Systems, methods, and computer-readable storage media for monitoring queue occupancy in a network buffer, detecting microbursts, and analyzing the same. An ASIC device can monitor a queue occupancy value of a network buffer, detect when the queue occupancy value exceeds a first predetermined threshold queue occupancy, create a record with a time that the queue occupancy value exceeds the first predetermined threshold queue occupancy, a queue occupancy value at the time that the queue occupancy value exceeds the first predetermined threshold queue occupancy, detect when the queue occupancy value falls below a second predetermined threshold queue occupancy, and determine a maximum queue occupancy value between the time that the queue occupancy value exceeded the first predetermined threshold queue occupancy and a time that the queue occupancy value falls below the second predetermined threshold queue occupancy, and add to the record the maximum queue occupancy value, a time of the maximum queue occupancy value, the time that the queue that the queue occupancy value falls below the second predetermined threshold queue occupancy and the queue occupancy value at the time that the queue occupancy value falls below the second predetermined threshold queue occupancy.