Brian Burns Says Viral Video Was Taken 'Outta Context,' Wasn't Mad at Giants DC

New York Giants linebacker Brian Burns denied his anger was directed toward defensive coordinator Shane Bowen when he vented on his way to the locker room after a 33-32 loss to the Denver Broncos.

NFL insider James Palmer shared a brief clip of Burns walking through the tunnel, and the two-time Pro Bowler was visibly frustrated after an epic collapse:

On Tuesday, Burns said the video was taken out of context:

All 33 of the Broncos' points came in the fourth quarter. New York was up 19-0 entering the final frame and had an 18-point lead with less than six minutes on the clock.

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While it wasn't the biggest comeback in Denver history, it may have been the most improbable.

With a little time to collect his thoughts in the locker room, Burns didn't want to assign any blame to the coaching staff and said the defense needed to play better toward the end:

The NFL sack leader did make note of how New York dropped eight defenders in pass coverage on the two completions by Bo Nix that totaled 51 yards on Denver's final drive.

Burns also mentioned having eight in coverage during his tunnel walk, which some read as a critique of the play-calling.

It's fair to take his follow-up at face value.

One obvious conclusion from the tunnel video was that Burns was mad at how poorly the defense performed as the Giants threw away a win. Tensions are bound to be high in the immediate aftermath, and things will get said in the heat of the moment.

Anybody with a day job has had a bad day at work and complained about their boss or a coworker. Then they show up the next morning like nothing happened.

Burns' remarks were no different from that.

And as a reflection of Bowen, his comments in the tunnel don't undermine his coach any more or less than the results on the field do. New York is 29th in yards allowed and 23rd in opponent scoring. That's more than enough to put some heat on the defensive coordinator.