My first reaction to Vontaze Burfict's media interviews at the NFL Scouting Combine was: "Wow, he really does have a voice."
My
second reaction? So this is why former coach Dennis Erickson and the
Arizona State media relations staff didn’t force Burfict to speak to us.
In that short span in Indianapolis, Burfict managed to:
•
Throw his former coaches under the bus when he said: "The coaches kind
of messed me up. I didn't know if I would start a game or be benched."
• Admitted he could have played better last season.
•
Wondered aloud why he was painted as the bad guy in his infamous
punching incident with teammate Kevin Ozier "because my first instinct
was to swing on the guy."
Let’s be clear: I’m not one of those
guys who believes players need to speak to the media. Burfict was a
college student. If he had an aversion to interviews, so be it. But it’s
crystal clear now that he would have benefited from some time in front
of mics, cameras and digital recorders. I can only imagine how NFL
general managers and coaches reacted to Burfict passing blame rather
than accepting responsibility.
At the same time, none of those
admissions would matter if Burfict’s talents were still jumping off the
charts. But as we predicted would happen once the combine rolled around
and teams had a chance to put him under the microscope, Burfict’s stock
is now falling.
Why? It’s not because of his troubling past and
characters issues. It’s because NFL executives simply aren’t convinced
the guy can play. Other than a couple early-season games last season --
USC most notably -- Burfict had little impact last season, often drawing
the ire of defensive coordinator Craig Bray.
Mike Mayock, an
analyst for NFL Network, recently criticized Burfict's performance to
The Arizona Republic, saying a film session left him not liking Burfict
at all.
Oh, and his combine performance certainly isn't helping.
Burfict ran the 40 in unofficial times of 4.93 and 5.10 seconds, not bad
for an offensive lineman but terrible for a linebacker, and also had
the second-worst vertical jump (30 inches) among all linebackers.
Burfict
may prove us wrong by going high in the draft and realizing his
once-immense potential. But rest assured, the folks at ASU are happy he
is finally somebody else’s problem to solve.
