Martail Burnett Interview

Football.com:  Thanks for taking the time, this has to be an exciting time for you right now.

Burnett: It is, it is. Doing all I can so that I hear my name called on Draft Day.

Football.com:  Tell us a little bit about your daily workout routine? How much has changed in preparation for the draft? Are you working out alone or with a trainer or another athlete?

Burnett: It’s just me. I had been working with a trainer before but I’m a big boy now, time to get things done on my own (laughing). I work out daily, depends on what day it is like whether I am working my upper or lower body. Make sure I give my body enough time to recover. Rest and recovery is important. I am working harder than I ever have before.

Football.com:  Any type of advice that has been thrown your way by either your agent or other athletes who have been through this before as to what to expect?

Burnett: Most people I have talked to have told me about mini camps. That’s where it looks like they separate people. They wanna see who has been working and who has been at home sitting around. A lot of conditioning and running and just making sure you can take the physicality of what’s involved.

Football.com:  Talk a little bit about the season you guys had in Utah. Do you think your team went overlooked? It seemed like you may have been the quietest 9 win team from a journalistic standpoint. Was that because of the slow start you had or do you think you kind of flew under the radar a bit?

Burnett: I think we flew under the radar. That and some teams felt that we were going to have a down year. Our slow start had more to do with injuries than anything. Once we started getting our key players back and healthy things started coming together. Take the one game we lost late against BYU. We should have won that game and gave up that 4^th and long…we should have won there. But it all worked out and if teams took us lightly and we took advantage, hey it’s still a win and a win is a win that’s the bottom line.

Football.com:  Speaking of the season tell us about the interception and the touchdown return you had in a critical win over TCU. Was that the highlight of your season?

Burnett: I don’t know if you could say highlight of my season but it was a big play. I scored that right before halftime and it gave us the boost we needed going into the locker room. I was a simple spy as a blitz shifted the line on the play and he (Andy Dalton) threw it right to me. All I know is I had nobody in front of me and I hadn’t run that long in a long time. Felt like it took a long time to reach the end zone and it was only about 55 yards.

Football.com:  Did you always play football growing up or did you have other sports you were interested in?

Burnett: Always played football. In the offseason I did some basketball and I learned baseball wasn’t my sport. I ran track for a year and that was fun. I always wanted to stay involved with football or something so I had something to do and wasn’t on the streets. Growing up in the inner city there were lots of things around you and it was easy to get into trouble. I didn’t want to be gang-banging or getting involved in drugs. I wanted to do the right thing and made sure I was focusing on the things that were important.

Football.com:  Talk about the transition from when you arrived at Utah when you played in the secondary as a safety to when they made you a defensive end. I mean you were what like 210-215 pounds?

Burnett: Man I wish I was 215. I was 185 pounds soaking wet and a wide receiver when I came to Utah. When the coaches first suggested the move I was like “What”. I was already undersized for the position I was playing and they wanted me to go on the defensive line! But I had a great coach in coach (Greg) Anderson and once I started eating more and lifting it was fun. The biggest thing was learning to play with my head down at the snap, that was an adjustment but I worked hard and it paid off.

Football.com:  Any particular place you want to play? Anything you would do differently looking back or any advice you are willing to give some of the young players out there who are coming through the football ranks?

Burnett: I don’t care where I play. I just wanna play this game as long as I can it really doesn’t matter where. There is nothing I would do differently. I would just tell people to keep plugging away. Things don’t always go how you want them to but if you like what you do and work hard enough at it then it will work out. Just keep plugging away man and good things will happen.

Football.com:  We certainly hope they will for you and we look forward to talking to you again when you are on the field every Sunday.

Burnett: My pleasure, thanks a lot.