THE CANADIAN PRESS
CFL.ca Staff
With files from Stampeders.com
CALGARY — Joe Burnett realizes there’s nothing certain about his spot on the Calgary Stampeders’ roster.
At least, that was his mind-set during his first off-season interview since signing with the defending Grey Cup Champions, just a week after being let go by the Edmonton Eskimos.
“Compete, compete, compete and make the team,” said Burnett, asked about his goals going into training camp. “That’s the first goal is to make the team.”
Burnett was a CFL All-Star and one of the league’s hottest breakout stars in his first year with Edmonton back in 2012, but after missing playing time in 2014 due to injury, he seemingly fell out of the favour of then-rookie head coach Chris Jones.
The 28-year-old wasn’t without a team for long, as rival Calgary quickly scooped up the dynamic defender and special teamer. Yet with a competitive veteran secondary in Cow Town, the toughest work remains.
“They’ve got a lot of depth in the secondary,” said Burnett of a unit including Fred Bennett, Jamar Wall, Joshua Bell, Buddy Jackson and Brandon Smith, among others. “I just want to come in and put my hand in the pile and let the chips fall where they fall.”
Now a CFL veteran himself, Burnett said he sees strength in veteran depth rather than a reason to be intimidated.
“I’m a team guy, first of all, and I feel like depth as a veteran player in this league – you always need depth,” he added.
“Making the team is my number one goal and from there, I’ll just let the chips fall as far as playing time.”
Burnett’s decision to join the Stampeders appears to have been a no-brainer. The Central Florida alum recalled a recent time when he was still a member of the Eskimos, and former Stampeder Shawn Lemon called him thinking he was a free agent.
“He reached out and touched bases with me and told me ‘I think you should make a move to Calgary’,” recalled Burnett. “And I said ‘Shawn, I’m still under contract, I’m not in free agency’.”
“He said ‘oh, I thought you were a free agent’.”
After registering 122 tackles and eight interceptions to go with three defensive touchdowns in three seasons, Burnett coincidentally was released by the Eskimos.
“Once I was released and Calgary called me, I thought wow, what a coincidence,” continued Burnett. “I talked to Shawn and gave him a call back and said I might be a Stampeder after all.”
Football and loyalty don’t typically go hand-in-hand. In this sport, coaches and executives are usually wondering ‘what have you done lately?’ For that reason, Burnett wasn’t about to be picky when it comes to finding another team.
An added bonus, however, is the fact that Calgary came calling right away. Not only does Burnett have a new team, but he said he believes he’s playing for one of the classiest organizations around.
“What excites me is the tradition – the fans, the organization,” he said. “Everything seems A1 from outside looking in.”
“Coming from another team, every time I’m there in Calgary, the facilities – everything seems A1. I like that about them. I like how well-known they are.”
Playing for the Grey Cup Champs, of course, is another perk.
“All they do is win,” he continued. “From management all the way down to the last man on the team, it’s A1. You always want to be around a tradition that’s first-class.”
In the meantime, Burnett is doing everything possible to get ready for training camp, where he’ll look to make a solid impression and first and foremost, assure himself a roster spot.
If you don’t believe it, just check his Twitter account every morning at about 5am.
“I tweet a lot and say I’m up early to start now, and I start my day at 5am in the morning,” said Burnett. “It’s staying focused and conditioning and getting ready for camp.”
“I’m not sure how that’s going to be, being that it’s a new organization, but just coming in and being able to go – being able to run with the bigger field and all the changes.”
Rule changes aren’t so one-sided, says Burnett
Joe Burnett said he’s excited for the off-season rule changes to kick into effect.
While the focus of this off-season’s rule changes has been on the offensive upside, the defensive back and returner says the rule change involving contact between the defender and receiver outside of five yards may not be so one-sided.
That’s especially the case, he added, when it comes to the more physical defensive backs.
“Just talking about the defensive back in the first five yards, I think it helps the offence and the wide receivers out tremendously,” he started. “But it allows us to be more aggressive too in the first five yards within the line of scrimmage.”
“The DB can really beat him up, put his hand on him and control the play within the first five yards,” he continued. “It messes up the timing for quarterbacks and wide receivers.”
Outside of that five-yard buffer, Burnett said it just comes down to playing football and covering your man.
“Once you’re passed five yards, it’s about body control and your position with the receiver,” he said. “If the ball is in the air, you look for the ball and find the ball.”
“After five yards, for me, I’m not trying to beat you up anymore – I’m trying to run with you because I believe I have your route down pat and I’m looking for the ball and trying to make a play on it.”
Burnett, not just a defensive back but a punt returner by trade, said the new rules could also mean more frequent, game-breaking returns.
“I think it will help tremendously as far as punt returners go, being that the punt teams can’t go down field as fast anymore,” he said. “It gives you more time to slow the game down, make a clean catch and get positive yards from there.”
“I think the yardage is a big deal. It’ll put more emphasis on the punt team to cover more, but it helps the returner big-time. You may see a lot more returns and bigger plays in the return game.”
The Stampeders have a number of viable candidates to return punts in 2015, but Burnett, owning an average of 8.6 yards per return over 85 career attempts on punts, could be among them.
