The historic obstacle standing in way of Brian Burns’ hardware dream

When Rakeem Nunez-Roches first noticed that Brian Burns was attacking voluntary non-padded spring practices with extra attention to detail, refined technique and a will to win every rep, he had to say something.

“And it went into training camp, he was doing the same thing,” Nunez-Roches said. “It’s just all coming together. I always tell him, ‘Hey, bro, you’re trying to get that defensive player of the year, huh?’ ”

Yes, Burns is letting himself dream of taking home the highest honor realistically attainable for an NFL defensive player. Is Burns deterred at all that history suggests it is nearly impossible for players on losing teams — his Giants are 2-6 and careening toward a third straight double-digit loss season — to gain that type of individual recognition?

“It would mean a lot to me,” Burns said. “The way you formed that question is true — sadly. I can only do what I can do. However the cards fall is how they fall. At least I know I’ll have no regrets at the end of the season.”