Nate Burleson Wants to be the ‘Black Wes Welker’ For the Detroit Lions This Season
Through the first two games of the 2011 season, Detroit Lions wide receiver Nate Burleson has already benefited from playing alongside Calvin Johnson–who is one of the most dangerous wide receivers in the NFL when healthy. After an impressive 2-0 start following wins over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Kansas City Chiefs, the Lions have lived up to their offseason hype so far and Burleson has even found a new nickname for himself–the black Wes Welker.
As everyone knows, Welker is arguably the top slot wide receiver in the NFL and can be nearly impossible for defenders to contain at times. What makes Welker even more dangerous is when he’s lined up alongside other talented receivers–especially from 2007-09 when he played with Randy Moss.
So what does this have to do with Burleson? Just like Moss, Johnson is going to receive plenty of attention from defenders throughout the 2011 season–which Burleson hopes to take advantage of in the slot.
Here’s what Burleson had to say during his appearance courtesy of Michael David Smith from ProFootballTalk.com:
“This year I’m going to try to be the black Wes Welker,” Burleson said today on NFL Network. “I’m going to get as many catches in that slot or on the outside opposite Calvin because he’s going to attract a lot of attention all year.”
While his numbers may not be up there with Welker just yet, Burleson has recorded some decent numbers over the last two seasons with the Seattle Seahawks and Lions–catching a combined 118 passes for 1,437 yards with nine touchdowns. He’s already caught 12 passes for 153 yards this season and if Megatron can stay healthy enough to attract most of the attention for opposing defenses–maybe Burleson will make a huge impact for the Lions’ passing game this season in the slot.
He may not put up Welker-type numbers–but there’s no reason why Burleson can’t have his best season in 2011 by taking advantage of playing alongside Johnson.
Dan Parzych is the Lead NFL Content Editor for www.RantSports.com/NFL, where he writes and edits NFL content for www.RantSports.com.
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