FSU football failed to place a player on any of the AP All-America team announced Monday. Did the AP snub Brian Burns though?
FSU football didn’t have many bright spots during the 2018 season but junior defensive end Brian Burns was the exception.
Burns led the team with 10 sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss, and was fifth on the team with 52 total tackles.
All of those totals were career highs for Burns who’s expected to be selected early in the 2019 NFL Draft.
Despite those numbers and Burns leading the nation in QB pressures while being double teamed much of the year he was omitted from all of the AP All-America teams.
One writer thinks it’s a joke to not have Burns listed:
Don’t do an All-American team if y’all ain’t gonna put Brian Burns first team, let alone second or third team, Associated Press. Just skip it completely.
— Jon Ledyard (@LedyardNFLDraft) December 11, 2018
Brian Burns finished the regular season with more pressures than anyone else pic.twitter.com/lzAh8szWhO
— PFF College (@PFF_College) December 4, 2018
Thoughts
I can’t take anything away from the players the AP listed, but I’d have to agree he’d have to appear on the list somewhere. He led the nation in QB pressures and almost never came off the field for the Noles.
Here’s how Burns stacks up against the players selected as All-Americans:
Brian Burns stats: 52 total tackles, 15.5 TFL, 10 sacks, 3 passes defended, 1 FR, 3 FF
First team
- Clelin Ferrell: 47 total tackles, 17.5 TFL, 10.5 sacks, 1 pass defended, 2 forced fumbles
- Sutton Smith: 56 total tackles, 24.5 TFL, 15 sacks, 1 pass defended, 3 FR, 4 FF
Second team
- Montez Sweat: 51 total tackles, 14 TFL, 11.5 sacks, 1 FF
- Jachai Polite: 43 total tackles, 18 TFL, 11 sacks, 4 PD, 5 FF
Third Team
- Chase Winovich: 52 total tackles, 13 TFL, 4 sacks, 1 PD, 1 FR
- Jaylon Ferguson: 60 total tackles, 23.5 TFL, 15 sacks, 2 PD, 1 FR, 2 FF
I’m sorry but Chase Winovich, Jachai Polite and Sutton Smith are not more deserving than Brian Burns. Yes, Sutton Smith had impressive numbers but the level of competition faced is not the same as what Burns faced.
How in the world was Chase Winovich named an All-American over Burns? I would have listed Polite before Smith and Winovich though. That’s crazy!
It’s all good. Burns will be drafted highly and will get paid following in the footsteps of several FSU defensive ends over the years.
However, I would love to hear why these players in particular were selected instead of Burns. What do you think about it?