DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR MATT BURKE
Opening Statement
“I’m excited to be here. I’m excited to get to know all of you guys. It’s been a cool first month getting to work here and
getting to know the people and the place. I just want to say thanks to DeMeco (Ryans) and Nick (Caserio) and the
McNairs for giving me this opportunity. I’m excited to get to work.”
What was the experience with DL J.J. Watt like when you surprised him with a retirement video?
“First of all, I want to say those are your words not mine about bawling like a baby. I spent the year with J (J.J. Watt)
and then obviously when the news came out about him hanging it up and what he wanted to do. I got close to him in
the short time I was with him in the year I was there. I felt responsible for shepherding him out the right way and wanted
to do something special for him. Just getting to know J over that time, he’s got all of the accolades, you guys know as
well as I do all the stuff that he’s accomplished and what he’s been through. Getting to know J, it was about the people
for him and the connections he made through his time, the people that covered him, some of you had the opportunity
to do that, and played with and played against and competed against. I just thought that would be a cool message for
him to send him out to. I hope he’s thankful for that. It sounds like he is. It was a cool opportunity. I’ve been in the
league for 20 years now, and you don’t get a lot of opportunities to work with guys like that, that level of player at that
timeframe of his career. It was a cool experience for me.”
What went into the evaluation of this job and the personnel on the team?
“At the starting point and through this hiring process, I would just say DeMeco’s (Ryans) vision and mine lined up in
terms of how we see defense being played. We want to be aggressive and have an attack front. I have a history in that
front and what DeMeco did in San Francisco. At the end of the day, my job is to try to help him execute his vision for
what he wants. I think the attraction coming here is that there are already some pieces on defense that we like and
we’re looking forward to working with. We’re still in the process of getting to know those players. They’re just starting
to come back to work out some of the guys, and we’re bumping in to some of them around here. Just foundationally,
we’re exciting with some of the pieces that fit what we’re looking to do. We’re going to be an aggressive attack front
and try to get these guys getting off the ball and try to dictate a little bit instead of being reactionary on defense.”
What from your experience coaching under Jim Schwartz have you learned when it comes to coaching defense? As a
former defensive line coach, what do you want to focus on there with this team?
“Jim (Schwartz) has been a mentor to me and really gave me my start in the league. I learned a lot from him, and I would
say the foundation of what I do is based off what I learned from him. We were apart for five or six years, and really for
me just getting exposed to some other stuff there. In Cincinnati, the (Mike) Zimmer system and what they were playing
there. Moving to Miami with Vance (Joseph) and some of his cover stuff. You start taking all of that stuff. Obviously all
of us have experiences, and you try to learn and grow from different places, different people you meet and different
philosophies. I would just say personally the biggest change or growth for me in my career was moving to defensive
line. I had been a linebacker coach for a long time and then the coordinator stint and then came back and started
coaching D-line. It was a different perspective and having to relate to a different set of players and look at things from
a different lens really for me changed I don’t know my career path, but that was the biggest growth I saw for me. The
year I made the move to D-line was in Philadelphia in 2020. We had Fletcher Cox and Brandon Graham. It was a serious
crew. I had to get up to speed pretty quick and be able to get up in front of the room and coach those guys and talk to
them. It was kind of a pretty big learning curve for me. Honestly, it sort of changed the last four or five years of my
career. I would say that is where I had the biggest growth of having to completely change positions and get into a
different room. I had familiarity with the scheme and front, but having to coach those guys and detail that out really
changed for me. I have a different lens at looking at the front, so I would say that has been a big curve for me.”
In a league where the passing game continues to increase in importance, is it still important to have a focus on rushing
attacks in a division with talented running backs?
“Passing games have become prominent in the league. As a baseline philosophy, we all believe that if you can get after
the pass with a four-man rush and not have to commit extra resources to that so your coverage elements can stay pure,
that’s the best thing. Putting resources into the defensive line and having guys that can attack up there. Again, if you
don’t have that D-line that you have to start adding pieces to the rush, to the pressure part, now you are taking away
from the coverage. I’m biased because that’s been my world for a long time. This defense and this scheme starts up
front. The more you can rush the passer with four and attack those guys and get after it, that takes the pressure off of
the back end with some of those coverage elements you are talking about.”
In terms of defensive linemen, what do you see in the current draft and free agency class?
“We’re obviously sort of undergoing that process right now of free agency, draft, getting to really learn those guys. I’ll
have to defer that question to Nick (Caserio) to some extent, but I think there’s a lot of options. I think there’s just a lot
of depth across the league in terms of free agency and the Draft. I would just say in general the biggest thing for us is
there’s not a lot of teams the play that style we’re going to ask these guys to play. So there’s going to be a lot of project
for us. Our task is to really dig into these guys, whether it’s draft of free agency and sort of project them into the schemes
and techniques we’re asking these guys to play. Can they have success doing that? That’s what we’re undergoing right
now. As we sort of watch our scheme stuff – we’re doing half scheme, half free agency and draft stuff right now – I think
that’s the biggest task. When we talk scheme it’s, ‘hey, these are the things that we’re going ask these guys to do.’ Not
just up front, but all of these positions. ‘Alright, what are we asking our linebackers to do? What are we asking our
corners to do? What are we asking our ends to do?’ Then finding guys who can do those tasks and do them at a high
level. That’s the task we are sort of undertaking right now.”
Does your coaching background make you feel ready for this role now?
“All of us ironically talk about how this is the only profession where experience is looked on as a bad thing. I’ve had a
lot of experience. This will be my 20th season in the league coming up. Credit to DeMeco (Ryans) in the staff he put
together. I think one of his goals was really to put people from different backgrounds and people with different
experience levels and try to bring different viewpoints and visions into this staff here. I’m hoping that my experiences
and what I’ve gone through at two different positions and a coordinator stint, different schemes, I bring a lot to the
table to contribute to that process. That’s kind of my approach there.”
What kind of players do you want to make up this defense?
“As a starting point, we want smart, tough, physical players. The league has become a little bit of a space league, so you
want guys that can play in space and operate in space, whether that’s linebacker that can run with some over route and
cover some stuff or defense ends that can close from the edge. You start with DeMeco’s (Ryans) philosophy, which is
bringing in good people, the right type of people for this organization and this program. On the field we want smart,
tough, fast guys that can play physical and play in space for us.”
What was it like climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, as well as the time you spent in Uganda?
“That was the same trip for me. I actually had a former player, Dillon Gandy who is a Texas Tech guy and played for us
in Detroit. Myself and one other coach went over there. They were working to help build an orphanage and school
system that had a hospital and the whole thing in Uganda. I did that for about a week. I was in Uganda onsite living at
this little school essentially, helping to build roads and do some stuff there. That really started from Dillon, and he tied
a couple of us in. It was a really cool experience, getting to be part of that and being there for that and sort of feel like
you’re contributing to something. Then I flew to Tanzania and spent eight days their hiking Kili (Mount Kilimanjaro). It
was probably the most challenging adventure I’ve done. I did a different route. I did six days to summit and then two
days back down, so it was a challenging eight day stretch for me. The most challenging but most rewarding experience
I’ve had in all of my adventures. It was something.”
How did you feel when you reached the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro?
“It’s the only time in all of my travels I got altitude sickness. On the third day, I was probably at about 14,000 feet and I
was in it. I was in the weeds. I was in my tent panicking with fever symptoms. I’m sweating, and I didn’t sleep all night.
My guide, as I was freaking out, was like ‘You’re fine. You’re fine. We’re good.’ Then the next day, I had basically hiked
from the west hiking east and went to the north of the mountain as you circumnavigate it. You hike ridges, so you get
elevation and you come back down. That’s how you climatize. So, he knew the next day we’d be dropping in a little bit,
and I was going to regulate my body. But that night I was freaking out like, ‘I can’t do this,’ and panicking. But the guide
talk me through it. He literally gave me aspirin, and I was like, ‘That’s your solution?’ He gave me a couple of aspirin,
and I was like, ‘Gosh dang man.’ I was kind of worried. Summit day you hit base camp in the afternoon, you sleep and
then you start summiting at midnight so you can get up. We crested the ridge at about 6:30 in the morning as the sun
was coming up. So, I was worried, but when we actually got to the top, I was in good shape. There were a couple of
people in my group that were struggling a little bit. I was up there taking pictures. I was so happy as I was flitting around.
The guys was literally like, ‘Hey man, we’ve got to go. The other people are having trouble breathing.’ I had my challenge
in the middle of the trip, so when I reached the summit it was a joyous thing for me. I was really blessed. It was a cool
experience. Kili is just an isolated volcano in the middle, so you can see out for days and days. It was a really unique
experience for me for sure.”
What have your interactions with HC DeMeco Ryans been like in the past, even though you have never coached
together?
“We’ve kind of been tangentially connected. We have some cross over people. (Robert) Saleh when spent some time
with him and through that and some of the guys on the staff out there still. Mainly like Kris Kocurek and through J.J.
(Watt) a little bit. We’ve always had a lot of overlapping connections and in division. Just sort of reach out like that. I’ve
never spent time on a staff with DeMeco (Ryans). The connection part of it. I think both sides were telling the other
person, ‘Man, this is someone you should meet up with. You guys would really get along. Your philosophies align.’ As
we started going through this interview process, that came out for both of us. Another sidenote story – the first time
we actually sort of had a real interaction we had a Zoom interview. It was scheduled for seven oclock, and my son
actually fell and cracked his eye open, and I had to take him to the hospital to get stitches. It’s my first job interview,
and I’m texting DeMeco like, ‘Can we push this back a little bit? I’m sorry.’ Then I had this panic Zoom interview with
him, and I was two hours late for my interview. Like I said, once we got talking it was just literally everything lined up in
terms of how we see the game how we want to coach, how we want play football, how we want to play defense. Sort
of everything that everyone had been telling me about him and vice versa just started to connect and mesh. It was just
kind of cool. We spent a few days going through the process. All the checkpoints along the way we felt good about,
‘Man, this is exactly how I see things.’ It kind of lined up like that.”
How does it feel for a person like HC DeMeco Ryans to put his trust in you with this defense?
“I’m extremely appreciative for the opportunity from Meco (DeMeco Ryans). I’m excited to get to work with him. You
guys know, the through line with him from his playing time here and everything else, he’s a winner and just his approach
has been impeccable from player, coach, everything. Again, I’m here to serve him and what he wants. He’s got a lot on
his plate as a head coach and whatever I can do to help him ease the burden, that’s kind of my role. I’m thankful just
for the opportunity to get to work with him and again as we grow in our relationship in the first time we get to work
together and start sharing ideas and start building it up together. It’s cool. I’ve loved having him in the building. He’s
been sitting in meetings with us as we’ve gone through some of the scheme stuff. I’m extremely excited about the
opportunity for us to sort of learn from each other. Again, I’m here to help him any way he needs me to help him. If
that’s filling up water bottles, I’ll do that for him too.”
How have you and HC DeMeco Ryans discussed the defensive play calling duties?
“He’s the head coach, so it’s his decision. I think we’re getting to know each other through this whole process. It’s been
cool. Fortunately, my office is right next to his, right next door. I don’t put a lot of weight on any of that stuff. I’m here
to help him execute what he wants this team to be and what he wants this defense to look like. If it’s calling plays, that’s
great if it helps him be a better head coach. If he want to get his hands a little dirtier, then I’m here to help serve him
and do that. It was not really a sticking point in the process. It was more like, ‘This is how I see things. This is how I see
defenses being run and called.’ I was like, ‘I see it the same way basically.’ I think we’ll sort that out as it goes. Again,
it’s a learning process for all of us. He’s a first-time head coach, so he’s learning what he can do and what he can’t and
where he can put his energy and stuff. The whole staff and you guys can feel it’s palpable, the excitement and energy.
The entire staff is committed to DeMeco and trying to help him be the best and help this organization get there. It’s not
really an issue for me to be honest with you.”
How do you think your previous experience as a defensive coordinator will help you now in this role?
“We’d all be worse people if we didn’t learn from our mistakes or experiences. Honestly, I think when I left the (Jim)
Schwartz world and when I left Detroit and started branching out to Cincinnati and then into Miami, I think going back
to Philly after that, that was probably the biggest step in terms of reconnecting with Jim and seeing where we diverged
and tightening myself up a little bit. I think I got a little expansive if I’m being honest with you in terms of some of the
stuff I was doing. I think philosophically, it comes back to we want to put these players in the best position to execute.
Sometimes less is more and being able to do something really good and doing a couple things really good as opposed
to doing a million things. I think refocusing myself on that has been where I came away from Miami and moving
forward.”
How much did your time with Jim Schwartz and the Titans help you get to where you are today?
“I was very fortunate to get a break to get into the league. I was 27 years old and kind of randomly got a change to go
down there. I would say on a lot of levels Jeff (Fisher)had been a long-time head coach, so there was that experience. I
kind of caught the tail end of that Super Bowl team. I caught the tail end of the veteran crew of Steve (McNair), Eddie
(George), and Jevon Kearse, Kevin Carter, and also then the transition into the next phase with Vince (Young) and Chris
Johnson, defensively how move. Kind of like caught some of the veteran side of things as a young coach and rebuilding
a program after that reset. That staff had a ton of experience. I’m always thankful for Dave McGinnis. He was a
linebacker coach when I was the defensive QC (quality control coach), and he really let me be hands on and let me learn.
My office was an actual storage closet that they converted into my office, but he didn’t keep me in the closet. He let
me come out and do some drills. He didn’t have to do that. At the time, this was 20 years ago, the QC role was still
evolving into what it was. Also, I would argue two of the best line coaches in the league, Big Wash (Jim Washburn) was
the defensive line coach and Munch (Mike Munchak) was the offensive line coach. Seeing how that was built from those
guys and how those guys coached two of the most important positions on the team, that was really cool to be around.
I think elite line coaches as well. It was just a really cool immersive experience for me. I lived in there for five years of
my life.”
Have you sorted out who will call the defensive plays? What was your role as the game management coach for the
New York Jets and does that factor into responsibilities you will be given with the Texans?
“Here we haven’t gone down that path in terms of how we’re totally divvying up all that stuff. That was just kind of
came to be. I was unfortunately let go from Philly and didn’t have a job. Coach (Robert) Saleh reached out. He was
obviously a first-time head coach and wanted someone to bridge the gap between analytics and gameday management
and coaching. He sort of asked me if I would kind of help him get things up to speed in that role. It was a cool opportunity
for me. I was living in South Jersey at the time, so it was an easy transition that way. Basically, during the week I would
put together stuff, teaching tapes for the players, for the whole team. Again, I was very thankful coach Saleh gave me
the opportunity to address the whole team a couple of times a week just on situational football, stuff that’s happening
around the league, penalties, whatever it may be, two-minute stuff that came up that I could teach and educate the
team. On gamedays, I was on the headsets on both sides with him talking him through ‘Hey, we need to take a timeout
here,’ or, ‘Hey, be alert to this,’ or challenges. I’m grateful that he gave me a lot of work to do for kind of a made-up
job, just sort of plugged me in a way late. It was a great experience, really having to help him talk him through challenges
and timeouts and how to use things. ‘Hey, look out for this,’ all the end of game situation stuff, that was kind of my
world. Again, here to help DeMeco (Ryans), so if that’s something he wants me to be a part of with him and help him
as we go through that process, I’d be more than happy to because it was a great experience. Contact with the league
office on a lot of stuff, just around the league and obviously going through that season and the game situations really
helped broaden my horizon.”