Bengals Most Consistent Player: LB Vontaze Burfict

Week 1 will bring surprises. But to be Professional Grade is to be consistent. @SBNation: Who will be consistent all season? #GMCPlaybook

— Marshall Faulk (@marshallfaulk) September 4, 2014

One of our sponsorship deals this year comes from GMC and Marshall Faulk. The legendary running back asks a question and we answer it. Simple.

If we were tasked with this question (asked in the embedded tweet above) last year, we'd have gone with defensive tackle Geno Atkins or wide receiver A.J. Green. Atkins has gone 4-5 consecutive games with, at least, a shared quarterback sack and Green is consistently threatening the 90-reception milestone and a four-digit number in yards receiving. However, Atkins is coming off a knee injury and Green, despite the funky receptions and dreamy numbers that he puts up, consistency isn't the most accurate word.

Vontaze Burfict... now that's a player the defines consistency. Burfict finished his Pro Bowl season with a team-leading (and league-leading) 204 tackles, three quarterback sacks, an interception, forced fumble, two recoveries (one returned for a touchdown) and 10 passes defensed. In 12 games last year, Burfict led the team in tackles and he had four of the team's best performances in tackles starting with 18 against Cleveland -- the same game that earned him AFC Defensive Player of the Week.

Now only has Burfict overtaken Atkins in the "best defensive player" label, he's one of the team's most reliable defensive players.

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