He has the cool, mysterious name, wears stealthy black gloves to conceal his fingerprints, signals in secret code, and hangs out in snappy suits with hot chicks. Nigel Burton...the question has to be asked.
Seriously, who is this Nigel Burton? Does anyone really know?
He has the name of a cool British superspy, the kind who would extract James Bond from a dust-up with Blofield in Mozambique, then act as his wingman in Monte Carlo or Cancun.
By day, he's an intense and super serious football coach. But by night, who knows? Has anyone been around to see him leave the film room?
And Nigel Burton wouldn't think any of this is a damn bit funny.
Focused, disciplined, energetic and passionate, Burton was a fierce hitter and a tireless worker as a Washington Huskies roverback in the late '90s, a key cog on UW teams that went to three straight bowls. He is a former defensive coordinator at the University of Nevada, where his team led the conference in rushing defense in both of his two seasons, a big reason why the Wolfpack improved from 6-7 the year before his arrival to 8-5 in 2009. Before Nevada Burton spent five years coaching the secondary under Mike Riley at Oregon State from 2003-2007. He sent six guys to the NFL. Burton also coached cornerbacks for two years under Tim Walsh in 2001 and 2002.
At PSU he's trying to instill a new attitude and a new discipline, and early signs are he's succeeding. Senior defensive end Carl Sommer told oregonlive,"There's a lot of positive energy on this field," he said. "It's really fun to be a part of it, and we look forward to coming out here as a team."
Quarterback Connor Kavanaugh says he notices the change in all sorts of little things. The locker room is neat and organized. The helmets and pads are hung straight. There's no tape littered on the floor.
On the field, Burton has stressed perseverance and intensity. He wants the game played the way he played it, and thus far the Vikes have bought in. Even in the 54-9 blowout loss to Arizona State, his players didn't quit and didn't back down, and the effort paid off in their road victory over UC Davis last week, 41-33. The Vikings snapped a six-game losing streak, and now they are 1-1 and ready for conference play.
Burton told Kerry Eggers of the Portland Tribune he has a bare table on a back wall in the PSU football office, a space he deliberately saved for the conference's championship trophy. Like Chip Kelly, he knows no one ever rises to low expectations.
And don't for a second think the Vikings are coming to Autzen Saturday with low expectations.
No disrespect to PSU, but the game won't be remotely close. Oregon is just too focused to let this become a trap game. Kelly will show the last minute of such recent games as N Dakota State beating Kansas at Kansas. Or maybe the James Madison victory over Va Tech... and the wild celebration that ensued when a David slays a Goliath-and he won't let it happen to them.
ReplyDeleteAside from that, I like PSU and hope the best for them.
BP--
ReplyDeleteI agree that trap games are only traps if you allow yourself to be trapped. If the Ducks bring it they'll win handily. But I have no doubt this PSU will compete and make a maximum effort. Oregon has to be ready to play football, for a great many reasons.
I like what Coach Burton is doing at PSU; it's a great college football story and I have no doubt that group will surprise people and build success. I hope no one was offended by the opening on this story--I was just trying to have fun with it. College football is a great game, and a game shouldn't be taken seriously all the time.
Dale
Then why does your blog state:
ReplyDelete"Because Oregon Duck football is not life or death. It's way more important than that."
OK, OK, just kidding!!
Actually, I thought it was pretty funny. Nice article. And I think I do have a sense of humor...occasionally! Go Viks!
ReplyDelete