A Burns(ing) desire for a Big Blue bounce back

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Brian Burns has been impressed with Dexter Lawrence going back to their days as teammates at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl when they were star high school prospects headed to Florida State and Clemson, respectively.

In Sunday's 28-6 season opening loss to the Vikings, Burns finally got to see first-hand Lawrence's dominance up front.

"I kind of always knew," Burns said. "Practicing with him, I can see it. One-on-ones, I can see it. Dang near 100% on one-on-ones. I don't know. Dex is a unique player. Never seen it before."

When Lawrence picked up his first sack of the season on Minnesota's opening drive, he broke out his customary "Sexy Dexy" dance in the backfield and Burns was one of the teammates who joined in, imitating his moves.

I asked Burns if he expected Lawrence to return the favor when he gets on the board with his first sack, busting out his Spider-Man celebration.

"Oh, he already said he's going to do it. I just told him to make sure he stretches," Burns said with a laugh. "I don't need him hurting himself doing my celebration. He got to stretch for that."

Four Downs with ... Brian Burns

This is our weekly installment of a new feature to this newsletter: Four Downs, a four-part Q&A with Giants players and coaches hitting on a variety of topics. This week's subject is Burns, who I caught up with at his locker on Thursday. The Giants have placed an emphasis on their edge rush duo of Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux having even more of an impact against the Commanders.

AS: Growing up, which players did you idolize or model your game after?

BB: Julius Peppers and Jason Taylor. Always my guys when I was a kid, and as I got older, Von Miller became the main guy that I watched. A couple other guys that I thought resembled me at the time, speed rushers: Vic Beasley, Cliff Avril, Bruce Irvin. Dwight Freeney - that's where I fell in love with the spin move.

AS: Do you remember the first time you used the spin move?

BB: I was in the ninth grade, JV.

AS: So a JV tackle was supposed to stop that?

BB: It wasn't what it is now. [laughs]. It was getting there, but he couldn't stop it. Got there and de-cleated the quarterback, too.

AS: What other position would you like to play for a game?

BB: I think I could've been a pretty good receiver. I'd be pretty slow, but big red zone threat. I'd be Megatron [Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson]. Maybe. [laughs].

AS: Tell me something about Brian Burns we don't know.

BB: I'm learning how to play the saxophone. And I'm getting into poetry - I'm gonna start listening first and then I may start writing. I've been to a poetry slam [where poets perform spoken word] and it kinda piqued my interest, just the vibe alone.

If this is who Daniel Jones is at quarterback now, the Giants' season is already on the rocks.

It's been a rough week for the 27-year-old quarterback, and as Big Blue heads to Washington, the pressure has reached the highest it has been for Jones since he was selected with the No. 6 overall pick in 2019.

Jones insists he has not lost his confidence. Brian Daboll's job right now - and the success of this offense - depends on whether he can save the Giants from Jones' struggles, and as soon as possible.

And in my post-game "All In with Art Stapleton" podcast where I offered my instant analysis of Jones and the Giants in their loss to the Vikings, I talked about how there are flashbacks to what happened to David Carr in Houston.

Sideline casualty

Giants outside linebackers coach Charlie Bullen fractured his leg in a sideline collision in the fourth quarter of Sunday's loss to the Vikings. Bullen had surgery Thursday morning to repair a broken fibula, and defensive coordinator Shane Bowen indicated that he will likely have more of a hand with that position as long as Bullen is on the mend.

Defensive assistant Ben Burress worked with Burns near the end of the media viewing period of practice Thursday.

The last time I remember something like this happening: Christmas Eve 2011 when Tom Coughlin took a vicious shot on the sideline from his own player, running back D.J. Ware, who was hit late out of bounds.

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We’re headed down to Landover for Sunday’s game to see if the Giants can get in the win column. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m., and make sure you check out my live blog beginning early in the morning with preview info, the latest news and notes and more.

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This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: A Burns(ing) desire for a Big Blue bounce back