July 15, 2011
Rising redshirt junior Chris Burnette has been with the Monarchs for three seasons being a part of a class that redshirted its first season at ODU and is now ready for the challenge of joining the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) this fall.
Having been in all 22 games to date, Burnette has totaled 75 tackles (26 solo, 49 unassisted), which included 8.5 tackles for loss last season that ranked fourth among the Monarch defenders.
Q: What have you been up to this summer?
A: This summer I've basically been working hard trying to rehab and get my hand back healthy as well as trying to get stronger and faster for this upcoming season because the competition level really steps up a lot. I want to be as prepared as possible and be ready to compete at the highest level.
Q: What was your injury?
A: At the end of the season, I found out a fracture in the little bone in my wrist. I had to get a screw in through the bone.
Q: Being injured, how did you participate in spring practice?
A: I had talked to our strength and conditioning coaches and I told them that I didn't want to just be there, sitting and watching the whole time. I actually wanted to do something that simulated on the field work. They composed a simulation of pursuant to the ball drills, running drills, and other drills based on my position to get better and condition myself so I was still in shape throughout spring ball. Some of the drills I did carried over to the summer and we are doing the drills now and helping the team get prepared since it helped me prepare myself throughout the spring.
Q: How have you seen the team improve since first stepping foot onto campus?
A: There's a lot more commitment. There's a lot more people taking the extra time to schedule time to come in and watch film, do the extra things like stay after workouts and such all to get better. People are more focused because they understand the level of competition and that it's a more demanding schedule and that we need to not only be physically prepared, but mentally prepared as well.
Q: Defensively, how have you seen the team improve?
A: Our pursuit has gotten better. We are more physical and try to make more plays. We play tenacious defense where we are very aggressive and determined to make plays and hold opponents to low averages.
Q: What is the feeling surrounding the team on playing its first year of CAA football?
A: Everyone is very excited, but at the same time we know we've got to maintain our focus. We can't get over-excited in a sense because we have to take it one step at a time. We need to focus on our first game of the season - Campbell - before we worry about everyone else in the CAA. Our first goal right now is to play and be ready to beat Campbell.
Q: What is your major and what would you like to do with it?
A: I'm majoring in sports management with a minor in marketing. Hopefully, I can get into the marketing aspect of companies like a Nike. I'm looking to get an internship next offseason and try to get my foot in the door with that.
Q: What is your favorite Bobby Wilder saying?
A: There's so many! Defensive wise for me, I'd have to say when he says, "get a piece of that." When the defense makes a big play and wants us to get excited he says "get a piece of that," and everyone swarms over to whoever made a big play during practice or the game and it gets everyone's juices flowing and everybody excited. That's probably one of my favorite ones.
Q: What does PMA (positive mental attitude) mean to you?
A: To me, PMA means staying positive and focused in the face of adversity, working hard, and not holding yourself back from what you can achieve.
Q: Having done through the rehabilitation process, what advice would you give to someone having to rehab an injury?
A: You've just got to stay positive and have an optimistic look on it. At the beginning when I found out I was hurt, I was real upset and it got to me a lot. I felt stressed out, but at the end of the day I felt like there were other things I could do to better myself and get better without giving up on myself. You have to look at how to get better in other ways. Don't let one injury hold you back.
Q: What is your favorite Monarch memory?
A: I still have to say that first game. Seeing 20,000 people, I've never seen that many people. You see it on tv, but you never see it in real life. When I was recruited here, all I saw was a video about what it would look like. But now, when you walk out of that tunnel and you see 20,000 people screaming and cheering having come there to see you play football, it's the best feeling ever. It was everything you could dream of.
Look for more Monarch Football Q&A's this summer. Tweet us at @ODUFootball and let us know which Monarchs you want to see and questions to ask.