CINCINNATI (WKRC) - Bengals coaches once again have to plan their preseason around the concept of not having linebacker Vontaze Burfict for the first four games of the season, while Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster is already planning for Burfict's return.

Burfict was suspended by the NFL for the first four games of the season for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing substances. It marks the third straight season that Burfict will miss games at the start. He was suspended for the first five games of the 2017 regular season due to a hit he made on Kansas City Chiefs fullback Anthony Sherman in the second preseason game, but the suspension was reduced to three games on appeal. He missed the first three games of the 2016 regular season due to repeated violations of player safety rules.

Burfict is eligible to participate in all training camp practices and preseason games. Although Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis declined to say how much game action Burfict would see, he said there is plan in place to get both him ready for the season and get the player who will replace him for the first four games ready as well.

"Unfortunately we're probably too experienced at it," said Lewis. "With him (out), as I've said in the past, there has to become an identity with the other guys because, 'Vontaze, you're not going to be there.' So these guys, (newcomer) Preston (Brown) and so forth, they've got become the identity of the football team. That's so important for Preston to go ahead and ascend and to continue to grow. He's given Vontaze his space but now he's going to have to go and take over."

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Getting Preston Brown was a great signing. He can keep the other LB's comfortable out there and knowing their
jobs. Dude is smart and a great tackler. What is nice is we have plenty of WILL backers so i think we can survive
without Burfict the first 4 games. Our record without him on the field says so.

SAM is the position i am wondering about, Vigil is not the answer there from what i saw last year even if he was
banged up. Maybe Evans might be a decent SAM. Malik has the skill set for SAM but he is raw. Worley might be a
dark horse here, dude is smart, makes sure he is always mentally prepared.

BTW JuJu better be prepared, he is going to get his.

(07-25-2018, 04:36 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: Getting Preston Brown was a great signing. He can keep the other LB's comfortable out there and knowing their
jobs. Dude is smart and a great tackler. What is nice is we have plenty of WILL backers so i think we can survive
without Burfict the first 4 games. Our record without him on the field says so.

SAM is the position i am wondering about, Vigil is not the answer there from what i saw last year even if he was
banged up. Maybe Evans might be a decent SAM. Malik has the skill set for SAM but he is raw. Worley might be a
dark horse here, dude is smart, makes sure he is always mentally prepared.

BTW JuJu better be prepared, he is going to get his.

JuJu has no one to blame or cry to but himself if burfict does deliver any sort of revenge....   He made a big hit and that's fine in football...

Gloating over injuring burfict and then the TD celebration


JuJu might not be alive today if Burfict was Ray Lewis.

I wouldn't give a bucket of piss for jujus future!

(07-25-2018, 04:36 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: BTW JuJu better be prepared, he is going to get his.

I said it before.  I don't think it's going to be Burfict with revenge because he has too much to lose.  I think it will be Iloka.

Beating the Steelers will be the best revenge even if JuJu has 200 yards receiving.

Who am I kidding? Beating the Steelers while JuJu gets knocked into Kingdom Come would be the best revenge.

(07-25-2018, 11:38 PM)BengalFanInNJ Wrote: Beating the Steelers will be the best revenge even if JuJu has 200 yards receiving.

Who am I kidding? Beating the Steelers while JuJu gets knocked into Kingdom Come would be the best revenge.

Amen to that!  

(07-25-2018, 05:41 PM)XenoMorph Wrote: JuJu has no one to blame or cry to but himself if burfict does deliver any sort of revenge....   He made a big hit and that's fine in football...

Gloating over injuring burfict and then the TD celebration


JuJu might not be alive today if Burfict was Ray Lewis.

Yep he would be lying stabbed in an alley if it was Ray Lewis lol

(07-25-2018, 05:47 PM)bengalguy71 Wrote: I said it before.  I don't think it's going to be Burfict with revenge because he has too much to lose.  I think it will be Iloka.

Definately possible. George can lay the wood, even recklessly at times.

(07-25-2018, 11:38 PM)BengalFanInNJ Wrote: Beating the Steelers will be the best revenge even if JuJu has 200 yards receiving.

Who am I kidding? Beating the Steelers while JuJu gets knocked into Kingdom Come would be the best revenge.

Yes, as Tiger Teeth said, AMEN!

(07-25-2018, 05:47 PM)bengalguy71 Wrote: I said it before.  I don't think it's going to be Burfict with revenge because he has too much to lose.  I think it will be Iloka.

Me too. You could see on his face that he had zero regret about hitting whoever that was in the face mask during that same game.

Sumbitch better be wary......

Yknow, I actually like Juju. I was a big fan of his at USC and I was hoping we'd be able to grab him in the second round (before we took Ross anyway.) But my lord, is he ever asking for it.

I honestly had no problem with his hit on Burfict. At first glance I thought it was a clean shot, Burfict did not have his head on a swivel that play and really should have taken a glance in the direction he was running. But Juju's walkover was BS. I was pissed at the time but he sounded somewhat apologetic in the post game press conference (claiming he "wasn't that type of player"... And he really wasn't at USC. Again, there's something about that organization in Pittsburgh ). So I was over it, let it go and thought that would be the end of it.

But then the sleazy TD celebration the following week. Then the meme he was creating and distribution on social media. The kid was having a field day with something he allegedly wasn't proud of. Did he really think he'd never see the Bengals or Burfict again??   

The dude has a royal smack down coming his way, and it's well-deserved.

(07-26-2018, 09:57 PM)Pat5775 Wrote: Yknow, I actually like Juju. I was a big fan of his at USC and I was hoping we'd be able to grab him in the second round (before we took Ross anyway.) But my lord, is he ever asking for it.

I honestly had no problem with his hit on Burfict. At first glance I thought it was a clean shot, Burfict did not have his head on a swivel that play and really should have taken a glance in the direction he was running. But Juju's walkover was BS. I was pissed at the time but he sounded somewhat apologetic in the post game press conference (claiming he "wasn't that type of player"... And he really wasn't at USC. Again, there's something about that organization in Pittsburgh ). So I was over it, let it go and thought that would be the end of it.

But then the sleazy TD celebration the following week. Then the meme he was creating and distribution on social media. The kid was having a field day with something he allegedly wasn't proud of. Did he really think he'd never see the Bengals or Burfict again??   

The dude has a royal smack down coming his way, and it's well-deserved.

Yeah i have seen tons of players i liked in college turn into royal dooshes in Pitt.

Like the center of sell your soul and be a POSville.

(07-26-2018, 10:19 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: Yeah i have seen tons of players i liked in college turn into royal dooshes in Pitt.

Like the center of sell your soul and be a POSville.

Bud Dupree was pretty much a class player at UK, and I really wanted the Bengals to take him. Took one season for Shitsburgh to turn him into a pos....

(07-29-2018, 02:52 PM)Sled21 Wrote: Bud Dupree was pretty much a class player at UK, and I really wanted the Bengals to take him. Took one season for Shitsburgh to turn him into a pos....

Not a Steelers fan but many call that kind of behavior "swagger." Certainly not seen on the Cincinnati Bengals for almost three decades.

(07-29-2018, 03:12 PM)Chezaugie Wrote: Not a Steelers fan but many call that kind of behavior "swagger." Certainly not seen on the Cincinnati Bengals for almost three decades.

The day the Bengals become that kind of organization is the day I will stick strictly to college football.

(07-29-2018, 03:15 PM)bengalguy71 Wrote: The day the Bengals become that kind of organization is the day I will stick strictly to college football.

Well, you might want to make the switch. The Bengals have the number 1 most hated player in the NFL, https://www.sportsaldente.com/top-5-hated-players-nfl/ as well as 3 of the top ten most hated NFL players of all time, https://bleacherreport.com/articles/648939-the-50-most-hated-players-in-nfl-history#slide49.

Fans tend to overlook a player's character if they help their team win.

(07-29-2018, 03:30 PM)Chezaugie Wrote: Fans tend to overlook a player's character if they help their team win.

6-9-1

7-9

You can be the most hated player in the NFL without being a pos.

I can live with 1 out of 53.

When it starts becoming a majority, win at any cost, like Thugsburgh, then it becomes a concern.

(07-29-2018, 03:30 PM)Chezaugie Wrote: Well, you might want to make the switch. The Bengals have the number 1 most hated player in the NFL, https://www.sportsaldente.com/top-5-hated-players-nfl/ as well as 3 of the top ten most hated NFL players of all time, https://bleacherreport.com/articles/648939-the-50-most-hated-players-in-nfl-history#slide49.

Fans tend to overlook a player's character if they help their team win.

An article written by a nobody in a no name site, means nothing.

Character? Has Burfict been accused of sexual assault, murder or any crime of moral turpitude?

If we are talking aggression on the field of play, I ask you to consider that every single Pittsburgh SB trophy is built on Roid Rage. NFL players and Pitt's own players state that they started the steroid culture in NFL.


They stopped for one decade (1980s) and were the bottom feeders of NFL. Cowher started it back again in 1990s and they became competitive. Their team Physician was convicted of peddling anabolics and HGH.

Pitt is a dirty organization with dirty players and coaches. Ever wonder why Cowher no longer coaches in NFL? Why does a player who has been accused of sexual assault more than once, is still their starting QB?

(07-29-2018, 05:05 PM)XsandOs Wrote: An article written by a nobody in a no name site, means nothing.

Character? Has Burfict been accused of sexual assault, murder or any crime of moral turpitude?

If we are talking aggression on the field of play, I ask you to consider that every single Pittsburgh SB trophy is built on Roid Rage. NFL players and Pitt's own players state that they started the steroid culture in NFL.


They stopped for one decade (1980s) and were the bottom feeders of NFL. Cowher started it back again in 1990s and they became competitive. Their team Physician was convicted of peddling anabolics and HGH.

Pitt is a dirty organization with dirty players and coaches. Ever wonder why Cowher no longer coaches in NFL? Why does a player who has been accused of sexual assault more than once, is still their starting QB?

This is going into JN post HOF. Son-of-a-Bitty. This was a great post.

(07-29-2018, 05:05 PM)XsandOs Wrote: An article written by a nobody in a no name site, means nothing.

Character? Has Burfict been accused of sexual assault, murder or any crime of moral turpitude?

If we are talking aggression on the field of play, I ask you to consider that every single Pittsburgh SB trophy is built on Roid Rage. NFL players and Pitt's own players state that they started the steroid culture in NFL.


They stopped for one decade (1980s) and were the bottom feeders of NFL. Cowher started it back again in 1990s and they became competitive. Their team Physician was convicted of peddling anabolics and HGH.

Pitt is a dirty organization with dirty players and coaches. Ever wonder why Cowher no longer coaches in NFL? Why does a player who has been accused of sexual assault more than once, is still their starting QB?

Well, if arrests and accusations are a determination of character and a dirty organization, The Cincinnati Bengals have the 3rd most arrests of any NFL team this century (Pittsburgh is 17th). You can accuse Big Ben all you want (never arrested) but the Bengals have 8 arrests involving reported attacks on women since 2000, according to media databases that track NFL player arrests.

As far as dirty players on the field, that is a purely subjective opinion (Cincinnati is ranked the 2nd dirtiest NFL team by Fox Sports).

By the way speaking of 'roids, isn't Burfict's current suspension as a result of of a PED violation? And, a bit of lost trivia,on July 26, 1983, running back Pete Johnson and defensive end Ross Browner were the first players in the NFL to be suspended for illegal drug activity, along with St. Louis linebacker E.J. Junior and New Orleans cornerback Greg Stemrick. Let's not even go to the Stanley Wilson allegations of widespread cocaine use before the Super Bowl. Just sayin'

We can only pray Joe Mixon stays clean.