Paul Guenther: Vontaze Burfict "way smarter" than he gets credit for

[Bengalholic]

From Josh Alper, ProFootballTalk

Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict will sit out the first three games of the 2016 season while serving a suspension for repeated violations of the league’s player safety rules, but that hasn’t soured the team on the linebacker.

Despite the damage done by penalties for those violations, director of player personnel Duke Tobin said that the Bengals don’t want Burfict to change his “passionate” approach to the game and defensive coordinator Paul Guenther says that he’d like to have Burfict teaching other players how to play once the linebacker retires.

“I’ve said it before, and I want it to be said now, because of where he’s at, when he’s done playing I am going to hire him as a coach, if I’m still coaching,” Guenther said, via the Cincinnati Enquirer. “When he leaves football he’s got a job. I’m going to hire him, because he is way smarter than everyone gives him credit for. Everyone thinks he’s this thug. He is smart. He’ll come into meetings on Wednesdays and say they’re doing this, they’re doing that. He gets it like that. He is smart.”

Guenther said that “the way [Burfict’s] being perceived right now is terrible,” although it’s hard to see where things have gone askew on that front. Burfict has been a very good football player since arriving in Cincinnati, but he’s also been one with a penchant for crossing the line. Burfict admitted the latter has to change and any perception of him will remain the same until he does.

[fredtoast]

I never disputed his "football smarts".  The coaches have always given him credit for making sure our defense was in position.  And people tend to discount how much that helps a defense.

It is still staggering to think that we got such an exceptional player as an undrafted free agent.

[McC]

I don't think the rest of the league is all that enthusiastic about seeing him succeed. He's a big old reminder of how they missed.

Everybody knew his past and the combine and all the ways he screwed up. What they couldn't measure was his will to not let his story end there.

This guy is all about overcoming obstacles. And he will overcome this one. Won't happen overnight but it will happen.

[BengalChris]

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.

[*Nate (formerly eliminate08)*]

Burfict is definately smart. He will learn from this suspension and learn to play with more discipline.

No more after the whistle stuff, the refs treat him different. I guess as they should. Different NFL today.

[NATI BENGALS]

(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.

[Bengal Dude]

(02-29-2016, 03:21 PM)fredtoast Wrote: I never disputed his "football smarts".  The coaches have always given him credit for making sure our defense was in position.  And people tend to discount how much that helps a defense.

It is still staggering to think that we got such an exceptional player as an undrafted free agent.

His mediocre play during his junior season was the beginning of the fall. He was very reckless on the field during his entire time at ASU, but his play made people brush it off. Eventually his attitude wore on the coaches and they didn't really have his back. He just did his own thing in 2011 on the field. I remember him committing penalty after penalty against Oregon that year.

Then he proceeded to bomb the combine in every facet. Teams most likely didn't want to invest a high pick and risk getting a headcase. There's no telling if teams called him late in the draft. Players who have gone undrafted have talked about getting calls in the 6th and 7th round and saying they'd rather go undrafted. It's seldom, but it does happen (Priest Holmes did this).

Seeing as how we heard about Marvin being in contact with him from the beginning, it's not surprising that he chose us.

[fredtoast]

(02-29-2016, 06:00 PM)Bengal Dude Wrote: His mediocre play during his junior season was the beginning of the fall. He was very reckless on the field during his entire time at ASU, but his play made people brush it off. Eventually his attitude wore on the coaches and they didn't really have his back. He just did his own thing in 2011 on the field. I remember him committing penalty after penalty against Oregon that year.

Then he proceeded to bomb the combine in every facet. Teams most likely didn't want to invest a high pick and risk getting a headcase.

Didn't he alos get into a locker room fight with a college teammate?

He had so many red flags he made a coat out of them.  Admitted smoking pot.  showed up out of shape for the combine.  I honestly did not even expect him to make the team.  Now he is on the way to being on of the greatest Bengals LBs ever (if he can keep healthy and on the field).

[Bengal Dude]

(02-29-2016, 06:06 PM)fredtoast Wrote: Didn't he alos get into a locker room fight with a college teammate?

He had so many red flags he made a coat out of them.  Admitted smoking pot.  showed up out of shape for the combine.  I honestly did not even expect him to make the team.  Now he is on the way to being on of the greatest Bengals LBs ever (if he can keep healthy and on the field).

Yeah, him and a teammate fought on the practice field and it carried over the locker room.

Dennis Erickson seemed to be done with him during the final season, but they had no one to replace his on-field work, so he had to put up with Burfict's poor attitude. Burfict even admitted to purposely doing some person fouls because he didn't care.

[Atomic Orange]

For those who may not know. Also, i need to get it out of my bookmarks.

Just a little pre-draft article on Burfict that still applies today.
http://espn.go.com/nfl/draft2012/story/_/id/7821147/nfl-asu-linebacker-vontaze-burfict-draft-most-misunderstood-player-espn-magazine

[Shake n Blake]

(02-29-2016, 03:21 PM)fredtoast Wrote: I never disputed his "football smarts".  The coaches have always given him credit for making sure our defense was in position.  And people tend to discount how much that helps a defense.

It is still staggering to think that we got such an exceptional player as an undrafted free agent.

His lousy combine - featuring a 5.09 forty - did him in completely. I believe some teams would've overlooked the red flags had he shined, but he did the opposite of shine.

I think the combine sent him being a 2nd-3rd rounder to completely undrafted.

[wolfkaosaun]

For as much flake as Burfict gets, he's definitely one of the smartest defenders.

Another guy who is labeled as a "thug" who is also great at reading the offense and baiting them is Adam Jones. He gets way less credit for that than he should.

[*Go Cards*]

Burfict is very football smart. Plays with much heart and giant gonads as well.

Just needs to harness that discipline thing.

Marvin was all over this move of adding him immediately after not being drafted.

Biggest steal in Bengal history !

[Bengal Dude]

(02-29-2016, 11:14 PM)wolfkaosaun Wrote: For as much flake as Burfict gets, he's definitely one of the smartest defenders.

Another guy who is labeled as a "thug" who is also great at reading the offense and baiting them is Adam Jones. He gets way less credit for that than he should.

Richard Sherman is in the same boat. Him and Earl Thomas quarterback the secondary. He'll signal calls to Thomas and then Thomas relays it to the other side.