Siaha Burley of the Utah Blaze shattered two major Arena Football League records this past season — for single-season catches and yardage. But that didn't mean he thought he was going to win the award for the AFL's offensive player of the year.
But he was, indeed, named the top offensive player in the offense-intensive league on Wednesday.
"I was hoping I would get it, but by all means I didn't expect it," said Burley of the honor. "There were a bunch of quarterbacks in the league that had big years and other receivers that had big years and players on teams that had better records than ours, so I really didn't think I'd get it."
The AFL doesn't announce the voting totals, but the award was based on votes by AFL head coaches, fans, players and media.
Burley, who earned All-Arena first-team honors for the first time in his career two weeks ago, helped the Blaze to an 8-8 record and a playoff berth. He had an AFL-record 166 catches for 2,129 yards, becoming the first player to ever gain more than 2,000 yards in a season. He also led the AFL in yards from scrimmage (2,129) and first downs (116) and was third in touchdowns scored (49).
Burley has returned to his native Arizona, but he's still thinking about the disappointing end to the season. The Blaze lost to the Los Angeles Avengers in the wild-card round of the playoffs.
"I'm still bothered by the playoff loss," he said. "I haven't felt like watching the game film yet. I need to watch that, figure out what happened and get over it."
Burley is a free agent now, but Blaze head coach Danny White, who is also the team's general manager, has said re-signing his top wide receiver is a priority. Burley, for his part, is excited to look at his other AFL options.
"This is a business," said Burley. "I need to sit down and evaluate the situation and figure out what would be best for me. I will sit down with Coach White again and also meet with some other teams and see what I'm worth on the market financially and also try to see where I can best prosper as a player — in what system and with what team. Obviously, winning is important to me."
That doesn't necessarily mean that he won't wind back up as a member of the Blaze, however.
"We've done pretty well in our first two years in Utah," said Burley. "I came to Utah for a reason, and I believe in Coach White. I haven't given up on it. We need to make some changes and try to get better in the offseason ... Going back to Utah is definitely a possibility."
Burley, of course, would also consider offers from the NFL — but he would like a team to show real interest in him and not just want him "as a training camp body."
"I've been to several NFL camps and I know I can play at that level," he said. "You don't win (AFL) player of the year if you can't play football, but it's a political thing in the NFL. Someone would have to come to me and show real interest. I'm not going to go out and look and find them."
Burley may never play in the NFL, that's fine with him. After all, he's making a good living — and for at least one year, he's officially the top offensive player in the AFL.
Siaha Burley
2007 stats
Catches 166
Yards 2,129
TDs 49
E-mail: lojo@desnews.com