RENTON — Like most people, Marcus Burley watched Super Bowl XLVIII on TV with friends and family.
Seven months later, the cornerback will be a key figure in the matchup between the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos. Just three weeks after joining the Seahawks, Burley will be Seattle’s nickel corner, making him one of the more important players on the field when Seattle hosts Denver Sunday.
Thanks to a change in the NFL’s drug policy, Broncos slot receiver Wes Welker is back from suspension earlier than expected, which means a potentially challenging afternoon for Burley, who has replaced Jeremy Lane in the nickel defense since Lane aggravated a groin injury in the season opener.
“Oh yeah, definitely,” Burley said when asked if he expects the Broncos to go after him. “I’m up for the challenge.”
The Seahawks acquired Burley three weeks ago in a trade with Indianapolis to add depth to their secondary, but he was thrown into a big role in the second half of season opener when Lane went down.
Upon arriving in Seattle, Burley had to catch up, both on “technique and the verbiage,” he said. “Getting the calls down and the verbiage and the different lingo that we use here.”
Burley says he feels like he’s now up to speed in Seattle’s defense, but he knows facing Welker will be a challenge.
“He’s a great receiver, shifty, quick, great hands, smart receiver,” he said.
Seahawks coach Pete Carroll says he’s seen growth in Burley in his short time with the Seahawks, but acknowledges there’s still catching up to be done, hardly the ideal scenario when facing the offense that set an NFL record for points scored a year ago.
“He’s right in the middle of it,” Carroll said. “He’s done a very good job. He’s a really disciplined, passionate kid about working and learning his job and fitting into this defense. He’s just been perfect in that regard. With this being Week 3 here, he’s feeling better about it, we’re learning to count on him, we can see him make the same plays over and over now, the discipline’s coming up.”
Burley’s ability to hold up will be especially important on third down, a down that has been problematic for the Seahawks in their first two games. The Seahawks are letting opponents convert 55 percent of their third downs through two games, the highest percentage in the league, and one that could stay high if Welker gets the better of Burley.
“He’s got a very tough matchup in Welker in the slot — and anybody they want to put in there — and he’s a go-to guy,” Carroll said. “So he’s going to be checked out. He’s got great quickness though, and this is the kind of guy who can match up with him, but we’ll see, nobody beats Wes Welker very often, so we’ll see how he does.”
Injury update
Tight end Zach Miller returned to practice Friday after missing the previous two days with an ankle injury and “did fine” according to Pete Carroll, who added, “Looks like he should be ready to go.” He is part of a long list of probable players that includes running back Marshawn Lynch (back) and Kam Chancellor (ankle) both of whom sat out Wednesday before practicing fully the next two days.
The only injury question-mark for Seattle this week is pass-rusher/linebacker Bruce Irvin, who suffered a rib injury in practice Wednesday.
“He didn’t go today, but he feels a lot better, so we thought the best thing to do was rest him again and take him right up to game time,” Carroll said.
If Irvin can’t go, that would likely mean an increased role for O’Brien Schofield and Cassius Marsh.
Running back Christine Michael is probable after missing the first two games with a hamstring injury, though that’s no guarantee of playing time. Asked if Michael will be active for Sunday’s game, Carroll only said, “You’ll have to wait and see.”
Herald Writer John Boyle: jboyle@heraldnet.com.
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