After an inconsistent junior season at Arizona State and an
unimpressive combine, troubled linebacker Vontaze Burfict has signed on with
the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted rookie free agent. Burfict was once considered
one of the nation’s top-ranked linebacker prospects after being named to the
All-American team as a sophomore.
Things would fall apart for Burfict in his final year at ASU
though as he has had numerous incidents occur on and off the field over the
past year. Burfict reportedly punched a teammate in a locker room fight and
tested positive for marijuana at the combine.
The positive test only added to his poor showing at the
combine when he ran the slowest time of all prospects at his position.
Signing with the Bengals gives him a great opportunity to
get playing time since the Bengals need help at the position but may not be the
best situation for someone who already has a history of off-the-field problems.
The person he would most likely play behind is middle linebacker Rey Maualuga
who has a history of off-the-field incidents of his own since becoming a
Bengal.
Maualuga was charged for DUI back in January of 2010 and
charged with misdemeanor assault earlier this year after allegedly punching
someone in a Cincinnati bar. Not quite the person you want mentoring a troubled
kid like Burfict.
The Bengals though see this as a low-risk, high-reward scenario
since they didn’t have to waste a draft pick to bring Burfict in. While that
may be all good and dandy for the Bengals, is this really putting Burfict in a
position to succeed?
Only time will tell on that matter. Burfict is now a Bengal
and the reclamation project begins.
The Bengals’ head coach Marvin Lewis is starting to get a
reputation as a coach who likes to give talented but troubled players second
chances. His most notable project being Adam “Pacman” Jones who he signed after
the cornerback’s long history of incidents during his time playing with both
the Tennessee Titans and the Dallas Cowboys.
If Lewis can help Burfict distance himself from his troubled
past and realize his potential then this will definitely be a high-reward
situation for the Bengals but if it fails then this will just be another sad page
in the life a promising young talent.
Roosevelt Hall is an NFL Blogger for The Sport Mentalist and an NBA Blogger for The Sport Mentalist 2. He is also a Sports Reporter for Pro Sports Lives. He can be contacted at RHall_TPFB@Yahoo.com and be sure to follow him on Twitter @sportmentalist.
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