Yep he says he's ready to go.
Morgan Burnett on playing Sunday:
'I'm ready to go. That's my plan'
By
Tyler Dunne of the Journal Sentinel
Updated: 4:34 p.m.
Green Bay --- Safety
Morgan Burnett (calf) expects to play Sunday against the Chicago Bears, and that's good news for a Green Bay Packers secondary that struggled mightily without him at New Orleans.
“I’m ready to go," Burnett said. "That’s my plan. I’m out there practicing so I’m ready to roll.”
This has always been a different, more exposed Packers secondary without Burnett. In a 44-23 Saints win before the bye week, quarterback
Drew Brees completed 84% of his passes for 311 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions with both Burnett and cornerback
Sam Shields sidelined. On Wednesday, both players practiced in full.
And while rookie
Ha Ha Clinton-Dix has mostly lived up to expectations as a first-round pick so far, he clearly missed Burnett's veteran presence on the back end.
Through seven games,
the fifth-year pro out of Georgia Tech was playing his best football according to coach
Mike McCarthy with 59 tackles (49 solo) and, all in all, eliminating the big play on the back end. Botched coverages had been almost non-existent. Before New Orleans, the Packers had allowed only one pass play of 40 yards. Then Brees burnt Green Bay deep for gains of 50 and 45 that led to touchdowns.
Now,
Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffery and
Martellus Bennett pose a triple threat at Lambeau Field Sunday night. The Packers will certainly welcome the return of both Burnett and Shields.
"You talk about communication, you talk about who’s in command of the operation in the back end, I mean, Burnett was missed in New Orleans," McCarthy said, "and just to see him out there today, it’s different. It’s different when you have your top safety back there making your checks and communicating. Sam looks good. We have a lot of depth there. I think it’s been good that we’ve been playing everybody, I think it’s just going to make us a better defense."
Communication
was an issue without Burnett, as players pointed out after the loss.
“That’s just part of it," Burnett added. "We learn from it and we grow. We’re in this together. We put that behind us. We already watched the film, broke it down, so we know what we have to do so now it’s time to move on to another tough opponent and try to find a way to get a win at home.”
Wednesday went "smooth", Burnett said. He's taking it day by day. He stopped himself short in saying this is his best season.
"Do I feel I’m there yet? No," he said. "I have a little ways to go and I have to keep improving. I’m going to challenge myself to keep getting better. ...I felt like I was playing good but I’m not going to say I was playing at my best because there’s always something I can get better at, and there’s always something I can learn and grow from.”
In Week 4, the Bears' tall receivers weren't a problem once the Packers were able to play with a lead into the third quarter.
Marshall and Jeffery combined for only 58 receiving yards... and then the tight end Bennett had nine receptions for 134 yards.
Burnett said it takes a group effort to corral all three.
"Those guys are very athletic," he said. "They have big playmaking ability and they’re led by Jay Cutler so we have to be sound in our technique and be accountable to one another and trust the defense, and allow us to make plays.”