High-Achieving Burr-Kirven Suffers NFL Setback, Lost for Season
Ben Burr-Kirven's college football career at the University of Washington was winding down when the subject of his education came up. The personable California kid told how he was studying film.
Yet asked if he would soon be heading for Hollywood, the inside linebacker gave a look that could have stopped an opposing runner in his tracks.
"I'll be pursuing an NFL career," Burr-Kirven said a little indignantly, as if that wasn't a forgone conclusion.
Until Saturday, his pro football aspirations were going quite well for a player who was a bit undersized and not particularly fast but had turned himself into a first-team Associated Press All-America selection followed by a full-fledged NFL job.
On the opening kickoff of a meaningless 30-3 exhibition loss to the Denver Broncos at Lumen Field, this player known as BBK unfortunately tore up a knee and was lost for the season. It was a bitter blow for the 6-foot, 230-pound high overachiever who had played in all 32 games in his short NFL stint as a special-teams player and backup linebacker.
In the preseason's second game, BBK stepped awkwardly on the play following contact with a Broncos player and disaster resulted with torn ligaments. The kick resulted in a touchback so there wasn't even a tackle involved. He later was joined on the injured list that night by Seahawks wide receiver John Ursua, who likewise suffered knee ligament damage in the second quarter.
“Both those guys got hurt seriously and it breaks your heart," Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said. "This is a rough game and sometimes it takes a toll. Those two kids are hurting, so we’ll see what happens with them. But it’s going to be a while.’’
As a backup Burr-Kirven was positioned to play even more this season following the departure of veteran K.J. Wright and a position.
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