Brian Burns responds to his coach’s challenge

Defensive tackle Derrick Brown laughed when that was mentioned, as he’s often the butt of jokes about his size from the 6-foot-5, 250-pound Burns.

“He’s still a little dude. Don’t get it twisted,” said Brown, who’s 70 pounds heavier. “He’s still little. He thinks he’s strong. . . .

“But it’s a testament to the way he works through the week and everything he does in the offseason.”

Seeing what he’s capable of inspires those around Burns, and that talent is part of the reason Wilks doesn’t mind challenging him.

“Number one, he’s just so athletic,” Wilks said. “His speed off the edge, and his ability to work his hands, and then have such a great spin move. I think he puts a lot of pressure on tackles, to get guys to overset, and then he can turn speed into power, which he’s done a good job of.”

He showed that Sunday against the Broncos. So the challenge was accepted, and delivered upon.

“It just lets you know how highly he thinks of us, of the star players on this team,” Burns said when asked about Wilks’ expectations. “He wants us to play up to our potential. And I think guys definitely took that into consideration and went out there and balled. So hey, whatever he did, worked.”