For better or for worse, this “saga” at the wide receiver position isn’t going to clear up until the season actually starts and we get to see Treylon Burks in real game action for the Tennessee Titans. Personally, I’ve thought this whole asthma/fat discussion has been pretty dumb and pointless, but there’s been no real football to talk about for months now and left to their own devices, some people’s minds are going make leaps. I would remind everyone not to jump if you don’t know where you’re going to land, but that’s not what I’m here to do this morning. Point is, because of all the drama, all eyes were going to be on Burks from the jump no matter what.
We’ve gone from ‘this guy is a bust’ to ‘he’s fat’ all in the same offseason, and all just because he showed up to mini-camp a little unprepared for what the toils of the NFL, and more specifically what the toils of having asthma in the humidity capitol of the world, are like. Speaking from experience, Nashville is a hard place to live and breathe in the summer time if you have asthma. But, instead of cutting the guy a break and waiting to see how it pans out, a certain sect of fans were ready to run him out of town. Burks held himself accountable for not getting as ready as he could have before that mini-camp, and opened up a bit about what that whole situation was like.
Very impressed by Treylon Burks public accountability on his early approach being too lax pic.twitter.com/NX2vQaGxyG
— Buck Reising (@BuckReising) July 27, 2022
That’s a level of accountability you like to hear from a player, especially one with the expectations he’s facing. It’s a reflection of the culture and atmosphere that has trickled down from Mike Vrabel, and it’s a sign that Burks is acclimating to that culture just fine. It sure as hell sounds like he understands the assignment, so can we please bury the ‘unprepared’ talk once and for all? I’m not saying the guy’s going to be a Hall of Famer – I’m just saying it’s time for us to move on from Asthmagate (credit to Football & Other F Words for coining this term).
Some of the highlights from Burks at training camp, as posted by several members of the local Nashville media, highlight his quick feet, play strength, and an impactful burst with which he plays the game. He’s not the prototypical burner, but he had no problem running away from that Alabama defense a season ago. He has a little bit of that “gamer” aspect to him, which is why I wasn’t really concerned about how he showed up to mini-camp. Just put on the Arkansas tape, and you’ll have some fun watching Burks. I promise. The most encouraging thing is that we started to see some of that play-making ability show up in drills this week, like this catch that just about made me have to change my britches.
@TreylonBurks pic.twitter.com/sPm71SbaQg
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) July 27, 2022
This is how I broke down Burks after studying him leading up to the NFL Draft:
“Burks wins a lot of battles with his pure talent – he’s slippery in the open field and knows how to find gaps in coverage and accelerate right through them. He has a lot of incredible circus catches on his tape. It is easy to see why some think he could be a top 15 pick.”
I had him as WR2 in this draft, right after Jameson Williams, for what it’s worth. You don’t want to put too much stock into the first week of practice, obviously. But, at the very least, it’s “so far, so good.” As for his role on offense, I think we’re going to see an approach similar to what Burks faced at Arkansas. They’re just going to try and manufacture ways to get the ball in his hands – we don’t know where guys are lining up right now, but at Arkansas, they used him all over the formation – inside, outside, in the backfield, everywhere. Vrabel has even said he wants to try getting him some snaps as a punt returner this preseason.
I’m certainly not ready to say that Burks is a hit yet, but I definitely think we can end the unwarranted criticisms at this point. It sure as hell sounds like we’re off to the races with him.
Treylon Burks destroyed three months of ridiculous media coverage with one play in the first 5 plays of camp.
— Braden Gall (@BradenGall) July 27, 2022
Beat Fulton for a spectacular diving catch deep down the field. Made another contested catch on Farley. A few other nice plays.
Easily his best day of work. #Titans
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Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley.
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