Playing His Game

Kadie Smith

Anyone who has seen Bryan Burnham play knows that the rookie receiver has serious talent, but with a solid corps of receivers already on the Lions’ roster, for the Tulsa alum, it was a matter of staying patient and waiting his turn.

That moment came bittersweet. Courtney Taylor went down out of bounds in Week 12’s matchup with the Bombers and injured his foot. Surgery for the third-year Lion, and a spot on the 6-game injured list. Burnham got his chance.

“It was weird,” say Burnham on taking the place of his close friend on the roster. “Courtney’s been like a brother to me, nothing but supportive. He’s the one that’s always been telling me to stay patient, telling me about how he got his chance, and now I’m here because he got hurt. I never thought it would be him getting hurt and me playing in his spot.”

Burnham says he wants to do right by his mentor, and so far he hasn’t disappointed. On his first play in Week 13’s loss the the Argos, Toronto’s Alex Suber cut in front of him and intercepted Glenn’s pass. For a moment, Burnham’s mind flashed back to the preseason against Edmonton when he dropped a long pass from John Beck.

“I didn’t linger on it too long,” says Burnham. “That preseason one was tough. It was like, I dropped the ball; I just got cut. In Edmonton, it was 100% my fault, this time it was fair.”

Just like he did in the preseason where he finished with a 23-yard TD pass, Burnham thrived under the pressure of a big game scenario and finished the night vs the Argos second among Lions receivers with 5 catches for 90 yards and a TD. No one who knows him expected any less.

“I wasn’t at all surprised,” says offensive coordinator Khari Jones. “As soon as I saw him in Seattle at our free-agent camp, I knew he had something. He’s hungry and focused. He runs his routes well and just does everything you want him to.”

Of course, playing in place of a big personality and a leader like Taylor comes with some responsibility. “I feel like I can handle it,” laughs the usually reserved New Jersey native. 

“It’s like there’s a weight off now,” says Burnham. “I feel like I’ve proved to myself what I can do and now it’s like, it’s over with. I got that first game out of the way. Now I can go out and play.”

Calgary’s up next, and there’s no doubt in anyone’s minds what the rookie can do.