Untitled Page

Nate Burleson News & Rumors

Lions WR Nate Burleson does his part to tutor Titus Young
March 14
Detroit Free Press
 
"Nate Burleson was a promising young receiver entering his second season when Vikings teammate Marcus Robinson pulled him aside for a veteran talk. "He looked at me and was like, 'We're going to compete for this job, and the competition is going to make us better,' " Burleson recalled Monday. "He told me, 'Don't get it twisted. There's enough food on the table for both of us to eat, so I'm not going to hate on you, I'm never going to knock you. I'm going to do whatever I can to build you up.' " Burleson finished that season with a career-best 1,006 yards receiving and nine touchdowns, thriving on the competition that came from fighting for catches opposite Randy Moss."
Nate Burleson's performance impresses Raiders fan
December 21
Detroit Free Press
 
"Lions receiver Nate Burleson spread a little sunshine in the Black Hole during an interesting encounter with a Raiders fan Sunday. Burleson knew what he was in for at Oakland. Raiders supporters call themselves "football's most notorious fans," and they've been know to pelt players with flying objects and insults. Burleson got a taste of both. "Check this out," Burleson said Tuesday. "So before the game, there was a guy. He was talking crazy. He was like, 'Man, you suck! I hate you. You're the worst player ever. Go back to Seattle. Matter of fact, go back to Minnesota. You're old.'"
Nate Burleson gives props to grade school in Sunday Night Football introduction
December 9
Detroit Free Press
 
"Lions receiver Nate Burleson might have made NFL history. Burleson said he believes he is the first NFL player to list his elementary school in the taped introductions networks use on national broadcasts. In the introduction for NBC's Sunday night game at New Orleans, Burleson said: "Nate Burleson, Rainier View Elementary." "Everybody does their colleges," Burleson said Thursday. "A few people do their high schools. Nobody does elementaries, and plus my elementary (in Seattle) was tore down. I love my school, and I was just kind of giving a shout-out to my school and a lot of people watching back home.""
Lions' Nate Burleson fined $7,500, he tells radio station
December 8
Detroit News
 
"Lions receiver Nate Burleson told radio station WXYT-1270 Wednesday that he was fined $7,500 for a facemask penalty Sunday. The NFL won't release fine information until Friday. It is likely that receiver Titus Young and Brandon Pettigrew also will be fined. They also committed personal fouls against the Saints."
Lions receiver Rashied Davis does whatever it takes to stay in football
September 1
Detroit Free Press
 
"Rashied Davis was wasting away on the San Jose State bench, a forgotten part of his new coach Fitz Hill's offense, when defensive coordinator Ronnie Lee flung open the door to the receivers room and made a decision that changed Davis' life. San Jose State was playing Nevada, it was halftime, and Nate Burleson was torching the Spartans on his way to a school-record 326 receiving yards. Lee needed someone -- anyone -- man enough to stand in his way. "He took me into the defensive meeting room and drew on the board a C and said, 'That's you,' " recalled Davis, now a Lions receiver. "Drew a W and an R and said, 'That's him.' I was on the left side and he said, 'Whoever the receiver is, you got"
Burleson enjoys his time as Detroit Lions' No. 1 wide receiver
August 21
Michigan Live
 
"With Calvin Johnson sidelined as a precautionary move with a left shoulder bruise, Nate Burleson stepped into his role as the Detroit Lions' No. 1 receiver. Playing for one quarter, Burleson caught two passes for 34 yards, including a 14-yard touchdown where he did a good job of getting both feet in at the back of the end zone. It was Burleson's second touchdown of the preseason - and the second one in which he had to do a tippy-toe routine to stay in bounds. "He's done a great job. He asked me why I've got to make it so hard on him," quarterback Matthew Stafford said. "I'm just trying to make him look good. He's catching the ball great." "Being realistic, I know in this offense I'm - at"
Lions WR Nate Burleson aiming for career season
August 21
Detroit Free Press
 
"Nate Burleson declared himself ready for a career year in April, and through two exhibition games he has done nothing to live down that expectation. Burleson celebrated his 30th birthday Friday with his second tiptoe touchdown catch in as many weeks and had the Lions' longest run of the night, a 26-yard end around where the nine-year veteran broke exhibition protocol and lowered his head for extra yards rather than run out of bounds. "He's doing a great job," quarterback Matthew Stafford said. "He's asking me why I have to make it so hard on him, but I'm just trying to make him look good. If he keeps making those, he looks pretty good." Burleson's first touchdown of the exhibition season,"
Nate Burleson triple-dog dares defenses: Single-cover Calvin Johnson, we'll win nine of 10 times
August 15
Michigan Live
 
"The Cris Carter fallout continues. Last week, the ESPN analyst and former Minnesota Vikings receiving great said Calvin Johnson was not in the top tier of NFL wide receivers, but mixed in with a slew of others comprising the second tier. Furthermore, he claimed defenses didn't even have to double-team the Detroit Lions star wideout to take him out of the game, and the carousel of quarterbacks Johnson played with had no effect on his opinion. Nate Burleson was quick to come to his teammate's defense when informed of Carter's comments after Sunday's practice. In fact, Burleson had a message for any defensive coordinator who wants to try single-covering the 6-foot-5, 235-pound Johnson: Go"
Lions rush to Calvin Johnson's defense vs. Cris Carter
August 15
Detroit Free Press
 
"Lions receiver Nate Burleson perked up Sunday when he heard what ESPN analyst Cris Carter said about Calvin Johnson. Burleson was unaware of Carter's recent slight. Carter said Friday that Johnson was not among the NFL's top-six receivers and that he did not require double-team coverage. "I hope that all the D-coordinators listen to him and write that down and give us that much on game day," Burleson said. "If you single-coverage Calvin Johnson, I guarantee we'll win nine times out of 10." Carter's comments were met with disdain as they made their way around the locker room. Some players even joked about Carter, an eight-time Pro Bowl receiver, lacking Hall of Fame credentials."
During NFL lockout, Nate Burleson chose to give, not receive
July 31
Detroit Free Press
 
"After eight NFL seasons and two big free-agent contracts, Nate Burleson is financially secure. But he didn't need the league's recent work stoppage to tell him not every player is as fortunate. Burleson said one unnamed player asked him for a loan of "a few thousand dollars" midway through the lockout, which ended earlier this week. The Lions receiver provided the loan -- "I'm a giving dude. It's hard for me to say no. That's why I don't pick up the phone," he said -- and offered unsolicited help to several other young players across the league. "I tried to put on a camp, I did a charity basketball game, I was just reaching out to guys," Burleson said. "I was like, 'Hey, I'll give you $500"
Nate Burleson's critics do about-face on Detroit choice
May 29
Detroit Free Press
 
"Nate Burleson caught plenty of flak from friends when he signed with the Lions as a free agent last spring. Even Burleson's son, Little Nate, questioned his decision. When Burleson went back to Seattle this off-season, the sentiment was different. "A lot of people, they kind of mocked my decision and really didn't give me too much encouragement when I came to Detroit," Burleson said last week after a player-organized workout at Birmingham Detroit Country Day. "But I went back home this off-season, the same people said that I might have made the best move of my career." Even Little Nate?"
Nate Burleson takes dig at Detroit
May 26
Detroit Free Press
 
"Here's a nice backhander by Nate Burleson. The receiver was in Seattle this week, where he played for the Seahawks, when he saluted his Lions teammates during a TV interview for last week's player workouts. Their camp's attendance was much better than similar workouts for other teams, even though it was in Detroit."
Swanky Country Day reminds Lions' Nate Burleson of 'Bel Air'
May 19
Detroit News
 
"Lions receiver Nate Burleson seems to be impressed with the ritzy surroundings at Detroit Country Day High School. The Lions have been working out at the private school in Beverly Hills, and on Wednesday Burleson sent out this message via Twitter:"
Calvin Johnson, Nate Burleson enjoying time off with NFL lockout
May 18
Detroit Free Press
 
"They're not embracing the NFL lockout, which appears headed for its fourth month after mediation today ended without a deal, but Detroit Lions receivers Calvin Johnson and Nate Burleson aren't exactly broken up about it, either. "Maybe (it's frustrating) to the guys in the front office, but to me, I'm taking it easy, back at home, just training, relaxing," Johnson said. "I enjoy being at home around the family. This is the only time it'll probably be like this, so I'm going to enjoy my time off." Said Burleson: "I got to be honest, it's a little bit of a convenience for a guy like me. Three contracts in, being able to spend some time with my family, being back home this time of the year,"
Nate Burleson feeling great, eyes double-digit TDs, 1,000 yards
April 25
Detroit Free Press
 
"Statistically, Nate Burleson had one of the best seasons of his eight-year NFL career last year. Despite missing the majority of three games with an ankle injury, Burleson topped 50 catches for just the third time as a pro and scored six touchdowns -- his most since 2007. Though he'll turn 30 in August, Burleson, who spent the past six weeks training at Athletes' Performance in Arizona, said better things are to come. "It's really the first off-season that I've had in a while where I'm healthy this early," said Burleson, who's three years removed from a torn left ACL. "A lot of people don't know, but I was still kind of hurting from my (high ankle sprain) when I first signed with Detroit."
Lions WR Nate Burleson's intense workouts continue despite lockout
March 13
Detroit Free Press
 
"Locked out of NFL facilities, Kyle Vanden Bosch and several other Lions plan to run their own off-season workout program at a local gym beginning Monday. Receiver Nate Burleson might join them eventually, but for now he's grinding through a six-week course of two high-intensity workouts a day at the Athlete's Performance training facility in Arizona. "At this time of year I'd (usually) be in Seattle, kind of slow-pacing it, maybe doing once a day with a different training staff," Burleson said. "I just don't want this thing to catch me off guard so that's why I'm here in Arizona getting my body right." Burleson, who keeps an off-season home in Seattle, has long expected a lockout, but"
No Megatron, but Lions' Nate Burleson comes through
January 3
Detroit Free Press
 
"When Nate Burleson signed a five-year, $25-million deal with the Lions in March, he had no problem telling his fellow receivers that he was going to be the No. 2 receiver behind Calvin Johnson. When Johnson missed his first game of the season with an ankle injury Sunday, Burleson had no problem stepping into the No. 1 role. And Burleson sure looked the part. He came up big with six catches for 83 yards and a touchdown, and a 20-yard gain on a reverse in the Lions' 20-13 victory over Minnesota. Burleson did not want to take all the credit for the victory and said the offense was bolstered by proving it could still be productive without its big star. "I think collectively we wanted to prove"
Signing of WR Nate Burleson pays off big for Lions
January 3
Detroit News
 
"Lions offensive coordinator Scott Linehan flew to Seattle the first day of free agency this season in hopes of swaying free agent receiver Nate Burleson to sign with the Lions. The plan worked. Burleson signed a five-year, $25 million contract with the Lions and Linehan's offense has reaped the benefits all season. No more than in Sunday's 20-13 victory over the Vikings in the season finale. The Lions needed Burleson to be the No. 1 option for quarterback Shaun Hill with Pro Bowl receiver Calvin Johnson out with a sprained ankle. Burleson has shown all season he's a terrific No. 2 option. But he proved Sunday he can wear the No. 1 hat, too. He had a team-high six catches for 83 yards"
Burleson shut down, doesn't shut up
December 6
Chicago Tribune
 
"Lions receiver Nate Burleson guaranteed a victory over the Bears last week, and he didn't back down from his words on the field Sunday. Burleson engaged in some early trash talk with safety Chris Harris and exchanged words with linebacker Brian Urlacher throughout the game. "Harris bumped into me and told me to watch where I was going, and I told him to stop me on the field before you tell me what to do,'' Burleson said. "It was just some competitive talk. "Urlacher, I guess he was offended by what I said during the week, so he got to talking a little bit. And I told him, 'I'm not going to back down. Bring it all game.' It was just guys protecting their ground.'' Harris took no issue with"
Lions WR Nate Burleson still firm on win prediction
December 2
Detroit Free Press
 
"Nate Burleson guaranteed a victory over the Bears on his radio show this week, before he knew the Lions would be without quarterback Shaun Hill. On Wednesday, with Hill out and third-stringer Drew Stanton in as starter, Burleson didn't back down from his prediction. "Yeah, I said we will win on Sunday," Burleson said. "We only got five games left, and my goal is to finish the season 7-9. Like I've been saying all year, we don't have a team on the schedule that we can't beat." The Lions nearly beat the Bears earlier this year, but quarterback Matthew Stafford suffered a separated right shoulder in the first half, and officials ruled Calvin Johnson didn't complete the process on a would-be"
Nate Burleson guarantees Lions' win; Drew Stanton to start
December 2
Detroit News
 
"Nate Burleson wasn't doing a Rasheed Wallace impersonation Wednesday. He wasn't channeling his inner Muhammad Ali. He was stating his belief. "Yeah, I said we're going to win on Sunday," he said. "We only have five games left and my goal is to finish 7-9. Like I've been saying all year, we don't have a team on our schedule that we can't beat." He might have also been trying to make sure his teammates were as engaged this week as he is in preparing for the 8-3 Bears. "I am not saying the Chicago Bears aren't good," Burleson said. "They are a very good football team. … I am not going to tell you I hope we win or that we're going to lose in a close battle. Whoever steps onto our home field"
Lions' Nate Burleson shows his mettle
November 8
Detroit Free Press
 
"So that's why the Lions signed Nate Burleson. The so-called eraser the Lions acquired in the off-season to help offset the stifling coverage Calvin Johnson often faces, showed his worth in Sunday's 23-20 overtime loss to the New York Jets at Ford Field. Burleson had his best game in nearly three years. He took advantage of matchups and caught seven passes for 113 yards, including a touchdown that gave the Lions a 20-10 lead in the fourth quarter. "This is kind of what they brought me here for," said Burleson, who signed a five-year deal for $25 million in March. "And for the fans wondering if I'm a good complement to the team, when we do face a team that's going to give us one-on-one"
Lions' loss overshadows Nate Burleson's big day
November 8
Detroit News
 
"What a night it might have been for the Detroit Lions. And, for a receiver named Nate Burleson. He caught seven passes Sunday for 111 yards, including a fourth-quarter touchdown that looked as if it would all but cinch a huge victory over the New York Jets at Ford Field. But by the time the Jets worked a little late-minutes hocus-pocus, aided by a Lions team that wilted at just enough places and moments to make defeat possible, the Jets walked away with a 23-20 overtime victory that left Detroit's dressing room as down as the hoarse customers who stepped into a chilly evening, shaking their heads over one more Lions near-miss. "I understand the frustration of the fans," said Burleson,"
Lions receiver Nate Burleson suits up off the field, too
November 7
Detroit Free Press
 
"To the best of his recollection, Nate Burleson boarded the plane for the Lions' exhibition opener against the Steelers wearing jeans and a T-shirt. "Just something you wear out to the bar with the fellas," he said. Whatever it was, the outfit was casual and completely within dress code, and so simple it caught linebacker Julian Peterson's eye. Former teammates with the Seahawks, Peterson was used to seeing Burleson in custom-tailored suits splashed -- sometimes outrageously -- with the opposing team's colors. Once dubbed the best-dressed player in the NFL by Maxim magazine, Burleson said he was just trying to blend in with his new team, though Peterson wondered if he was slipping. Then the"
Nate Burleson: Lions aren't giving up at all
October 26
Detroit Free Press
 
"After a few days of rest from the bye week, the Lions will resume practice today in Allen Park as they prepare for the resurgent 4-3 Washington Redskins. The Lions have been hard-luck losers with only a 1-5 record to show for a series of close losses. But players say they aren't giving up on still having a good season. "No, guys aren't giving up at all," receiver Nate Burleson said last week. "When you're facing the top dogs on a weekly basis and pretty much everybody is saying you're going to get ran out the stadium, whether we're home or away and we're having these teams fighting with their last breath till the clock is done, it's encouraging. "Obviously, we want victories around here."
Seahawks' Nate Burleson is out at least this week, maybe for rest of season
December 18
Seattle Times
 
"Wide receiver Nate Burleson will miss at least this week's game because of a high ankle sprain he suffered during a punt return Sunday in Houston. He could be out for the season because of the injury, which generally keeps a player sidelined four to six weeks. However, Burleson attempted to play through the injury last Sunday, catching one pass after suffering the injury. He is hoping it doesn't end his season. Burleson leads the team with 812 yards receiving, and his 63 receptions rank second on the team. This is his fourth season with the Seahawks, and he has the option of becoming a free agent after this season."
WR Burleson possibly out for the year
December 16
Tacoma News Tribune
 
"On his weekly radio show on KJR-AM, Seahawks wide receiver Nate Burleson said he suffered a high-ankle sprain on Sunday against Houston and could be out for the season. Burleson said he injured the ankle on a punt return trying to get around the edge in the third quarter. Burleson said his foot was planted on the ground while a Houston player coming in to make the tackle hit his helmet on the outside of Burleon's ankle. Burleson said he's wearing a protective boot on the injured ankle. "We did X-rays right after the game and there weren't any broken bones," Burleson said. "It felt uneasy. Then I went to the sideline and got it taped up. I went in for one more play, and they threw me the"