The Oakland Raiders have made a bunch of additions this offseason, including adding linebacker Vontaze Burfict. The trade for Antonio Brown and signings of guys like Tyrell Williams have gotten most of the attention, but make no mistake, Burfict was a big signing.
His play had fallen off recently with the Cincinnati Bengals, but the Raiders likely plan on him playing a large role. Burfit is reunited in Oakland with DC Paul Guenther, who used to be his defensive coordinator in Cincinnati.
Speaking to the media recently, Guenther sounded very happy to have his linebacker back, per Levi Damien of SB Nation.
“It’s like having a quarterback that you’ve coached back there, so you can get in and out of calls at the line of scrimmage,” Guenther said.
“Last year we didn’t do that as much. We did it a few times and I just felt like it was a lot for the guys in the first year of the system to put that added weight on them. Now in year two adding a guy that can and having another year in the system, guys will pick it up a lot faster.”
Guenther clearly values experienced players, and Burfict is exactly that. Injuries and suspensions have severely limited Burfict the past handful of years, as he hasn't played in more than 11 games since 2013. One of the league's most controversial players due to his reputation for delivering dirty hits, Burfict will fit right in on a Raiders team that's trying to get tougher.
“I’ve spent a lot of time with him obviously in Cincinnati as both his position coach and as coordinator and any time you can add a guy with his talent and knowledge of the system, when he became available, it was very attractive to us,” Guenther said of Burfict. “He knows the system inside and out, he can get us in and out of calls. I think some of the returning players are seeing the knowledge and the system he has out here on the practice field, so it’s good to have him.”
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