Cincinnati Bengals: Vontaze Burfict suspension effects

Oft-troubled Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict is yet again causing problems with his conduct, but what does his suspension mean overall?

Up to this point of the offseason, everything appeared to be humming along relatively smoothly for the Cincinnati Bengals so far this offseason. Yes, the expected starters haven’t exactly looked all that sharp through three games, and there have undoubtedly been a few injury concerns to deal with. All in all though, there haven’t been any concerns which the team couldn’t be reliably expected to be able to overcome and win in spite of until now.

For those who don’t yet know what all this is about, Vontaze Burfict has yet again gotten himself into trouble for his actions on the field.

This particular case comes from Cincinnati’s recent preseason contest against the Kansas City Chiefs, where a hit from Burfict on Chiefs fullback Anthony Sherman has been deemed illegal and suspension-worthy.

Watching that clip above shows us the hit in question. Depending on your interpretation, it may not seem like all that much. Honestly, we’ve seen this sort of thing happen countless times over the years with zero issue cropping up because of it.

This isn’t some case of Burfict being unfairly targeted, however.

By now, you’ve surely heard of the “defenseless receiver” rules the NFL has worked on fully implementing over recent years. This falls right in line with all that. The NFL is making an even stronger effort to protect the players running routes, with more stringent punishments set to be handed out to defenders who blindside them.