Former Redblacks Burris sets sights on Chicago coaching gig
Ottawa Redblacks Grey Cup hero Henry Burris got a taste of what it was like to be an NFL coach this past year in Chicago; now he wants more.
Burris spent the season with the Chicago Bears — as an intern and offensive assistant. Burris returned home to Ottawa a week ago after the Bears got knocked off by New Orleans, 21-9, in a wild-card playoff game.
“Honestly, one day I see myself being a position coach,” said Burris Friday. “Everyone knows my passion is working with quarterbacks, help them understand the game more. And I want to become an offensive co-ordinator. I'm gaining knowledge from some of the best in the business — a sensational coaching staff, a head coach (Matt Nagy) who was coach of the year in 2018 and a guy like (offensive co-ordinator) Bill Lazor who's had numerous years of experience. Some day, being a head coach is something that's on my mind as the end goal. I think the sky's the limit. But I don't want to put the carriage before the horse, I want to make sure I'm still learning — just like when I was a quarterback.”
With wife Nicole and their two children (Armand and Barron) at home in Ottawa, it was tough at times for Burris, who was in Chicago from July until a week ago. Burris couldn't return to Canada because of the two-week quarantine period required. The family joined him to celebrate Thanksgiving.
But it was too long to be separated from family. With that in mind, Burris, who is hoping to be on the Bears coaching staff again in 2021, is prepared to move out of Ottawa if he gets rehired.
“To have to do that for seven months, during a pandemic, it was tough,” said Burris. “Nicole is the glue for our family, but it's a lot to ask of one person. I've talked to (the Bears), they were definitely pleased with the job I did. Right now, I'm in a waiting pattern. (Nagy) told me to just go enjoy time with my family, then we'd talk.
“We've talked about this as a family. We've seen what happened in 2020, people lost loved ones. Both our families have seen losses. Family is everything. Being closer to family (would be great).”
Back in 2019, Rick Campbell, then the Redblacks head coach, approached Burris about possibly being a coach here. Burris, who joined the Redblacks before their inaugural 2014 CFL season and led the team to a Grey Cup win in 2016,
said no. But the idea of coaching didn't go away. So when the Bears called last summer, he was all in.
“The experience was amazing,” said Burris. “It was an opportunity to see if football is in the cards for me. I knew in the back of my mind one day I wanted to coach. All of a sudden, the NFL was calling, it was one of those things you can't say no to. I was blown away by getting the opportunity to pursue my dream.
“I was able to learn a lot and quickly adjust to the system they were running. A lot of it looked like the Marc Trestman offence we ran here with (offensive co-ordinators) Jason Maas and Jaime Elizondo. You do have to adjust to the terminology. But a lot of the concepts were the same as what we're used up here. It was a change of gears,
but you're starting to see a lot of the CFL philosophies being used offensively and defensively (in the NFL).”
As a longtime CFL player, Burris already knew about the commitment that goes into a game week. But coaching took it to another level.
“People don't have any idea what kind of commitment it is,” he said. “People only see what goes on during Game Day, they don't see what happens during the Monday-Saturday work week — how late (coaches) go and how early they wake up. Some days, I'd be working past midnight, then I'd be up at 5 in the morning so I could be ready. People don't understand the grind that goes with it. The football season is a seven-month sprint.”
As part of his job, Burris helped with power-point presentations, breaking down opposing defences and drawing practice cards. It was Step 1 to get ready for possibly taking on a larger role
“To have an opportunity to coach some of the best athletes in the world on a day-to-day basis, this is a dream come true for me, said Burris.
“People know about my passion to help out the younger generation and to help build better role models and here I am getting that opportunity.”
The difference between coaching and playing?
“On game day, instead of being emotional and pumped, you can still have that excitement, but you have to channel it inside,” said Burris. “Composure and focus are the biggest things. You have to manage that burning fire. Any coach can draw up Xs and Os, but can you manage and prepare your players and help them maintain that focus?
THE POINT AFTER: The Redblacks had a couple of big signings Friday: OL Mark Korte and RB/receiver Anthony Coombs have agreed to contract extensions through the 2021 season ... Over the past couple of days, the Redblacks have also signed DBs Randall Evans and Terrance Abrahams-Webster (fifthround draft pick, Calgary), DL Darius Jackson (Jackson State) and Reshaan Davis (seventh- round pick, Gee- Gees), OL Andrew Pickett (Guelph) and Brandon Hitner (Villanova). They've also restructured the contracts of RB Akheem Hunt and OL Alex Fontana and released OL DeVondre Seymour.