KIRKLAND – When Al Burleson’s career as a University of Washington defensive back ended back in 1975, he held firm to a belief that he’d soon be playing for the new NFL team that was about to make its debut across town.
That dream never transpired, as Burleson got drafted by the Los Angeles Rams, soon got cut and had to settle for a seven-year football career in Canada.
More than 30 years later, Burleson finally gets to live his dream – albeit vicariously, through his oldest son, Nate.
Nate Burleson officially became a Seattle Seahawk last Friday and will be returning home to continue his NFL career. The 24-year-old wide receiver is excited to be coming back to his hometown, but he’s not the only Burleson who’s got a little bounce in his step this week.
“You just never know how life’s going to turn,” said Al Burleson, who still works in Seattle in management at Associated Grocers. “I always felt like this would be the place where I would like to play, and when Nate was about to get drafted (in the third round in 2003), I felt it would be a great fit.”
Al Burleson looked on while his son sat in front of Seattle media for the first time as a Seahawk on Tuesday afternoon. Nate Burleson said getting to play near his father and mother was a key factor in his decision to sign with the Seahawks.
“I love Seattle,” said Burleson, who spent his first three NFL seasons with the Minnesota Vikings. “To be back home, in a place that I treasure so much, that just makes things easier. It makes it that much easier to wake up every day and do your job.”
While the addition of Burleson may have looked like little more than a revenge tactic for Minnesota’s “poison pill” signing of transition player Steve Hutchinson, the Seahawks had much more important motives in mind when they signed the restricted free agent to a seven-year, $49 million offer sheet 12 days ago.
Seattle has been looking for a boost to its receiving corps since Joe Jurevicius made a similar bolt to his hometown team, the Cleveland Browns, on March 11. Making the need even more pronounced, starting flanker Darrell Jackson recently underwent another knee surgery and is expected to be out until training camp.
“Our plan is to have all three of those guys together a lot on the field at the same time,” coach Mike Holmgren said.
Holmgren added Tuesday that Burleson was likely to start out at the split end position, where Bobby Engram started last season, to give Engram the option of moving inside and playing more slot. But the coach still has no definitive plan as to how to rotate his top three receivers – Burleson, Jackson and Engram – during the regular season.
“I haven’t decided quite yet how we’re going to plug everything in here,” Holmgren said. “But we were very fortunate to get him, and we’re very happy about it.”
Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck said he’s intrigued by the addition.
“He’s a real good kid,” said Hasselbeck, who met Burleson at the team’s first offseason conditioning session on Monday. “I know from playing against him that he’s got a lot of yards after the catch. He’s real quick once he gets the ball in his hands. He showed up early (Monday) morning and was ready to work hard, and that’s the kind of guy we’re looking for.”
Burleson, who will wear No. 83, has the credentials to be a pretty good fit in Seattle’s offense. He’s got unique run-after-the-catch ability and can play a variety of receiver positions. Burleson is so versatile that the O’Dea High School product once played cornerback and intercepted two passes in an All-Star game after his senior year of high school.
“I don’t know if Marcus (Trufant) knows this, but I actually played DB in that game,” Burleson said of a Seattle teammate who also played in the all-star game. “And I think I had a better game than him. I had two interceptions, two bat-downs. So when it comes to cornerbacks, I might have a little something in the secondary for (the Seahawks).”
Holmgren isn’t in too big a hurry to test Burleson’s skills on defense. Nor has the coach decided whether to use him as a punt return man. For now, the Seahawks are just happy to have another offensive weapon.
And their newest offensive weapon is happy to be in Seattle.
Burleson said he grew up a Seahawks fan and even rooted for them in Super Bowl XL – “Obviously, representing the 206 (area code), I wanted the Hawks to win,” he said Tuesday – but he didn’t grow up pretending he was Steve Largent or Kenny Easley. Nate Burleson had a more realistic hero after which to pattern himself.
“When it comes to looking at heroes, my father was the closest thing to me,” he said. “He played professional sports, and he was a living legend in my household. He was so close to touch that I didn’t need to bother looking at the TV screen to find the greatest athlete in the world.”
Nate Burleson isn’t so concerned about his father’s football skills these days as he is his abilities as a grandparent. With one young son, and another on the way, Nate Burleson and his wife will rely on the elder Burlesons for a helping hand.
“We really look forward to that,” Al Burleson said. “Just having our one grandson who was here come and go was pretty tough. It’s going to definitely be a blessing for our family to have my grandsons come home.”
And the son who’s living a father’s dream.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.