Week One was a good start for Artie Burns. I liked his body language and more importantly, his play on special teams. But last week felt the opposite, at least, for the latter. Burns had one of the toughest days I’ve ever seen from someone on special teams and it was so bad he was benched by the end of it. So let’s look at all the hidden yardage given up.
Playing the role of gunner and running down punts isn’t easy. You’re defending a lot of space, trying to tackle a returner usually deemed a playmaker and top athlete (enter your Ryan Switzer joke here), while finding the ball and fighting through contact.