Giants OLB Brian Burn Sends a Firm Message to Teammates

The Giants are lacking on the little details in games which are coming back to cost them.

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

New York Giants outside linebacker Brian Burns has been battling a painful groin injury for five weeks but has refused to complain, take plays off, or, if he had his way, even miss practice snaps.

So when he looked at the Giants' current state, which fell to 2-6 after fumbling away a winnable game against the Pittsburgh Steelers by a score of 26-18, a visibly frustrated Burns had enough.

“This team needs to grow up,” Burns told reporters after the game. 

• MORE: Five Plays That Doomed the Giants Against the Steelers
  

Burns’s words don’t necessarily apply to everyone in the locker room, but he’s apparently seen enough reason to question whether guys are doing all they can each week leading up to and including the games to win.  

“To me, it doesn’t come down to effort,” Burns explained.“I feel like guys play hard. I think it just comes down to details and being super detailed in your job… Things not going your way and momentum switches can cause people to lack on their details.”

Burns was not alone in his sentiments. Defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence,  team co-captain, also vocalized his frustration after the game over the little details that aren’t being addressed and that keep popping up to beat the Giants at their own game.

“I’m a passionate dude, and I put a lot into this game,” Lawrence said. “I expect a lot to come back — and for my teammates also to give a lot to the game. I think I’m a little frustrated because we’re a good team and we keep beating ourselves every week.

“We can’t have that. We’ve got to be mentally locked in on every play, not just plays here and there. That’s where my frustration comes from. On game days, we’ve got to show up.”

• MORE: New York Giants Week 8 Report Card: Sloppy

The Giants aren’t mathematically out of the playoffs, but at this point, their 2024 season is on its final days of life support. 

And with the frustrations starting to simmer over in the locker room for veterans who are giving every last ounce of what they have for the greater cause versus those who might be slacking, this team appears to be heading down a very slippery slope.

Head coach Brian Daboll, who is doing all he can to keep the locker room from falling into further despair, said he’s not worried about the cumulative effect of losing causing the players to lose sight of what’s expected of them.

“Losing is frustrating,” he said during his Tuesday video call with reporters. “What we can do is control the things that we can control. You put everything you have into this each week. 

“So, when you're having all those meetings, and you're going through all those practices and you're giving everything you have on the field, everybody, and you don't get the results, certainly that is [frustrating].”

• MORE: Giants Notebook: Tyrone Tracy, Jr. Injury Update, Deonte Banks, and More from Another Miserable Loss

Daboll has stressed the importance of treating each week like a new week, as if the team were 0-0, and not letting frustrating losses or big wins linger into the week to the point that they affect preparation. 

“That was a competitive game, and nobody's happy with our record. I've said that before,” he said. “So, we have to come in with the right mindset like we do each week and do everything we can do to put the best product on a field we can on Sunday .... That's why you do this, to win.” 

• MORE: New York Giants Fans React on Social Media to 26-18 Loss to Steelers

---

JOIN THE NEW YORK GIANTS ON SI COMMUNITY!

• Follow and like us on Facebook.
• Submit your questions for our mailbag.
• Follow on Instagram.
• Check out the Giants Country YouTube Channel.