Wrassler/entertainer Stone Cold Steve Austin used to have a gimmick where he would climb to the top rope before a roaring crowd at the start of a match, smash two cans of beer together and chug them, suds streaming down his trademark bald head and goatee.
A reporter once asked him, why didn't he just open the beers one at a time and sip them without all the mess?
Austin got a twinkle in his eye as he said, "The people deserve a SHOW."
In 2023 for the Oregon Ducks, Jordan Burch is ready to be the guy smashing the two cans of beer. Or Pepsi. Or Gatorade. He's ready to be the show.
Please understand, Burch is the exact opposite of the flamboyant and exaggerated ring persona that Austin projected. He's a smart, humble, soft-spoken guy. Both Dan Lanning and former coach Will Muschamp have praised his intelligence, work ethic and character.
At fall camp in 2021 he told reporters, "Deep down in yourself, you know who you are. You try not to let it get to you. Like if you're not playing you don't want to be too cocky and be like, I should be the one on the field. You've got to actually earn it instead of putting yourself out there already."
Watch the film, and you'll see Burch do a hundred little things to make his defense better. He gets his hands up when he doesn't reach the quarterback. He sniffs out screens and misdirection. He uses tremendous lateral quickness to run down plays, running backs and quarterbacks that are supposed to be faster. He plays under control and with a lot of composure, rarely drawing a penalty or getting out of position. He sets the edge, something the Ducks struggled with last year. Remember the agonizing finish to the Oregon State game, the Beavers making an improbable comeback while running the football 17 times in a row? Burch is disruptive. Playing team defense, he forces stops, rarely coming out of a game.
The junior from Columbia, South Carolina racked up 60 tackles last season, which is a lot for a defensive end. In his three seasons at Oregon unanimous All-American Kayvon Thibodeaux had 35, 42 and 49. Burch has learned to impact a game in a lot of ways.
The exciting part is, the former 5-star recruit has barely tapped his potential. Oregon line coach Tony Tuioti can refine his technique, teach him to get more bend in his pass rush, get around offensive tackles and reach the quarterback more often. He'll learn to get more out of his extraordinary quickness. Burch only had 3.5 sacks last year, but he led the Gamecocks with 14 quarterback hurries and 40 pressures.
In South Carolina Jordan endured a lot of pressure and scrutiny. His high school was 5.8 miles from Williams-Brice Stadium. Former Gamecocks quarterback Erik Kimrey was his head coach, Muschamp's son the quarterback.
At Hammond he played running back and wide receiver as well as defensive end for a team that won three straight 3A championships (the small-school division in South Carolina). He starred on the basketball court, fluid and confident, dunking with either hand.
When he signed at SCe, he was the highest-rated recruit in school history after Jadaveon Clowney, at one point the number one high school prospect in the country in 2020. Clemson, LSU, Georgia and Alabama engaged in a frenzied bidding war. He chose to stay home after much hesitation.
Expections were gigantic, but injuries slowed him in his freshman season. Muschamp was fired in November that year, so he started over with a new group of coaches. Burch steadily improved, yet not enough to suit the Cock-crazy fanbase in the Palmetto state.
A fresh start away from home should help, though his approach won't change. At fall camp last year Joe Macheca of On3 Sports asked him what he was focusing on as practice began. “Not getting too ahead of myself, keeping my composure,” he said. “It’s just football.”
Last season at Oregon the defense ranked 115th in sacks and 123rd at getting off the field on third down. If you don't think Jordan Burch will improve those numbers, you've got to be a hopeless pessimist or a closet Husky fan.
And that opinion isn't worth two smashed-up empty beer cans.
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