Eskimos’ Burnett developing a penchant for foiling passers
The list runs two quarterbacks deep, so far.
Brandon Summers can attest to it and now so can Drew Tate. Both have learned a valuable lesson, two weeks before the Canadian Football League season officially starts. When you’re making your reads, it’s not enough to know where your receivers are.
You also have to account for Joe Burnett.
The Edmonton Eskimos cornerback seems to get his hands on any passes that are in his vicinity. On Friday night, he gave the Eskimos their only touchdown in a 20-17 preseason loss to the Calgary Stampeders when he picked off Tate’s pass and ran it back 80 yards for six points.
On a smaller stage a week ago, Burnett yanked Summers’ first pass of the intra-squad scrimmage out of the air and ran it into the end zone for a score.
“I actually came into this game determined to play sound, fundamental defence,” Burnett said after Friday’s loss.
“I hold myself to a high expectation and I’m coming out and preparing myself to be a playmaker in this league.”
Burnett is making a great impression in training camp this year, but the past two weeks haven’t been his first go-round with the Eskimos.
The team signed him late last year and had him on its practice roster from Oct. 7 until the end of the 2011 season. He didn’t get into any games, but he did get a healthy introduction to the team’s defence.
“Coming in during October around that time, I looked at it as an opportunity for myself,” Burnett said.
“I knew, at that time, when I first got here all the rules and the terminology, stuff like that, but I was way behind. I actually wasn’t prepared to go last year. But thank God, coach kept me on practice squad and gave me an opportunity to come back up here and play this year.”
Burnett has made the most of that opportunity so far.
The 25-year-old former Pittsburgh Steelers defender could make the leap from the practice roster last fall to the starting lineup when the season gets underway on June 30.