Tennessee Titans rookie Treylon Burks made one of the best hustle plays of Week 13, but the wide receiver was quick to admit that the play would not have happened if he did his job correctly. Head coach Mike Vrabel pushed that thought out of Burks’ head in a hurry.
Derrick Henry caught a short pass from Ryan Tannehill in the second quarter of Tennessee’s 20-16 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday and nearly ran for a 75-yard touchdown. Instead, Bengals cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt caught up to Henry and stripped him at around the 5-yard line. The loose ball ended up in the end zone, where Burks jumped on it for the touchdown.
When Burks came to the sideline, Vrabel praised him for not giving up on the play. Burks did not seem all that happy and admitted to his coach that Taylor-Britt was his man to block. Vrabel then had a great message for the former Arkansas star.
A great moment between Titans @CoachVrabel50 and rookie @TreylonBurks 🔥https://t.co/JQz6a6CQxj
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) December 1, 2022
“OK, then what’d you do? You ran like hell and made up for it,” Vrabel told Burks. “We’re gonna make mistakes, whatever.”
That was an awesome exchange for multiple reasons. Fans have to love that Burks immediately held himself accountable for his mistake rather than celebrating his touchdown. It was also great to see Vrabel, who is known for having a tough exterior, tell a rookie not to beat himself up and to focus on the positive.
Burks may have missed a block, but he also showed why it is important to never give up on a play.
