affects our LBs.

 

[Crown Royal]

Kevin Burnett Bandwagon checking in!

I was upset that he was hurt all last season - I expect a lot from him. I never liked that he was slated on the outside - I felt like he was an SILB in the 3-4 our a SOLB in the 4-3. This guy next to Bradie James is who I want calling our plays. Very bright, fiery leader type who led the UT defense. Good against the run. I hope he pans out.

 

[ddh33]

Like everyone else, I am very high on Kevin Burnett. I thought he was coming on right when he got injured again last year.

I am interested to see what role he plays on this team. I don't see him as a Bradie James replacement. Actually, I see him getting plenty of work in nickle packages to begin with, and then his role expanding from there.

 

[Crown Royal]

Like everyone else, I am very high on Kevin Burnett. I thought he was coming on right when he got injured again last year.

I am interested to see what role he plays on this team. I don't see him as a Bradie James replacement. Actually, I see him getting plenty of work in nickle packages to begin with, and then his role expanding from there.

James did OK last season, but I really don't give him the credit a lot of others do. He's a good starter, solid, kind of like Singleton - solid, doesn't hurt you, good team guy. But he isn't a probowler or a memorable player.

I see Burnett who has a very high ceiling - I want him in the middle next to James, but with Burnett leading instead. We'll see - I just like the potential in Burnett more.

 

[thescarface1989]

I was also excited when we drafted him, I will be looking forward to seeing him in some more games.

Here are Some Burnett Videos

I think they are by Theebs

Burnett against Willie Roaf

Burnett sacks Trent Green

 

[AsthmaField]

James did OK last season, but I really don't give him the credit a lot of others do. He's a good starter, solid, kind of like Singleton - solid, doesn't hurt you, good team guy. But he isn't a probowler or a memorable player.

I see Burnett who has a very high ceiling - I want him in the middle next to James, but with Burnett leading instead. We'll see - I just like the potential in Burnett more.

I really like Burnett too. That guy has incredible explosion. I remember last year watching him come on a delayed blitz. He stayed back for a beat or two and then went after the QB. He looked like he was shot out of a cannon. He closed so quickly that I can't see how the QB was able to get the ball out. It was incomplete. Amazing explosion.

He's a rare athlete for LB and his movement skills are outstanding. If he can stay healthy, Burnett is going to be a wonderful player. I think he's going to play a good bit in our nickel this year and eventually be a starter... although probably not this season.

As for James... I think he's a very good ILB. While not in Burnett's class athletically (not many are), he's still a great athlete and he has great intangibles like leadership ability and smarts (team leader at LSU and Academic All-American as a senior). What he did last year wasn't a fluke and I only see him getting better from year-to-year. His second season at SILB in a 3-4 should be a big improvement from his first season at that spot and in that scheme.

I'm looking forward to seeing what he can do in his second season and what he can do with good player's next to him (Ayodele and Carpenter instead of Shanle and Fujita). Should be interesting. I think he'll be very, very good.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Still taking the cheap way out at LB seems to be the mantra at Valley Ranch. The only one I can think of that got a decent extension was Dat. I'm probably wrong.

We just signed Ayodele to good money and invested two first rounders on the position.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

James did OK last season, but I really don't give him the credit a lot of others do. He's a good starter, solid, kind of like Singleton - solid, doesn't hurt you, good team guy. But he isn't a probowler or a memorable player.

I see Burnett who has a very high ceiling - I want him in the middle next to James, but with Burnett leading instead. We'll see - I just like the potential in Burnett more.

I dont know about you but he seemed like the only linebacker not named Ware that could actually shed a block and make a tackle last season.

Ferguson and Glover both failed to force double teams and James got off of those guards pretty well. Throw into it that he also made plays in the passing game and while not probowl he was a bright point on an otherwise mediocre interior defense.

Now granted next to Shanle he was phenomenal but its not his fult that Fujita and Shanle were horrid.

 

[big dog cowboy]

We just signed Ayodele to good money and invested two first rounders on the position.

My reply was referring to contract extensions given to Cowboy LB's specifically James becoming a free agent. It had nothing to do with non-Cowboy LB's or draft picks.

 

[Doomsdayblitz]

Great news to hear about Burnett. I haven't heard much about him this off-season. It seemed like too many fans in this forume were ready to cast him aside after just one season of injuries. I never got to see the guy play in college, but just from what I read, I was really glad we drafted him. Most had him as a 1st rd. talent, but predicted he would fall to the second rd. due to his injury history.

Here in Browns territory, we felt we got a steal a few years ago when Lee Suggs dropped all the way to the fourth rd. So far, he has been great when on the field, but has too often been sidelined due to several injuries.
Here's hoping that Kevin heals completely, & is blessed with healthy knees the rest of his career.

Man, I wish I had the money to invest in ACL protection. I a person were to come up with a brace or other contraption that took away the majority of ACL injuries, just think what that would mean to not only the NFL, but to college & high school players alike. Of course, the money would be there, but just to take away that one injury demon that has plagued players for decades would be such a blessing.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

My reply was referring to contract extensions given to Cowboy LB's specifically James becoming a free agent. It had nothing to do with non-Cowboy LB's or draft picks.

maybe that was our stance in the past, but JJ knows that the key to his D is the LBs, so IMO, we wont' be seeing us being frugal at the position again

 

[Bob Sacamano]

Most had him as a 1st rd. talent, but predicted he would fall to the second rd. due to his injury history.

he actually fell because he relied on his athleticsm too much in college, similar to why THomas Howard fell to the 2nd round, the player in this draft that I saw the most resemblences in their style of play to Burnett