Outside Linebacker Brian Burns

October 24, 2024

 

Q: How are you on the field today after watching you walk out on a game like that?

BRIAN BURNS: Life. Life's going to keep lifting.

Q: You do a ton of recovery?

BRIAN BURNS: Something like that.

Q: When you were a younger player, did you have guys in your locker room that you watched, and they led by example, and you followed them?

BRIAN BURNS: Yeah, (former linebacker) Luke (Kuechly), (running back) Christian (McCaffrey), (outside linebacker) Shaq Thompson. Yeah, I had a lot of guys to look up to.

Q: Times where you would look at them on the field and say, ‘there is no way they're going to be on the practice field,’ and then halfway through the week, all of a sudden, they're out there practicing. That kind of sends a message I would think to a lot of people.

BRIAN BURNS: Yeah, for sure.

Q: How are you feeling physically? We talked to you about last week at this time, and you said you're kind of fighting through it. Are things better? Are they the same?

BRIAN BURNS: It’s getting better.\

Q: Are you encouraged by how you're feeling, trending upward with the groin?

BRIAN BURNS: Yeah. 

Q: Just the fact that you practiced today, do you have any indication of that?

BRIAN BURNS: About me feeling better?

Q: Yes.

BRIAN BURNS: Yeah, I guess. Still just trying to make sure everything is smooth for Sunday, but yeah, I feel better.

Q: Do you notice a difference when you don't practice? Do you feel something in your performance? Like last week you practiced once. Do you notice something different? I mean, there's certainly something behind that, but do you yourself notice something when you don't practice that maybe you're off from, you didn't get the reps or something?

BRIAN BURNS: Not necessarily. Maybe my wind a little bit. When we first get started, maybe a little winded. But other than that, not necessarily.

Q: Do you have a lot of experience in Pittsburgh?

BRIAN BURNS: Playing Pittsburgh?

Q: Yeah, in there?

BRIAN BURNS: No, I’ve never played there. This is my first time playing there, and I’ve only played them once before.

Q: You've seen them on TV a lot? Do you watch a lot of the games? They're on TV a lot, these night games and the way the atmosphere is and things like that.

BRIAN BURNS: No, I don't think I ever really paid attention to it, and I really don't be watching a lot of football outside of here.

Q: That's for us, right?

BRIAN BURNS: I just don't…I like to get away from watching (inaudible).

Q: Over the years, is (Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson) Russ hard to find? He's small and he kind of moves around, or is he hard to pin down and get down?

BRIAN BURNS: From my experience, I wouldn't say he's necessarily tough to take down. He is hard to find at times, but he does a good job of moving around in the pocket. Sometimes he's a little deep in the pocket, so you can see him, you can find him.

Q: The scouting report. I know you're not focused on that this week, but their defense is really good. (Steelers linebacker) T.J. Watt, you're scouting report on him as a player...

BRIAN BURNS: I don't know, he just finds a way to impact the game in a lot of ways. Super intense, relentless. T.J. is a guy that I watch quite a bit of film on. He does what he does well. I'll say that. He has this one move that people just seem, they can't figure out. He does what he does well.

Q: What’s his move?

BRIAN BURNS: It's his move. I don't know. It's a move that he just got.

Q: Do you like playing on the road? Is there a mindset?

BRIAN BURNS: Yeah.

Q: Anything different about it? This team has played better on the road.

BRIAN BURNS: I mean I wouldn't speak for everybody else, but for me it's like a ‘(screw) it’ attitude. Like you said, you're going into a hostile environment. Pretty much we’re all we got, whoever came off that plane. So that's kind of my attitude going into it. I kind of like to hear the (trash) talking and stuff from the fans. Especially Seattle, because they’ve got that one fan that stands by that tunnel. He's always there every time I've been.

Q: I'm sure there will be a few of them in Pittsburgh waiting for you guys too.

BRIAN BURNS: Yeah, for sure. I’ve never played there, so I'm excited to see what their whole environment is about.

Q: Towels, a lot of yellow towels.

BRIAN BURNS: Yeah, swinging and (stuff). It's cool.

Q: Give me your pitch for (defensive lineman) Dexter (Lawrence II) for Defensive Player of the Year…

BRIAN BURNS: My pitch? Like I'm trying to sell him to be defensive player…

Q: Do you think he deserves that?

BRIAN BURNS: Hell yeah. Especially from leading up to this week, I feel like he's been – I haven’t really been looking across the league too much. But I guess from my biased opinion, I feel like yeah, definitely.

Q: He leads the league in sacks and from that position.

BRIAN BURNS: That's for sure.

Q: That's pretty tough to do.

BRIAN BURNS: Yeah.