oldschooler Posted January 16, 2016 Report Share Posted January 16, 2016 Can Jim Haslett smooth out the Vontaze Burfict roller coaster? 5:55 PM ET Coley HarveyESPN Staff Writer Email print comment CINCINNATI -- Age, maturity and a modern-day media landscape where it's easy for over-hyping to occur may be the root causes of Vontaze Burfict's string of fine-earning offenses, new Cincinnati Bengals linebackers coach Jim Haslett believes. In a conference call with Bengals reporters Friday, Haslett emphasized his hope for helping Burfict work through a few dramas that have settled around him in recent years, and figuring out ways to get him to be an even better overall player. In other words, it's Haslett's desire to drive the Burfict roller coaster, smoothing out the loops and dips and drops along the way. "The stuff that comes off the field, that comes with age," said Haslett, who admitted he hadn't met Burfict since being officially hired by the Bengals on Friday. "He'll grow out of some of those things. Again, not knowing him it's hard for me to say, but I know how things get blown up. "I hope I can do whatever I can to help him out and maybe even make him better."Cincinnati linebacker Vontaze Burfict went from undrafted rookie to Pro Bowler in just two years. Now Jim Haslett will try to help him get even better. Gregory Shamus/Getty ImagesHaslett may just be the guy to do it. After news of Haslett's hiring surfaced, one of his former players from New Orleans texted: "Big-time player coach. Took care of the guys. ... It's easy to respect a guy who's done what you're doing." Before coaching the Saints for six seasons, Haslett was an inside linebacker for the Buffalo Bills. He even played against the Bengals in the 1981 divisional round game in Cincinnati, a game the Bengals won on a late Cris Collinsworth touchdown catch to advance to the AFC championship a week later. After beating the Chargers in the "Freezer Bowl," the Bengals made it to the Super Bowl for the first time. As Burfict works with his third linebackers coach in three years, it could be incumbent upon Haslett to respect the player he is, while also teaching him ways to maintain his aggression without picking up penalties and fines. Two days after Burfict was flagged for unnecessary roughness on a hit, a penalty that contributed in part to the Bengals permitting a 35-yard chip-shot field goal that sent the Stealers into this weekend's divisional round game at Denver, the linebacker was suspended for the first three games of the 2016 season by the NFL for repeated player-safety violations. If his suspension -- which he is appealing -- gets upheld, Burfict will have forfeited more than $647,000 since signing a four-year, $20 million extension before the 2014 season. His penalty issues and extracurricular activity aside, Burfict has been a Pro Bowl linebacker at times during his career and has the numbers to back it up. One season after being signed as an undrafted free agent from Arizona State, Burfict recorded a league-high 171 tackles en route to earning his first trip to the Pro Bowl. This past year, he returned from an offseason microfracture surgery to record 74 tackles and a pair of key interceptions during 10 regular-season games. Before his penalty against the Stealers, he also had a key late interception. "He's got great instincts. I understand he's very, very smart," Haslett said. "He's very powerful. He's one of the best tacklers I've seen in a long time. So from an on-field perspective just watching tape and having not met him yet, I think he's one of the top linebackers in the National Football League." Haslett's task is tall. As conductor of the Burfict roller coaster, his job is to help Burfict regain that same level of respectability from others who just can't see it right now. http://espn.go.com/blog/cincinnati-bengals/post/_/id/21193/vontaze-burfict-jim-haslett-bengals-roller-coaster-carefully-drive Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigboi Posted January 16, 2016 Report Share Posted January 16, 2016 Jim Haslett was a violent football player who at one point time injure terry bradshaw, and even till this day when coached a position he taught his players to bend the rules a little bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whodey? Posted January 16, 2016 Report Share Posted January 16, 2016 Jim Haslett was a violent football player who at one point time injure terry bradshaw, and even till this day when coached a position he taught his players to bend the rules a little bit.Cool! So he can teach Burfict to be Burfict and get away with it. I like it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BengalsOwn Posted January 16, 2016 Report Share Posted January 16, 2016 I want nothing about Burfict changed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron~Popeil Posted January 16, 2016 Report Share Posted January 16, 2016 I want nothing about Burfict changed.This times 1000. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason Posted January 16, 2016 Report Share Posted January 16, 2016 Not changed, just reigned in a little bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bleeds Orange Posted January 16, 2016 Report Share Posted January 16, 2016 Did he try to punch #20 in the face at the end of this play? Haslett wore #55... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
|BlackJesus| Posted January 17, 2016 Report Share Posted January 17, 2016 Burfict shouldn't CHANGE a thing! ... in fact I hope he becomes even more BURFICTIER !!!He is an assassin who took out Bell, Brown, and Big Jen all by himself. He deserves statues carved of his image not scorn from Bengal fans. I look forward to all the Stealer players he will injure and cripple next season and for many years to come. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
|BlackJesus| Posted January 17, 2016 Report Share Posted January 17, 2016 MORE OF THIS ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
|BlackJesus| Posted January 17, 2016 Report Share Posted January 17, 2016 AND THIS ... Stealers will have their head on a swivel next season in fear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bleeds Orange Posted January 17, 2016 Report Share Posted January 17, 2016 That's the first time I've seen the Antonio Brown play since last Saturday, and it looks A LOT like a flop. Was it a shoulder to shoulder hit (or shoulder to helmet, at worst), or did other angles make it look worse than this one does? The way he hits the ground on his ass and then lays himself out while flopping his head around looks fake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SFMAJOR Posted January 17, 2016 Report Share Posted January 17, 2016 I want nothing about Burfict changed.yeah, me too. I want him to continue playing just like he is. But please pull up and not feel that he has to take the last shot. #55 is a marked man on the field and next season he'll be on every ref's radar screen after he returns from his 3 game suspension. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Le Tigre Posted January 17, 2016 Report Share Posted January 17, 2016 That's the first time I've seen the Antonio Brown play since last Saturday, and it looks A LOT like a flop. Was it a shoulder to shoulder hit (or shoulder to helmet, at worst), or did other angles make it look worse than this one does? The way he hits the ground on his ass and then lays himself out while flopping his head around looks fake. Trust me, it was even more fake seeing it in person. Larry Bird doing his butt-flop wasn't as good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rumble In the Jungle Posted January 17, 2016 Report Share Posted January 17, 2016 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-GoBengals- Posted January 17, 2016 Report Share Posted January 17, 2016 theres nothing to smooth out, he is one of the few players with a pair in his pants..cant anyone smooth out coley harveys boring fucking lazy reporting? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoCommando Posted January 17, 2016 Report Share Posted January 17, 2016 Burfict is fine. If he can get #47 to not only get on the field but to play just like Burfict, than we got ourselves a hell of a coach. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RhodeIslandFan Posted January 18, 2016 Report Share Posted January 18, 2016 Burfict shouldn't CHANGE a thing! ... in fact I hope he becomes even more BURFICTIER !!!He is an assassin who took out Bell, Brown, and Big Jen all by himself. He deserves statues carved of his image not scorn from Bengal fans. I look forward to all the Stealer players he will injure and cripple next season and for many years to come. I'm with you. Minnesota had the purple people eaters. You know who had the steel curtain. Now it's our turn.Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Le Tigre Posted January 18, 2016 Report Share Posted January 18, 2016 Those were in the day when real NFL football was played. No such animal now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
|Montana Bengal| Posted January 18, 2016 Report Share Posted January 18, 2016 Saw King wrote this in MMQB 9. I think the Incendiary Coach/Player Relationship of 2016 is very likely to be new Cincinnati linebackers coach Jim Haslett and incumbent ball of trouble Vontaze Burfict. It’ll be interesting to see how long it takes before Haslett has to be separated from Burfict in a practice or a game. My over/under date on the first conflagration is about Sept. 15. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimKrumrieFan Posted January 18, 2016 Report Share Posted January 18, 2016 Saw King wrote this in MMQB Peter King is a fucking douchebag. If he isn't sucking from Pittsburgh or Brady's cock he has no clue what to do. He's still bitter cuz everyone hated him when he worked in Cincinnati. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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