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Giants OLB Brian "Spider-man" Burns Playing with Super Hero Like Resolve

New York Giants OLB Brian Burns has lived up to his superhero nickname by playing through a painful groin injury.

Patricia Traina

Sep 26, 2024; East Rutherford, NJ, US; New York Giants linebacker Brian Burns (0) looks at his sideline for instructions at MetLife Stadium.
Sep 26, 2024; East Rutherford, NJ, US; New York Giants linebacker Brian Burns (0) looks at his sideline for instructions at MetLife Stadium. / Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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New York Giants outside linebacker Brian Burns goes by the nickname of Spider-man, the popular Marvel Comics character who patrols the streets of New York to thwart criminals from doing their thing.

Burns is doing a different kind of patrolling for the Giants, though, making sure that opposing quarterbacks don’t do their thing against Big Blue. 

Although his sack total (4.0) might seem paltry compared to the expectations that came with his five-year $141 million contract signed after the Giants acquired him via a trade with the Carolina Panthers, a closer look at the numbers shows that Burns is indeed doing his thing against opposing quarterbacks.

Burns, per NFL NextGen Stats, boasts a 14.6% quarterback pressure percentage in 197 pass-rush snaps.

And per TruMedia, Burns’s 31 quarterback pressures this season are tied for the seventh-most in the NFL. Burns is also the only player in the league this season to post 4.0-plus sacks, and six-plus passes defensed.

Not bad for a guy who continues to fight his toughest opponent yet: his body. Burns has been ailing with a sore groin since Week 3, one that after last week’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles saw him leave the Giants' locker room with a very heavy limp reminiscent of Hall of Fame Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker  "Mean Joe" Greene’s staged limped in the 1979 Coca-cola commercial.

Burns, who has had his practice reps managed as his injury continues to be an issue, had a great set of teachers during his time in Carolina when it came to being tough and not caving into the aches and pains–some of which really pose a challenge–that come with the game of football.

Among those he mentioned as being role models for toughness that he now seeks to emulate are former linebacker Luke Kuechly, running back Christian McCaffrey, and outside linebacker Shaq Thompson. 

“Yeah, I had a lot of guys to look up to,” Burns said with a smile.

Burns measured his words carefully when asked how he was feeling physically, trying his best to downplay the nagging discomfort that he’s been trying to manage now for several weeks via treatment.

“Life's going to keep life-ing,” he said with a shrug when asked how he’s been able to be out there on the field despite a painful injury.

So does that mean he’s getting better healthwise?

“Yeah, I guess,” he said. “Still just trying to make sure everything is smooth for (Monday), but yeah, I feel better.”

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Patricia Traina
PATRICIA TRAINA

Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for 30+ seasons, and her work has appeared in multiple media outlets, including The Athletic, Forbes, Bleacher Report, and the Sports Illustrated media group. As a credentialed New York Giants press corps member, Patricia has also covered five Super Bowls (three featuring the Giants), the annual NFL draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine. She is the author of The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants. In addition to her work with New York Giants On SI, Patricia hosts the Locked On Giants podcast. Patricia is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America.

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