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Burfict in trouble again


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10 hours ago, SF2 said:

I am not defending the Stealers, I am regurgitating stats.   They push Burfict's buttons because they know they can get in his head. 

To be fair, nobody effectively pushed Burfict's buttons this past season. It was a huge step up in terms of his potential maturity and growth. Particularly the last game against the Stealers: he was the one getting into their heads.

 

This PED thing is a horse of a different color. Lumping it with his other indiscretions is the easy thing to do, but this hasn't been his MO. I'm hoping his appeal wins out and look forward to see what the new and improved Burfict can do moving forward.

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1 hour ago, SF2 said:

Which is a good thing.  Let those fuckers try and play a whole season without their best defender, we only have to survive 4 games.  Their defense went to shit when Ryan "The Spear Fish" Shazier went down.

Not to mention they have decided to let basically their entire defensive backfield walk. I know this is a Burfict thread, but does anyone have any insight as to what Pittsburgh is planning with these moves in the offseason?

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13 hours ago, SF2 said:

I am not defending the Stealers, I am regurgitating stats.   They push Burfict's buttons because they know they can get in his head. 

It's mutual, as much as they may push his buttons, he is just as much in their head.....in fact he is in their team and entire city's head.

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On 3/17/2018 at 10:52 PM, T-Dub said:

 

I think it's great; they're completely obsessed with him.  The bully got punched in the mouth and they haven't stopped crying about it since.

The Stealers are obsessed with Burfict, which makes him the winner?  I thought winning the game made you the winner.  Silly me.

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1 hour ago, UncleEarl said:

The Stealers are obsessed with Burfict, which makes him the winner?  I thought winning the game made you the winner.  Silly me.

 

Did you quote the wrong post?  Where did I say anything about anyone winning?

 

BR45.gif

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On 3/18/2018 at 10:26 AM, thezerawkid said:

Not to mention they have decided to let basically their entire defensive backfield walk. I know this is a Burfict thread, but does anyone have any insight as to what Pittsburgh is planning with these moves in the offseason?

There was a post on here somewhere that said that they were 5 million over the cap right before FA started.

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9 hours ago, UncleEarl said:

Who care who is in who's head.  It's always about winning. 

 

Do you think Burfict was in Big Jen's head when he threw him what should have been a game-ending INT for the first playoff win in decades, if it weren't for someone else getting in Pacman's empty head? 

 

Regardless, nobody is winning anything for another 6 months, so I guess you'll have to keep arguing with yourself?

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2 minutes ago, T-Dub said:

 

Do you think Burfict was in Big Jen's head when he threw him what should have been a game-ending INT for the first playoff win in decades, if it weren't for someone else getting in Pacman's empty head? 

 

Regardless, nobody is winning anything for another 6 months, so I guess you'll have to keep arguing with yourself?

Almost a good post. A Jeremy Hill not fumbling would have eliminated your Pac-Man argument.

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1 minute ago, schotzee said:

Almost a good post. A Jeremy Hill not fumbling would have eliminated your Pac-Man argument.

 

True, but so would any number of other plays going a different way.  Fumbles suck but they are a normal part of a football game.  Shoving a ref is not.

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With Vontaze Burfict facing another ban, Bengals should consider drafting a linebacker

 

Mar 21, 2018
Katherine Terrell
ESPN Staff Writer

It might be time for the Cincinnati Bengals to make linebacker one of their top priorities in the upcoming NFL draft.

The Bengals are once again in a position where the fate of Vontaze Burfict rests in the hands of the league, much like it has for the past three seasons. Burfict faces a four-game suspension for a violation of the NFL's performance-enhancing drug policy, and while he will appeal on the basis of being on prescribed medications for a shoulder injury and concussion at the time, the NFL has historically declined to overturn most PED suspensions.

If the suspension is upheld, Burfict will sit out his third consecutive season opener due to a rules violation. The Bengals are 1-5 in the six games Burfict missed while suspended to open the past two seasons.

The Bengals have stood behind Burfict, 27, even during the toughest times of his career, and they rewarded him with a three-year extension last September. This latest blow likely won't cause them to part ways with him, and there are statistics that point to why. Since 2012, the Bengals have allowed only 4.85 yards per play when Burfict is on the field, according to ESPN Stats & Information. That's the third-best number in the NFL. When he’s off the field, that number jumps to 5.49 yards per play, which ranks 21st.


It would be easy to say Burfict isn't worth the trouble, but when he's available, fit and motivated, he's a Pro Bowl-caliber player. When he's not around, the Bengals don't have anyone in his mold to patrol the field the way he can on his best day. That needs to change.

Even if the Bengals don't want to move on right now, they need to incorporate Burfict's potential absences into their planning, and that should start now.

The Bengals need a fast start after their 0-3 opening put the 2017 season on life support before the first month was over. It's a crucial time for the Bengals, who re-signed coach Marvin Lewis despite protests from a disgruntled fan base eager for change.

While Cincinnati has missed the playoffs two straight seasons, it's not as if the AFC North has gotten worse. The Stealers, division winners the past two seasons, added solid pieces in the draft last year, and even the Browns, who went 0-16 last season, have made strides to improve with a series of aggressive trades this month.

The Bengals have no time to play catch-up in 2018, and certainly not when they're breaking in a new defensive coordinator. Teryl Austin is running the show now, and former defensive coordinator Paul Guenther, who knew Burfict as well as anyone given his days as linebackers coach, isn't around anymore.

 

It's hard to say whether Austin, who needs to make a good first impression, would show the same patience Guenther did when he waited out Burfict's suspensions and the subsequent weeks Burfict spent getting back into playing shape.

 

Burfict's troubles began prior to the 2016 season, when it became clear the NFL would not put up with what it deemed repeated safety violations. Burfict received his first three-game suspension only a week after the Bengals’ 2015 season ended with a crazy wild-card loss to Pittsburgh.

 

It became even more clear when the NFL issued Burfict a surprisingly lengthy five-game suspension for a 2017 preseason hit on Chiefs fullback Anthony Sherman, a penalty later reduced to three games upon appeal.

 

The Bengals had to be reeling a bit with the current suspension coming less than a year after Burfict's contract extension, but they can't claim to be surprised about possibly losing him for a significant amount of time.

 

The Bengals protected themselves financially when they gave Burfict his latest extension, guaranteeing only his $3.3 million signing bonus. A $2 million roster bonus will become guaranteed if he's still on the roster at the end of March. Everything else is tied up in base salary, workout bonuses or per-game roster bonuses.

 

But the team has never protected itself competitively at that position. The Bengals' backup plan for Burfict's absences over the years has been Vincent Rey, who is solid and reliable but not on the same level as a healthy and available Burfict.

 

That is surprising in light of a comment Lewis made more than once during the past two seasons, indicating that personnel evaluations were necessary to get the Bengals out of their rut.


“We have to look at how we're doing things [and] who we're doing it with,” he said.

 

They should consider that now in light of the circumstances. Since 2012, the Bengals have drafted five linebackers: Sean Porter in the fourth round of the 2013 draft (he played one game for them); Marquis Flowers in the sixth round in 2014 (he was mostly a special-teams player before being traded to the Patriots last year); Paul Dawson in the third round in 2015 (injuries and attitude led to his departure after only two seasons); Nick Vigil in the third round in 2016; and Jordan Evans in the sixth round in 2017.

 

Other than Vigil, who became a starter at strongside linebacker, and Evans, who started four games last season and filled in a lot due to injuries, none was a big contributor. Evans flashed potential at times during his rookie season and could improve significantly in Year 2, but his wildly inconsistent play doesn't mean he should be penciled into a spot with strong confidence. The linebacker play was abysmal when Burfict was out with an injury in the Week 14 loss to the Bears last season; Evans, Rey and Kevin Minter ranked 65th, 66th and 67th, respectively, out of 69 linebackers that week, according to Pro Football Focus.


It's not as if the Bengals haven't considered options. They had Alabama linebacker Reuben Foster rated highly during the 2017 draft process, but a lingering shoulder injury likely scared them off. That might have been a blessing in disguise, as Foster has been arrested twice since the end of his rookie season. Foster probably would've been a middle linebacker in the Bengals' system but also could have played the weakside role. Instead, they went with wide receiver John Ross, who played fewer than 20 snaps.

 

Georgia linebacker Roquan Smith and Virginia Tech linebacker Tremaine Edmunds are potential targets in this year's draft, although they might not be around by the end of the first round; the Bengals are slated to pick 21st overall.

 

As the 2018 draft approaches, and the prospect of not having Burfict for the first four games lingers, the thought of selecting a linebacker early has to be a consideration.

 

 

 

 

http://www.espn.com/blog/cincinnati-bengals/post/_/id/29811/with-vontaze-burfict-facing-another-ban-bengals-should-consider-drafting-a-linebacker

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On 3/22/2018 at 6:21 PM, T-Dub said:

 

Do you think Burfict was in Big Jen's head when he threw him what should have been a game-ending INT for the first playoff win in decades, if it weren't for someone else getting in Pacman's empty head? 

 

Regardless, nobody is winning anything for another 6 months, so I guess you'll have to keep arguing with yourself?

One game.  No win.  Keep searching for reasons why he is so valuable vs the Stealers.  Bengals are 3-12 vs Stealers since Burfict arrived and you think he is in their head.  That's a joke.  He's their butt-boy. 

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On 3/22/2018 at 6:21 PM, T-Dub said:

 

Do you think Burfict was in Big Jen's head when he threw him what should have been a game-ending INT for the first playoff win in decades, if it weren't for someone else getting in Pacman's empty head? 

 

Regardless, nobody is winning anything for another 6 months, so I guess you'll have to keep arguing with yourself?

 

No because that was Landry Jones that threw the pick?

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10 minutes ago, T-Dub said:

 

And you bring this up a week later because?

Just saw the comment. I haven't been on much in the past week so I was going down and reading through the first page of threads.

 

I was just saying if you were suggesting Burfict was in Ben's head to cause the INT that it's probably incorrect since it was a fresh QB in the game.

 

Would I be more or less wrong about my thoughts if I posted it right after you did? I don't see the difference whether I posted an hour or a month afterwards.

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1 hour ago, omgdrdoom said:

Just saw the comment. I haven't been on much in the past week so I was going down and reading through the first page of threads.

 

I was just saying if you were suggesting Burfict was in Ben's head to cause the INT that it's probably incorrect since it was a fresh QB in the game.

 

Would I be more or less wrong about my thoughts if I posted it right after you did? I don't see the difference whether I posted an hour or a month afterwards.

 

I don't see why you focused on that out of the entire thread, other than your incessant need to prove something or other, but carry on.

 

 

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Just now, T-Dub said:

 

I don't see why you focused on that out of the entire thread, other than your incessant need to prove something or other, but carry on.

 

 

 

I was pointing out an inaccuracy. Cry about it dude, Jesus man you've become quite the baby lately(?).

 

"PEOPLE ON A MESSAGE BOARD SAID I WAS WRONG THEY'RE OBVIOUSLY TRYING TO DO THIS OR THAT REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE"

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2 minutes ago, omgdrdoom said:

 

I was pointing out an inaccuracy. Cry about it dude, Jesus man you've become quite the baby lately(?).

 

"PEOPLE ON A MESSAGE BOARD SAID I WAS WRONG THEY'RE OBVIOUSLY TRYING TO DO THIS OR THAT REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE"

 

Is this still you not being rude or some new & unexplored level of condescending dickweedery?

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1 minute ago, T-Dub said:

 

Is this still you not being rude or some new & unexplored level of condescending dickweedery?

Nah I'm done trying to have civil arguments with you now because you decided to go full jerkoff mode instead of just refuting my points or agreeing to disagree like I suggested in the other thread.

 

Seriously. I suggested we agree to disagree and I pointed out our difference in opinion in a pretty clear, concise manner....and you HAD to make a dumb fuck smart ass comment back? Cool dude, if that's how you want it I'm plenty capable of dishing it back to ya.

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