NFL preseason games have long served as a way to highlight some of the standout rookies who could make an impact right away in the league. And that is exactly what NFL Network broadcaster Stacey Dales did when it comes to Chicago Bears rookie wide receiver Luther Burden III. Just not in the way that second-year Bears wideout Rome Odunze likely saw coming.
In the fourth quarter of Sunday’s preseason game between the Bears and the Miami Dolphins, the broadcast team of Dales, Adam Amin, and Jim Miller spoke with Odunze about various topics.
One of the many topics discussed was about the skill set of Luther Burden. And let’s just say Stacey Dales went about bringing up Burden’s name in a rather unique way…
“Rome, work with me on this one,” said Dales. “Somebody on your staff told me that if you and DJ (Moore) had a baby, it would be Luther Burden.”
Without any context, this quote is obviously pretty wild. And it drew quite the reaction out of Odunze, who could only laugh at the idea of one of his coaches thinking up this scenario.
Moments later, Dales would provide some much-needed context and explain how Burden’s skill set largely is a blend of Odunze’s size and speed and Moore’s versatility as a player.
“Because of the skills sets you both bring,” added Dales, as she laughed along with Odunze. “Because of your contested (catching) ability and run after the catch, your speed. And then because of DJ’s ability to be incredibly versatile. I guess the point is, what have you seen from Luther Burden?”
It ultimately ended up being an incredible compliment to Burden from Dales once she finally got to her point. But it may have been better to bring up some context before she jumped into a scenario of Odunze and Moore having a baby…
Dales should get a bit of grace, as it was her first game in the broadcast booth, typically serving in an on-field reporter role that she has held for years for the NFL Network. So should she get more opportunities in the booth moving forward, she will likely only grow on what was largely seen by most as an impressive debut, getting compliments from several personalities in the sports media industry.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.