Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis was asked a variety of questions Tuesday night on NFL Network's Total Access, ranging from what they're deciding at the No. 2 wide receiver spot to the recent signing of undrafted free agent linebacker Vontaze Burfict.
Thanks to the transcribed work of Michael Davis Smith with Pro Football Talk, Lewis talked about the team's signing of Burfict on Total Access, remarking that there really isn't much downside.
"I don’t know what down side there is. I think he’s a young man who has fallen from graces everywhere," Lewis said on NFL Network’s Total Access. "Through the draft process, obviously at Arizona State, he didn’t play very well as a senior player. But when you watch some of the things he did on tape, he has the hips, the snap, he has the ability to play under and through blocks, and that’s what you’re looking for in a linebacker. We’re providing the opportunity for Vontaze. He’ll continue to get better. He’s changing his body physically from the body that played in the ’11 season at Arizona State. He’s a much lighter player now again, and I’m pleased with what he did last week in our rookie camp. I want to see him continue to get better and it’ll be fun next week when we get the full team out here in OTAs."
Though there are Bengals fans that felt uneasy about the signing, there really is nothing to lose. If Burfict loses his mind and fails to live up to that potential that Lewis has vested in him, then the team can cut him with little (if any) penalty against the salary cap or the team's overall future. Burfict is icing on the cake, as they say.