Tag: Brian Burns

Panthers QB Bryce Young, Giants OLB Brian Burns renew friendship in Germany

Panthers QB Bryce Young and Giants OLB Brian Burns embraced a few times this past weekend in Germany.

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young got more than just his swagger back this past weekend.

His team’s Week 10 visit to Munich, Germany ended in glorious fashion—as the Panthers walked off on the New York Giants en route to a 20-17 victory. The overtime win saw Young deliver yet another encouraging performance—as he passed for 126 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions in a clean, confident and effective offering.

Young’s triumphant trip overseas also gave him the opportunity to reconnect with an old friend, New York Giants outside linebacker Brian Burns.

Burns, of course, spent the first five seasons of his NFL career in Carolina before being traded to New York this past spring. The last, 2023, was Young’s first—one in which the two evidently built a very strong bond.

Here’s a shot of Young and Burns meeting up in Munich prior to kickoff of Sunday’s matchup:

And here are some shots of Young and Burns meeting up a few times during said matchup:

They also dapped up one last time before heading back their separate ways:

In addition to the sack, Burns ended the day against his former team and current buddy with a season-high nine combined tackles.

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Giants’ Brian Burns ‘hurt’ by ugly overtime loss to Panthers

New York Giants LB Brian Burns admits it “hurt” to lose to his former team, the Carolina Panthers, in such humiliating fashion.

The New York Giants lost their fifth straight game on Sunday in Germany, falling to the Carolina Panthers in embarrassing fashion.

Brian Burns, who spent the first five years of his NFL career with Carolina, was particularly hurt by the loss.

“Yeah, it hurt,” he told reporters. “You know, losing like that and losing to a team I spent extended amount of time with hurt, and seeing all those faces that was in the building was a little tough. But it was straight. I was happy to see them.”

Burns was a notable performer against his former team, but in the end, the Giants left Munich with a loss to one, if not the worst team in the NFL.

Burns had a sack less than a minute into the game, one of two tackles for a loss, and nine total tackles on the day.

Ahead of Sunday’s game, Burns made it clear he was taking a business-as-usual approach to preparing for the matchup against his former team and claimed he held no grudge against the franchise.

While he had an impressive individual performance against his former team, both Burns and his new team would have certainly liked to come away with a win.

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Giants vs. Panthers Player of the Game: Brian Burns

The New York Giants were defeated by the Carolina Panthers, 20-17, in Germany on Sunday and LB Brian Burns is our Player of the Game.

The New York Giants were defeated by the Carolina Panthers, 20-17, in Germany on Sunday and Brian Burns is our Player of the Game.

For the first time in franchise history, the Giants lose in Europe. With this 17-20 loss, New York falls to 2-8 and is currently the worst team in the NFL.

The Giants never led in this contest as they went down 10-0 at halftime and were a couple of plays away from completing a double-digit comeback.

The attempted comeback was led by the defense holding the Panthers to zero points in the fourth quarter and their premier edge rusher led the way in doing so.

Burns showed out in his revenge game. He finished with nine tackles (four solo), one sack, and two tackles for loss.

Tyrone Tracy Jr. was originally the pick for this honor with 103 total yards and a touchdown. However, he had a crucial fumble (out of bounds) in the red zone late in the fourth quarter that turned into an interception taking points off of the board.

The rookie also had a costly fumble at the start of overtime leading to a Panthers victory.

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Giants vs. Panthers: 3 reasons for optimism in Week 10

The New York Giants visit the Carolina Panthers in Germany on Sunday morning in Week 10, and here are three reasons for optimism.

The New York Giants will play an international game in Munich, Germany this Sunday against the Carolina Panthers.

Ahead of the Week 10 contest, the Giants snapped a streak of 24 straight games being listed as the underdog.

The Panthers notched their second win of the season in Week 9, snapping a five-game losing streak. On the Giants’ side, they will enter Sunday trying to snap a four-game losing streak.

Here are three reasons for optimism ahead of their Week 10 matchup.

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

International win streak

The Giants have been very good in the games they have played across the pond. They played the Miami Dolphins in 2007, the Los Angeles Rams in 2016, and most recently, the Green Bay Packers in 2022 and they won them all. The Giants are hoping to improve to 4-0 in their international games on Sunday against the Panthers.

Luke Johnson-Imagn Images

Picking up steam before the bye week

The Giants have also been very good in games ahead of the bye week throughout the team’s history. Believe it or not, Big Blue is 23-12 in games before a bye week, which is tied for the fourth-best record in such games in NFL history.

Sarah Stier/Getty Images

Brian Burns playing his former team

Arguably, the biggest move of the offseason for the Giants was going out and getting Brian Burns and signing him to a massive contract. Burns will go up against the team that drafted him for the first time on Sunday. He will certainly have a little extra motivation ahead of the game even if he tries to downplay it.

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Giants’ Brian Burns holds no ill will toward Panthers

New York Giants linebacker Brian Burns doesn’t hold a grudge against the Panthers after trading him, but he’s happy to be with Big Blue.

New York Giants edge rusher Brian Burns will be facing the team that drafted him No. 16 overall in 2019 for the first time this Sunday when the Giants face the Carolina Panthers in Munich, Germany.

Burns spent five seasons with the Panthers and made a name for himself as a top pass rusher. In Carolina, Burns recorded 59 tackles for a loss, 46 sacks, and 13 passes defensed in 80 games. He had at least 7.5 or more sacks in each season in Carolina.

This past offseason, the Giants decided to trade for Burns and sign him to a five-year extension. He is a Giant now but still recognized his days in Carolina during his media session on Monday.

“No, like I said, business is business,” Burns said when asked if there was any unfinished business with the Panthers. “Business happened. I’m happy where I am. I’m blessed.”

Burns confirmed the trade was something that he didn’t ask for but felt it coming after the team decided to rebuild.

“Surprise? I wouldn’t say a surprise,” he said. “I would say you could kind of feel the direction it was going in. But no. Just to answer your question, I didn’t ask for a trade.”

He has no ill will toward the team that drafted him.

“I respect those people in that building, that organization. Like I said, I’m blessed. There isn’t really too much to speak on. I’m happy where I am now and I’m just trying to make this team win,” he said.

Burns did mention that he left Carolina without saying proper goodbyes to people, and is looking forward to seeing many of them.

“There are a ton of people that I didn’t get to talk to before I left. Over five years, you build that bond with a lot of people in a lot of different ways,” he said. “I do have a special connection with some people from the equipment staff, training staff and some of the lunch people. I’ve just got connections all over that building. So, I can’t wait to see them.”

During Burns’ five seasons in Carolina, the Panthers won a total of 24 games and some see his move from there to East Rutherford as jumping from the frying pan into the fire as the Giants haven’t fared much better.

“I’m not going to make it any bigger than what the line and everything’s going to be about it. It’s just another game to me. I’m going to prepare the same way and plan to get a win in Germany,” he said.

A win this Giants team so sorely needs.

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Azeez Ojulari relieved to remain with Giants

The New York Giants weren’t able to trade impending free agent linebacker Azeez Ojulari, which is jut fine with him.

The NFL trade deadline came and went on Tuesday without the New York Giants making any deals.

There was speculation that they could part ways with some veterans as another season has gone south on them. Impending free agents such as outside linebacker Azeez Ojulari and wide receiver Darius Slayton were mentioned as two players who could be traded.

In the end, neither was dealt, which is just fine by Ojulari, who is enjoying his first injury-free season in three years and has complied 6.0 sacks thus far.

“It’s cool that I don’t have to move or anything,” Ojulari said on Wednesday, via the New York Post. “I’m happy to be here and ready to keep going.”

After bursting onto the scene as a second-round draft pick out of Georgia in 2021, Ojulari has not been able to stay healthy, leading to the Giants seeking pass-rush options elsewhere.

In 2022, Big Blue selected Kayvon Thibodeaux with the 5th overall pick in the draft and then traded for Pro Bowler Brian Burns this offseason.

Thibodeaux has been on injured reserve (IR) for the past month with a broken wrist, which has opened the door for Ojulari to have his best season since setting the franchise rookie record for sacks (8.0) in 2021.

“I’m happy it’s behind me,” Ojulari said of the trade talk. “I’m locked in on this (next) game now. I don’t have to focus on all the other stuff or learn a new defense.

“It’s a good relief off my back. The mentality stays the same — continue to play hard and physical.”

There were several teams interested in Ojulari over the past few weeks. Arizona, Pittsburgh and Detroit were all in the market for pass rush help but found that help elsewhere. The rumors that surfaced said the Giants would let Ojulari go for a late-round draft pick.

Ojulari will now concentrate on his current role and let the chips fall where they may come March when he officially becomes a free agent.

“All I can do is play my role,” Ojulari said. “Whenever I’m out there, do whatever I can to be effective and make the most of the opportunity. We’ve still eight games — that’s a lot of games to put out good film and try to get wins.”

It sounds like Ojulari would like to stay but the Giants may not have that luxury. Things have just not lined up the right way in this relationship, which is a shame as Ojulari is clearly a talented player and you can never have enough of those.

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Giants sacking quarterbacks at a historic rate in 2024

The 2024 New York Giants are on pace to set a new NFL single-season record for sacks by a team.

The New York Giants plan to upgrade their pass rush this past offseason has been a success thus far. They are leading the NFL in sacks with 35 after eight weeks.

They are sacking the quarterback at a rate not seen in nearly a quarter of a century.

The Giants have 61 QB hits, tied with Baltimore for second in the league and two behind the league leader, Denver.

The Giants’ pass rush is led by interior lineman Dexter Lawrence, who leads the NFL with 9.0 sacks, and linebackers Azeez Ojulari (6.0 sacks) and Brian Burns (5.0).

Safety Jason Pinnock has three sacks and four other players — defensive lineman D.J. Davidson and linebackers Kayvon Thibodeaux, Bobby Okereke, and Micah McFadden — each have two.

The Giants are averaging 4.4 sacks per game. No other team is averaging over 3.9. The Giants are on pace for 74 sacks over the 17-game regular season.

The NFL record for team sacks is 72, set by the 1984 Chicago Bears. That was naturally over a 16-game season.

The Giants team record for sacks in a single season is 68, set back in 1985.

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Giants injury report: Tyrone Tracy Jr. advances in concussion protocol

New York Giants RB Tyrone Tracy Jr. advanced in concussion protocol and has a chance to play against the Washington Commanders on Sunday.

The New York Giants took the field on Thursday for their second of three practices ahead of a Week 9 game against the Washington Commanders at MetLife Stadium.

Beforehand, head coach Brian Daboll delivered a positive injury update, revealing that all but two players — punter Jamie Gillan and wide receiver Bryce Ford-Wheaton — would return to practice.

Daboll also stated that rookie running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. advanced in concussion protocol and would wear the red non-contact jersey.

“Trending in the right direction,” Daboll said.

In further good news, Daboll said there’s a strong chance veteran cornerback Adoree’ Jackson returns for Sunday’s game against Washington barring a setback.

“Good to go,” he said of Jackson

The Giants’ full Thursday injury report can be found below:

Did not participate: P Jamie Gillan (hamstring), WR Bryce Ford-Wheaton (Achilles)

Limited participant: RB Tyrone Tracy Jr. (concussion), CB Adoree’ Jackson (neck), CB Cor’Dale Flott (groin), CB Tre Hawkins (groin), OL Jake Kubas (abdomen), OL John Michael Schmitz (calf), LB Ty Summers (ankle), OL Joshua Ezeudu (knee), WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette (ankle), OL Jon Runyan Jr. (foot)

Full participant: OL Jermaine Eluemunor (hip), LB Brian Burns (groin/biceps), LB Matthew Adams (knee), NT Dexter Lawrence (rest)

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Healthy again, Giants linebacker Azeez Ojulari is reviving career

New York Giants linebacker Azeez Ojulari is healthy again and reminding everyone just how dominant he can be as a pass rusher.

New York Giants outside linebacker Azeez Ojulari began his NFL career back in 2021 as a highly-touted second-round draft pick out of Georgia.

Ojulari fell to the second round due to concerns about his surgically repaired knee. The Giants pounced and were rewarded by Ojulari who went on to set a franchise record for sacks by a rookie (8).

But since that season, Ojulari has largely been unavailable due to various injuries that do not include the knee that caused him to drop in the draft.

Ojulari started just 10 games over the next two seasons and headed into training camp this year, he had been replaced by the likes of Kayvon Thibodeaux, Boogie Basham, and Brian Burns.

The Giants had lost hope that the once-promising Ojulari would ever realize his once-massive potential.

This season, those hopes have been rekindled as Ojulari, who will be a free agent next March, has stayed healthy and become a force rushing the passer.

Ojulari has 6.0 sacks over the Giants’ first eight games this season and has gotten an opportunity due to a wrist injury to Thibodeaux. Ojulari put some wisdom behind his answer when asked how he was handling the unexpected opportunity.

“It’s an opportunity that popped up. I’m trying to take advantage of every one I get. Every chance, every rep I get. I’m trying to take it to the fullest I can,” he told reporters on Wednesday. “I know it’s my fourth year here. I just have to give it all I’ve got and try to help this team win. Play good defense. That’s all I want to do, really.”

Now comes the prospect of losing Ojulari to free agency with the team licked into Burns and Thibodeaux.

“Whatever happens, happens,” he said. “I’m just ready to keep working here. I love it here. Ready to keep working. I’m just doing my thing.”

The Giants would love to keep him, too. With the trade deadline less than a week away, they apparently have no intention of moving Ojulari, who is on pace for a 13-sack season.

The real story is that Ojulari has stayed healthy and with that comes a fresh attitude toward the job and the game.

“It feels great because we put in so much work into this game. Nobody wants to be hurt. It’s just part of the game, stuff you can’t control. You’ve got to just play your role, play your game, and just try to be as good as you can when you’re out there,” he said.

Thibodeaux will be back soon and the Giants will once again have an embarrassment of riches in their pass rush, which leads the NFL in sacks this year.

“Whenever he gets back healthy, we just try to continue to compete, execute, push each other, work together and just continue to get better and try to help this team win. And have a great defense all in one,” Ojulari said.

The Giants haven’t had many sunny stories this season and you never know where they are going to come from. The resurgence of Ojulari has been more than a pleasant and welcome surprise for Big Blue.

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Giants injury report: Tyrone Tracy Jr. in concussion protocol

New York Giants rookie RB Tyrone Tracy Jr. is in the “early stages” of concussion protocol and may not be available in Week 9 vs. Washington.

The New York Giants returned to the practice field on Wednesday afternoon in preparation for a Week 9 game against the Washington Commanders at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

On short rest, the Giants had a lengthy injury report with several veterans and stars sitting out, including nose tackle Dexter Lawrence and running back Tyrone Tracy Jr.

Head coach Brian Daboll revealed that Tracy, who left Monday night’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, was in the “early stages” of concussion protocol. He is 50-50 to play against the Commanders.

Lawrence, who has been battling a hip injury for most of the season, was given a veteran rest day.

Meanwhile, offensive tackle Joshua Ezeudu had his knee drained and missed practice, paving the way for veteran Chris Hubbard to start at left tackle for the second consecutive week.

The Giants’ full Wednesday injury report can be found below:

Did not participate: RB Tyrone Tracy Jr. (concussion), NT Dexter Lawrence (rest), P Jamie Gillan (hamstring), OL Joshua Ezeudu (knee), WR Bryce Ford-Wheaton (Achilles), WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette (ankle), LB Matthew Adams (knee)

Limited participant: LB Brian Burns (groin/biceps), CB Adoree’ Jackson (neck), OL Jermaine Eluemunor (hip), CB Cor’Dale Flott (groin), CB Tre Hawkins (groin), OL Jake Kubas (abdomen), OL John Michael Schmitz (calf), LB Ty Summers (ankle)

Full participant: None

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