Vontaze Burfict!

[SunsetBengal]

Ok folks, we're all super stoked for the prospects of the Bengals having a stellar defense this season. From the addition of Minter, to the subtraction of Peko and Maualuga, getting brand new toys Billings and WJ III finally off the shelf, to the recent draft class that we are all so stoked about. One player that can mean the difference between this defense being good and great, is Vontaze Burfict.

Burfict is back! Not just back from injury rehab, or from administrative suspension, but back as a retooled Super Destroyer. By all accounts, he seems to have underwent some sort of transformation this offseason. Not only is he showing up to OTAs lean and in incredible physical shape, most importantly, he seems to have his head in the right place. Judging by the quotes by Burfict and Guenther, I'd say that Vontaze Burfict has fully matured, and is ready to be the outright leader of the defense.

http://www.cincyjungle.com/2017/5/18/15656312/vontaze-burfict-great-offseason-praise-paul-guenther

[quoteBurfict admits those issues led to him having a significant drop off in his level of play, but he’s ready to move past them.
"It set me back for pretty much, I would say two years because coming in you’re not able to mesh your whole body how you want to so you get other injuries," Burfict told The Cincinnati Enquirer. "This offseason I was able to focus on all the little muscles in my body, conditioning and doing all types of yogas and stuff like that. I feel great. I came in in great shape and I’m just here to try and lead the team."

A big reason why Burfict feels good about his offseason thus far is his newfound dedication to keeping his body healthy, both with conditioning and nourishment.
"Just eating right, knowing what to eat, counting my calories and stuff like that," said Burfict. "That was the biggest thing for me. Just counting my calories and just seeing my body transform was huge for me."][/quote]

And from Guenther

Quote:

Defensive Paul Guenther is thrilled with what he’s seen of Burfict thus far, which is mirroring the All-Pro-caliber backer we saw in 2013.
"He’s come back in tremendous shape," Guenther said. "I have a picture of him walking out of the tunnel at the Pro Bowl, and he looked lean and like he should, and I said to him the other day man, I pulled that picture out there, and I said, man, you look just like that guy again.

"He’s come back, and he looks in great shape, he’s got his weight where he wants it, and it’ll help him be faster. He’s not carrying as much weight, so it’ll help him out with the longevity of his career and also his playing."

[*ochocincos*]

(05-18-2017, 01:54 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: Ok folks, we're all super stoked for the prospects of the Bengals having a stellar defense this season.  From the addition of Minter, to the subtraction of Peko and Maualuga, getting brand new toys Billings and WJ III finally off the shelf, to the recent draft class that we are all so stoked about.  One player that can mean the difference between this defense being good and great, is Vontaze Burfict.  

Burfict is back!  Not just back from injury rehab, or from administrative suspension, but back as a retooled Super Destroyer.  By all accounts, he seems to have underwent some sort of transformation this offseason.  Not only is he showing up to OTAs lean and in incredible physical shape, most importantly, he seems to have his head in the right place.  Judging by the quotes by Burfict and Guenther, I'd say that Vontaze Burfict has fully matured, and is ready to be the outright leader of the defense.

http://www.cincyjungle.com/2017/5/18/15656312/vontaze-burfict-great-offseason-praise-paul-guenther

Quote:Burfict admits those issues led to him having a significant drop off in his level of play, but he’s ready to move past them.
"It set me back for pretty much, I would say two years because coming in you’re not able to mesh your whole body how you want to so you get other injuries," Burfict told The Cincinnati Enquirer. "This offseason I was able to focus on all the little muscles in my body, conditioning and doing all types of yogas and stuff like that. I feel great. I came in in great shape and I’m just here to try and lead the team."

A big reason why Burfict feels good about his offseason thus far is his newfound dedication to keeping his body healthy, both with conditioning and nourishment.
"Just eating right, knowing what to eat, counting my calories and stuff like that," said Burfict. "That was the biggest thing for me. Just counting my calories and just seeing my body transform was huge for me."]

And from Guenther

Defensive Paul Guenther is thrilled with what he’s seen of Burfict thus far, which is mirroring the All-Pro-caliber backer we saw in 2013.
"He’s come back in tremendous shape," Guenther said. "I have a picture of him walking out of the tunnel at the Pro Bowl, and he looked lean and like he should, and I said to him the other day man, I pulled that picture out there, and I said, man, you look just like that guy again.

"He’s come back, and he looks in great shape, he’s got his weight where he wants it, and it’ll help him be faster. He’s not carrying as much weight, so it’ll help him out with the longevity of his career and also his playing."

You really have to wonder how much entering a contract year is playing into his newfound motivation.

[SunsetBengal]

(05-18-2017, 02:06 PM)ochocincos Wrote: You really have to wonder how much entering a contract year is playing into his newfound motivation.

Who cares?  I'll take it!

[*ochocincos*]

(05-18-2017, 02:18 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: Who cares?  I'll take it!

I'll definitely take it too, but I do wonder if he would continue said motivation after getting his next contract. Just something to think about.

[*Nate (formerly eliminate08)*]

Thanks Sunset, thought he looked great in the camp photos earlier. Dude could seriously be the best LB in the league
if he can stay in shape. Yes, even better than Kuechly cause he is already a better run stopper and blitzer. In shape he
can cover too. Last year he was severely out of shape and it took him awhile to get decent again.

This is very exciting, plus Minter and....

BILLINGS!!!

[SunsetBengal]

(05-18-2017, 02:24 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: Thanks Sunset, thought he looked great in the camp photos earlier. Dude could seriously be the best LB in the league
if he can stay in shape. Yes, even better than Kuechly cause he is already a better run stopper and blitzer. In shape he
can cover too. Last year he was severely out of shape and it took him awhile to get decent again.

This is very exciting, plus Minter and....

BILLINGS!!!

Yeah, I'm super stoked about the defense this season, and for good reason.  Despite the addition of some tremendous weapons on offense, I still feel like the defense is going to have to carry the water this year.  I really have little confidence in the OL being able to sustain any sort of commanding rushing attack, or being able to give Andy time to let many downfield plays develop. 

[XenoMorph]

(05-18-2017, 02:06 PM)ochocincos Wrote: You really have to wonder how much entering a contract year is playing into his newfound motivation.

Being healthy for the offseason certainly helped..  they are already in contract talks for an extension with him Soo......

[THE PISTONS]

Perhaps he's finally maturing.

It's crazy to think how good he could be if he'd get in great shape.

[*Nate (formerly eliminate08)*]

(05-18-2017, 02:35 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: Yeah, I'm super stoked about the defense this season, and for good reason.  Despite the addition of some tremendous weapons on offense, I still feel like the defense is going to have to carry the water this year.  I really have little confidence in the OL being able to sustain any sort of commanding rushing attack, or being able to give Andy time to let many downfield plays develop. 

The Defense should be one of the best in the league barring injuries no question and it is very understandable to
question the O-line after losing both Whit and Zeit after the OL sucking so bad last year. But there is also reasons
to believe they will be better that SHRacerX and i have listed in the OL threads.

Might be great on both sides of the ball yah never know, but i am with you and definately more confident in the D.

[THE PISTONS]

(05-18-2017, 02:55 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: The Defense should be one of the best in the league barring injuries no question and it is very understandable to
question the O-line after losing both Whit and Zeit after the OL sucking so bad last year. But there is also reasons
to believe they will be better that SHRacerX and i have listed in the OL threads.

Might be great on both sides of the ball yah never know, but i am with you and definately more confident in the D.

It's hard to get past the oline losing it's 2 best players and thinking they'll improve. Maybe in a certain area or so...but overall I think they're worse.

[*Nate (formerly eliminate08)*]

(05-18-2017, 02:56 PM)THE PISTONS Wrote: It's hard to get past the oline losing it's 2 best players and thinking they'll improve. Maybe in a certain area or so...but overall I think they're worse.

Yeah it is and i completely understand.

I just think Og and Fisher will improve a lot this year and Boling being 100% should help. We will see Pistons.

Spreading out the Defense seems to be what we are going for with Ross and Mixon added but this thread is about
Burfict and the Defense so i will leave the O-line in the other thread. Billings, Minter, WJ3, Lawson and Willis should 
really help out on that side of the ball. Burfict being in great shape is the icing on the cake i think. 

[BengalsBong]

Its a contract year for him it is to his benefit to show up in shape. You will not know if he has matured and turned that corner till next year after he has gotten paid. It is a shame too really these last few years he could of made a lot bigger impact by staying in shape and being ready to play when he was on the field.

[Essex Johnson]

(05-18-2017, 02:56 PM)THE PISTONS Wrote: It's hard to get past the oline losing it's 2 best players and thinking they'll improve. Maybe in a certain area or so...but overall I think they're worse.

Ok so lets look at it this way... on the line yes.. they will miss their two best players, but I would say they can improve in at least 5 positions from last year performance ( center, right tackle, running back, 2nd/3rd WR ) also on offense.. and they struggled as much with losing AJ and Eifert maybe more than their line lack of production with their two best players playing most of the year. 

[masterpanthera_t]

I'm not expecting the Bengals Oline to suddenly become a juggernaut, but honestly think that with the extra experience of all the young guys on the line, and a complete offseason for some of the notorious under performers, I do expect this year's Oline to be tons better than last year, even with the loss of Whitworth and Zeitler. That could just be the optimist in me speaking, but I think that the Bengals' management believes in the Oline, and until I see them struggle, I'm going to believe they will have a turnaround.

[HarleyDog]

Very good post. Raises the hair on my arms. Burfict is one of my favorite players ever. I love his prowess. I hope he is ready to step up and be a leader. This guy has instincts unknown to many and will make you pay for testing him. He does nothing but make the team better just by being on the field. When it comes to players, he is by far the most talented, driven, vicious LB in the NFL! And yes, he's one of the reasons I love being a Bengal fan!

[CageTheBengal]

Burfict at his best physically and mentally is something we haven't seen yet and can only mean great things for the team.

I just hope he can keep his head out of harms way and avoid concussions.

[*TheLeonardLeap*]

(05-18-2017, 02:06 PM)ochocincos Wrote: You really have to wonder how much entering a contract year is playing into his newfound motivation.

My very first thought. Shows up fat last season, but contract year rolls around and he's transformed.

[sandwedge]

Great Post! Love Burfict and hope he really has matured. We will see what happens when someone challenges him. Hopefully he keeps his head down and moves on to the next play. No more nut tapping or ankle twisting. I don't think he has got out from under the refs microscope just yet.

[rezolve11]

I cannot wait to see our defense this year. :andy:

[WeezyBengal]

Is he legit shoulder pressing 200 lbs in that picture?