Morgan Burnett, safety
FOX Sports Wisconsin's Paul Imig gives an in-depth statistical analysis and film study of every Packers player in his annual offseason checkup. You can find every report here.
Season stats (playoffs included): 17 games (1,090 snaps; 88.2 percent of total defensive snaps), 144 tackles, nine missed tackles, three tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, five quarterback hurries, two interceptions, five passes defensed, one forced fumble, one penalty committed, 43 stops (solo tackles that resulted in offensive failure); targeted 46 times in coverage, allowing 36 receptions for 453 yards and five touchdowns
ProFootballFocus.com season rating: 6.7 (ranked No. 4 out of 24 Packers defensive players; ranked No. 20 out of 88 among NFL safeties)
Best game: NFC championship game loss at Seattle (played all 73 snaps); one interception, one pass defensed, two sacks, 10 tackles, zero missed tackles, six stops; targeted zero times in coverage, allowing zero receptions; 1.6 PFF rating
Worst game: Divisional round playoff win vs. Dallas (played all 56 snaps); zero interceptions, zero passes defensed, four tackles, zero missed tackles, zero stops; targeted six times in coverage, allowing five reception for 38 yards, one touchdown; minus-3.8 PFF rating
Expectations at the start of the season: Medium
Expectations were ... Exceeded
Looking live: Morgan Burnett was making solid progress early in his career and became a part of the Packers' long-term core when he signed a four-year, $25 million contract extension in July 2013. But while playing alongside M.D. Jennings and Jerron McMillian, Burnett had a poor 2013 season. He failed to record a sack, interception or forced fumble the entire year, which certainly placed doubt on whether Ted Thompson made a mistake in giving Burnett the big-money deal. Burnett was given a "D" grade on his 2013 Annual Checkup.
When Green Bay selected Ha Ha Clinton-Dix in the first round of the 2014 draft, Burnett instantly had better help at the safety position. Even an untested rookie like Clinton-Dix was likely going to perform at a higher level than Jennings or McMillian ever did, and that was sure to help Burnett.
Burnett was placed at the No. 4 spot on FOXSportsWisconsin.com's "Most Important Packers of 2014" pre-training camp series. It wasn't because Burnett was Green Bay's fourth-best player, but the influence he was bound to have on the overall defense was significant. I wrote at the time that Burnett "needs to be the leader of a position group that was the Packers' weakest each of the past two seasons. He needs to make the 2013 season that one bad year of his career that was never repeated."
Burnett suffered through a couple training-camp injuries. In late July he had an ankle injury that kept him out of one and a half practices. Burnett then had an oblique strain that kept him out of one preseason game and two additional practices.
Burnett bounced back and had a strong finish to training camp. He was recognized in the "Movin' On Up" category of our Training Camp Report series on Aug. 12 for an impressive pass breakup.
Upon further review: The majority of Burnett's training-camp work came next to Micah Hyde, who had switched positions that offseason. Clinton-Dix was involved a lot early in the season, but he didn't get his first start until Week 7.
Trading in Jennings and McMillian for Hyde and Clinton-Dix made a major difference in Burnett's level of play, as was expected. The presence of Clinton-Dix, who's at his best when playing the centerfield role, allowed Burnett to play near the line of scrimmage more often than he had in the past. While there was some debate in previous years about what type of role Burnett is best suited for, it's conclusive now that he excels when closer to the ball.
Burnett was fantastic in stopping the run. In fact, he was rated by ProFootballFocus as the NFL's second-best run-stopping safety. Only Minnesota's Harrison Smith received a slightly better rating in that area, but Burnett topped everyone else. Burnett also led the team in tackles and stops.
Burnett gave up too high of a percentage of completed passes in his area (78.2 percent). On throws in which Burnett was the main defender responsible, PFF totaled it up to assign an opponent passer rating of 125.8 on those plays. However, at least Burnett didn't go another season without an interception. He had one in Week 14 and another in the NFC championship game. It was the interception in Seattle that is easy to remember, as Burnett's decision to slide (after getting the "no mas" signal from Julius Peppers) played a role in the Seahawks' improbable comeback.
Perhaps the most valuable contribution Burnett provided was with his leadership. Despite there being more vocal defensive leaders in Clay Matthews and Mike Daniels, and ones with more veteran experience like Tramon Williams, it was Burnett who was voted by his peers as one of the two playoff captains (along with Julius Peppers).
"It says a ton about Morgan Burnett," Mike McCarthy said on Dec. 17 when announcing the playoff captains. "I was really impressed with Morgan Burnett, and I think being a young team and to see one of your young players rise to that level of credibility is what you're looking for."
Overall 2014 grade: B-plus
Status for 2015: One-hundred percent chance of being on the Packers' active roster to begin the 2015 regular season. What looked a year ago like a contract extension Thompson might want to have back, Burnett showed that he's worth the $5.15 million he'll earn in 2015. Safety went from being Green Bay's weakest position to being one that's secured for several years to come. Yes, Clinton-Dix gets some credit for that, but so does Burnett. He put his lackluster 2013 season behind him and, having just turned 26 years old, should still continue growing as a player.
Next: Cornerback Jarrett Bush
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