How Brian Burns and Stanley McClover can help Yetur Gross-Matos
By Dean Jones
How Burns and McClover can help Gross-Matos
Brian Burns made some exceptional strides from year one to year two of his professional career. His exceptional commitment to getting better saw the 2019 first-round pick emerge from a rotational piece into a three-down presence who can now be regarded as one of the NFL’s best edge rushers.
This work ethic needs to rub off on Gross-Matos, who was highly complimentary of Burns during his initial transition to the Carolina Panthers during training camp. Plenty of veteran players departed the organization in free agency as the team opted for a youth movement, which left the Florida State product keen to assume a leadership role in their absence.
Burns attributes a lot of his success to what he’s learned from Stanley McClover. The brothers have a close bond and there is no bigger vocal supporter on social media than the former Panthers defensive lineman.
Passing on this knowledge to Gross-Matos during offseason workouts will be dependent on COVID-19 restrictions. But there is little doubting the benefits of some close interaction with one of the best in the business and someone with the experience and motivational skills that McClover clearly possesses.
If the Panthers can have Burns and Gross-Matos generating consistent pressure off the edge, together with the commanding force of Derrick Brown on the interior, then this will form the base for what could be a superb defense in 2021.
The unit came on a considerable amount as the season went on. So with additional reinforcements and current roster members bringing on their respective games, it is going to come with exciting results.
It was a good start for Gross-Matos. But the hard work starts now.