Former Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict is about to appear on Hard Knocks. He’s on the same team as Antonio Brown and Richie Incognito and coached by Jon Gruden, to name a few of the colorful characters about to grace HBO’s hit show.
And he still thinks the Oakland Raiders have better chemistry than the Bengals.
“I just think it’s exciting for people to see what type of team we have because the team chemistry we have is just amazing,” Burfict said, according to Michael Wagaman of the Associated Press. “This is my second team, but it’s the first time I’ve had a team like this and everybody gets along. It doesn’t matter what type of day it is. We’re all here to see each other get better and motivate each other. We’ve got a lot of characters, in a good way.”
It’s a staggering bit of commentary from Burfict, who suggests some disarray in the Bengals locker room. Given he was caught behind the scenes in October yelling about play calls before coordinator Teryl Austin got fired, it perhaps isn’t too surprising.
In reality, Burfict perhaps wasn’t simply a culture fit after a certain point (the playoff gaffe). Body language says a lot and when a team is led by quiet superstars like A.J. Green, the noise and potential suspension-worthy plays from Burfict started to wear out its welcome.
Everything sounds good in Oakland right now before the games matter, so Hard Knocks should indeed be interesting. But there is a reason one of Zac Taylor’s first moves upon arrival was cutting ties with Burfict as a way to set the tone.
