02-29-2016, 05:17 PM
(02-29-2016, 03:40 PM)BengalChris Wrote: IMO, things went awry for Burfict in the image department after the twisting of Newton's ankle and the knocking of the Packers' receiver in the nut pouch, and he didn't get flagged for either of those so refs have been throwing make-up flags ever since.
Shazier is going to be getting those flags soon enough after the no-call on Gio. The NFL knows very well that the rule is the rule and they can have all the secret arbitraries in how the rule is enforced that they want, but it violated the rule as written and that's rather obvious.
Burfict needs to have a clean preseason and got deep into the season without any blows to the head or late hits or nut taps or fights. He just needs extended time without any of that non-sense and his football play will take center stage in how he's perceived.
There will be those who will continue to call him a dirty player out of jealousy, which is par for the course when the unsuccessful talk about the successful in our society.
He is a Bengal. He will always have that perception. Same way the Bengals havent had a guy arrested in a long time. All the while an NFL arrest happens pretty often. But we still are perceived as being thugs and criminals more than any other team around the league.
