By Tom Silverstein, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel –
GREEN BAY, Wis. — The amount of responsibility that safety Morgan Burnett has in the Green Bay Packers defense hasn’t changed.
It’s just that one of the players who have to follow his orders has changed places.
Last year in his first full year as a starter, Burnett, as all safeties in the Packers defense do, had to take on the role of being the quarterback. There are times when it’s up to him to set the defense on the back end and let the linebackers know where the safeties will be.
The Packers didn’t have to worry about that much when Nick Collins was around because he was a take-charge guy and usually was paired with someone with enough experience to make the calls when he was focused on something else.
Now, a lot of the burden falls on Burnett. Not just to make the right call, but to make sure he’s putting his new backfield mate, Charles Woodson, in position to make something happen. Woodson, entering his 15th season and one of the most astute players in the NFL, will make some of the calls, but he’ll also depend on Burnett to make them, too.
That could create a little pressure.
“He’s a legend,” said Burnett, now in his third season. “He knows it like the back of his hand. But you have to have confidence in what you see. And you have to be accountable because you’ve got other guys as well as ‘Wood’ expecting you to do your job.
“As long as both safeties are communicating with each other, we’ll help each other out.”
Other than giving up a pair of long passes against Denver in October and playing with a club on his broken hand for part of the season, Burnett was as nondescript a starter as you might find. Few people probably know he finished second to linebacker Desmond Bishop in tackles with 107 or that he had four inceptions and two forced fumbles.
To most, he just was another guy in a 32nd-ranked defense.
Incredibly, though, teammates and coaches rave about his ability and predict Pro Bowls in his future. Based on what you saw last season, you’d have to say it was the hyperbole football people are wont to provide when it comes to their own.
Cornerback Tramon Williams seemed to be partaking fully Tuesday when he said Burnett won’t have trouble filling Collins’ shoes.
“I don’t think from Morgan’s standpoint it is (a big deal),” Williams said. “I think maybe the next guy back there will have big shoes to fill. I personally feel Morgan has a rare skill set just like Collins has. I think he’s going to be a multiple Pro Bowler.”
Multiple?
“You can mark that down,” Williams said. “I believe that. He can cover the field well. We’ll see.”
Added coach Mike McCarthy: “I think he’ll be a guy definitely they’ll be talking about throughout the league. I think he’s ready for that type of season.”
On Tuesday, Burnett showed some signs of being that kind of player with a series of big plays.
In a matter of minutes, he provided help over the top on receiver Jordy Nelson and timed his jump along the sideline perfectly so that he got two hands on the ball before it got to Nelson; drilled tight end Jermichael Finley in the back on a pass across the middle that Finley probably should have caught; and picked off quarterback Aaron Rodgers across the middle after it appeared the intended receiver fell down.
“I feel I’m learning,” the 6-foot-1, 209-pound Burnett said. “I understand the plays a little bit more than I did the first two years. There’s still room for growth. I’m still young, third year. I’m challenging myself to understand the defense and take command in the secondary.”
Burnett was a starter almost from the time his name was called in the third round of the 2010 draft. The Packers were desperate for someone with play-making ability to help Collins, and Burnett filled that description with 14 picks over three seasons at Georgia Tech.
However, in his fifth professional game, he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and was lost for the season. Charlie Peprah replaced him and the Packers went on to win Super Bowl XLV.
Last year, Burnett was practically a rookie again because he missed all of the off-season activities due to the lockout and his knee. He benefited a lot from having Collins around, but when Collins suffered a career-ending injury against Carolina in Week 2, he suddenly was teamed with someone new.
Burnett and Peprah struggled to communicate at times and Burnett got burned peeking into the backfield and letting receivers run by him. He took to heart criticism that he needed to toughen up around the line of scrimmage and played solidly when he was up at the line, however
After Peprah was released as camp began, Woodson was made the safety in the base defense and since then he and Burnett have been sharing the calls. Burnett probably will get the majority of them because Woodson is often near the line of scrimmage playing the run, leaving Burnett with a better view of the field.
“Coach (Darren) Perry makes sure all safeties know both safety positions, both strong and free, because with one change with motion you can easily go from free to strong,” Burnett said. “Both safeties have to communicate and be able to take control.
“I just feel whoever’s back there, that’s one of your job descriptions, is to take control of the secondary and getting checks to the corner or linebackers. It’s just one of your responsibilities.”
It’s no secret that through film study Woodson predicts when he will have the best shot at an interception and often he’s right. But he’s also wrong sometimes, and that can leave big gaps in the secondary.
Burnett’s instinct might be to compensate when he knows Woodson is going to take a chance, but he said he won’t let it affect his play.
“You have to do your job,” he said “You can’t worry about somebody else’s job because they’re trusting you to be there on a certain play doing your job. If we’re worrying about someone else’s job, more than likely you’re going to mess up your job.”
