Morgan Burnett had only been sporting black and gold for a few hours, but when he spoke after signing with the team, you could already tell he knew what joining the Steelers meant.
"The history of Pittsburgh, the tradition. You know about the Rooney family," said Burnett. "Just the players that are here. They have a tradition of winning. Coming from Green Bay, it was the same tradition. For those guys to be interested in me, and want me here, you can't turn nothing like that down. You talk about the Pittsburgh Steelers, a very proud city, a proud town, and great players. I wanted to be a part of it and try to earn the respect of my teammates and be accountable to my teammates."
Burnett signed a three-year contract with the Steelers, after spending the first eight years of his career with the Green Bay Packers. He said he hasn't been told exactly what his role is going to be, but whatever it is, he is going to attack it full force.
"I'm just coming in, everything's new," said Burnett. "I'm coming in to do my job the best I can do, wherever I fit. To be accountable as a teammate and earn the respect of the coaches and get into a routine with the rest of the fellas.
"They have a lot of great athletes on this team. I'm looking forward to coming in and contributing, but also learning and getting better as a player and learning from great talent."
No question safety is where he feels most comfortable, and where he has played the majority of his career, but he brings versatility, used at the slot corner and linebacker, and that gives the Steelers options.
"It really doesn't matter to me," said Burnett, who is close with cornerback Cameron Sutton as they are from the same hometown. "I love football. As long as I'm on the field, I'm happy and ready to go.
"The majority of my time in Green Bay I was a safety, and it's just I have things in my toolbox that I'm capable to move around and play different positions if need be. But definitely I came into the league as a safety and that's where I'm comfortable.
"The more you can do, the longer you can stay around. I just try to do the best that I can, put my best foot forward. The only thing I can do is be the best Morgan Burnett I can be and try to help out the team the best way that I can."
Burnett was asked to wear the communication helmet for the Packers' defense last year, making the defensive calls, and was referred to by people within the Packers organization as a 'defensive coordinator' on the field. It's a role that a linebacker is normally assigned, but Burnett didn't back down from the added responsibility.
"It was fine," said Burnett. "When they brought it to me, I was kind of like, whoa, that's nothing I'm used to doing. But it doesn't take long. The only thing you're doing is repeating what you hear in your helmet. Sometimes it can be a tongue-twister. But you've got to improvise and make sure everyone gets it right.
"I was one of the guys that was actually on the field the majority of the time, so with the headset you pretty much need someone that is going to be on the field all the time. I was the next guy up. That was the job they asked me to do, and I did it."
Burnett joins Ben Roethlisberger as the only players on the Steelers roster with a Super Bowl ring. Burnett was a rookie when the Packers defeated the Steelers in Super Bowl XLV, but that is all behind him now and he is excited to be with his new team.
"I'm blessed enough to be standing here," said Burnett. "Pittsburgh gave me the call and I'm standing here happy to be a Steeler."
