Set aside the athleticism talk for a second

[Mr. Scot]

A long time ago, in a galaxy...right here, a friend of mine who was a big wrestling fan asked me what pro wrestler I'd least like to face in a real fight.

My answer: Roddy Piper.

He questioned my response. With monsters like Hulk Hogan, Sergeant Slaughter and such in play, why would I be worried about a relatively smaller guy like Piper?

The reason was because I'd heard Piper talk a lot about how he'd fight certain guys - a bigger guy, a faster guy, etc - and everything he said made sense.  Basically, Piper knew how to fight, and that would give me far more pause than a guy just having a physical advantage. You can nullify speed, you can blunt strength, you can counter athleticism, but how do you stop superior knowledge?

Which brings us to Brian Burns.

I've heard plenty of talk about his physical tools, but relatively little about his brains other than just that he's "a student of the game". Gotta say that to me, that's actually more encouraging than the physical stuff.  NFL opponents are always going to be the biggest, fastest guys on the planet. So all those things being equal, where does the difference come in?

Knowledge.

Having watched a few clips of Burns in action ("I watched his tape") I've seen him using that game knowledge effectively.  My favorite was seeing him brilliantly use a stop and go technique that caused the opposing tackle to hesitate and basically leave a wide open window for Burns to get to the QB, which he did, and beautifully.

Athleticism is great, but all the physical tools in the world don't necessarily mean anything if you don't know how to use them.

When you do, though... look out.

Mind you, I've mentioned that Burns is a question mark to me. I don't know how effective he'll be. Obviously I hope he's very effective, but that remains to be seen.

On the positive side though, his knowledge of the game is a very underrated tool, and one that deserves just as much or more attention than his freakish athleticism. If you question that, ask yourself what it is that makes Luke Kuechly superior to other, equally athletic linebackers and you'll start to see.

Here's hoping Burns uses both his brains and his brawn to the best advantage possible.

[Tbe]

Pro wrestling is fake.

[Mr. Scot]

Just now, Tbe said:

Pro wrestling is fake.

[Tbe]

Just now, Mr. Scot said:

[DeAngelo Beason]

I'm not thrilled with the pick, but in all honestly that's about 90% because of my Everette Brown PTSD.

[Mr. Scot]

1 minute ago, DeAngelo Beason said:

I'm not thrilled with the pick, but in all honestly that's about 90% because of my Everette Brown PTSD.

I wasn't thrilled because of the reviews I read about him pre-draft.

This part of his profile is a big positive to me, though. I love the players that study the game.

[countryboi]

11 minutes ago, Tbe said:

Pro wrestling is fake.

fake is a poor word...scripted is a better word because those dudes get fuged up. it's a reason why most older wrestlers look used up. 

[dpm0409]

Just listening to him speak, you can tell this guy is more intelligent than the average 21 year old drafted player.

[DeAngelo Beason]

7 minutes ago, Mr. Scot said:

I wasn't thrilled because of the reviews I read about him pre-draft.

This part of his profile is a big positive to me, though. I love the players that study the game.

Smarts over athletic gifts any day (within reason).  Most players that rely solely on athleticism don't make it far in the NFL.  On the flipside, truly cerebral players are basically always successful.

[Tbe]

1 minute ago, countryboi said:

fake is a poor word...scripted is a better word because those dudes get fuged up. it's a reason why most older wrestlers look used up. 

I thought it was the constant tanning?

[Peppers90 NC]

48 minutes ago, Tbe said:

Pro wrestling is fake.

like holograms fake?

[Peppers90 NC]

Burns seems to really love football and wants to get better. Coaches love that. And he seems to be a student of the game. Pretty excited

[mc52beast]

Came away pretty impressed after his presser. Said he knows how good he can be and will strive to reach that “ceiling”. Sounds like he’s very teachable and doesn’t think that just because he’s a first rounder that success is guaranteed. 

One wrestler I wouldn’t want to fight;

Andre the Giant... cuz you can’t teach size

[L-TownCat]

53 minutes ago, Tbe said:

Pro wrestling is fake.

I always like this take b/c its not like TV is a bastion of reality.  

 

"Haha you watch fake stuff on TV!  Nerd!"

"Cmon guys lets go watch Avengers!"

"Like Comics are fake and stuff, that's gay.  I only watch real stuff like the totally non scripted NBA or NFL..."