Burfict: I just hate to lose
The Philadelphia Inquirer Blog - Eagles
Burfict: I just hate to lose
Jonathan Tamari
Arizona State linebacker Vontaze Burfict, a big hitter whose discipline problems have dropped his draft stock, told reporters Sunday that he's the best linebacker in the draft, a leader who will change the defense wherever he goes, and that the penalties he racked up come from the fact that "I just love to hit and just hate to lose."
"I'm a soft-spoken guy, shy sometimes, but when I'm on the field I just hate to lose," Burfict said.
Burfict's highlight-reel hits have some fans dreaming of him as the attitude-changing linebacker the Eagles need, but scouts have questioned his instincts and self control. He had a down season for Arizona State last year, was benched at times and got into a locker room fight with a teammate.
Reports at the time said Burfict threw the first punch, but he gave a different account, saying the altercation began in a seven-on-seven drill that wasn't supposed to involve hitting. Burfict said the receiver hit him anyway.
"We had a little argument and brung it into the locker room, we started chatting about it, he started rough-housing me and pushed me, and my first instinct was to swing on him," Burfict said. "Everybody thinks I'm a bad guy because my instinct was to swing on him."
He later added, "I know this is a business now and there's things you cannot do in a business."
On the field, Burfict said he gained weight -- going up to 260 pounds last season -- and that it made him tire faster. He told reporters he's now down to 248.
"I think that I'll come in and just change the whole atmosphere of a team. I'm a leader, and just bring aggression to the game on the whole side of the defense," Burfict said. He said he tries to model his game after Ray Lewis and Nick Barnett, and has big dreams for his NFL career.
At one point Burfict was considered a top-of-the-draft talent, but his stock has dropped amid questions of whether he can harness ihs potential.
"I love being coached, want to be better and hopefully in the Hall of Fame one day," he said.
But he laid some of the blame for his disappointing season on his coaches.
"I thought I played average (last year). I could have played better," he said. "Coaches kind of messed me up. I didn't know if I was going to start a game, I didn’t know if I was going to be benched, so it hurt me at point in times, but I tried to fight through it."
There's no way this kid is a MLB in the NFL, especially in any defense which requires any sort of coordination between players, like, say, a wide 9. I'd take Tulloch in a heartbeat over this kid.
Ray Ray was asked to work with this kid by the (now former)coach at ASU. It wasn't like Ray was in love with him and volunteered for the job. Ozzie Newsome is one of the best talent evaluators in the NFL and there's no way the Ravens draft this kid in the first round.— dlivesay- Things Vontaze Burfict ALSO hates:
-Listening to coaches
-NOT punching teammates who sass him
-Taking personal responsibility for anything
-Running fast at the combine
-Broccoli— JLB - Everyone needs to forget about Vontaze Burfict. He's no longer part of the conversation on whether the Eagles should pick Vontaze or Kuechley with their first-round pick. Vontaze just knocked himself out of the first-round and possibly even the second-round. At this point Vontaze should be grateful if he's picked as high as the third-round. Talk about being stupid. You work your whole life to make it to the point of being a first-round NFL prospect and throw it away because you can't keep yourself in shape or keep your mouth shut.— rich0376
