Vontaze Burfict was cut by the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday, and immediately called his mother. The veteran linebacker explained the situation, ended the call and then made another one.
"The second person I called was Pauly G," Burfict said. "He didn't pick up. I think I called him like seven times straight."
Those who know Raiders defensive coordinator Paul Guenther best call him "Pauly G." Count Burfict firmly in that class.
That's why Burfict didn't last long on the open market. The Raiders signed him Tuesday night to a one-year contract reportedly worth up to $5 million, less than 24 hours after he was released.
A Guenther-Burfict reunion seemed inevitable because of the veteran's expertise running the coordinator's defensive scheme and a clear bond on and off the field.
Player and coach have a close relationship dating to Burfict's rookie season in Cincinnati. Guenther was Burfict's position coach in 2012, and the two fostered a strong working relationship during a long-night cram session before a Sept. 23 game against Washington. Thomas Howard hurt his knee, Burfict recalled, and Guenther told him he would start and play out of position. Burfict was a middle linebacker by trade, but the Bengals needed him on the outside.
"It was like 8 p.m., and he took his time out to set the trash cans up and go through the whole playbook over like two hours with me," Burfict said in a conference call after he signed with the Raiders. "I got like nine tackles that game, and I just looked at him and said, ‘I appreciate that. You took your time out when you could've just gone home.' Ever since then, it has been a close relationship to where I know his kids and his wife. We go out to dinner. It's a good time to have a good relationship like that with a coach."
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That should help Guenther's system run smoothly, an important factor with so much youth on defense. Burfict can be an on-field coordinator if he can stay healthy and out of trouble with the NFL.
Burfict said he's fully fit after concussion problems last season and health issues in recent years. The NFL has disciplined him several times for vicious, illegal after-the-whistle hits that some consider dirty. That includes a nasty blow dropped on former Steelers receiver and new Raiders teammate Antonio Brown that generated plenty of negative press.
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Burfict doesn't consider his style poor form.
"I'm not a dirty player," Burfict said. "I play a physical position at middle linebacker. I can't go in there playing patty-cake. If I do that, I'm going to get run over. I have 300-plus-pound linemen coming in trying to block me. If I play soft, I'm not doing my job. … I play a physical position where I have to put my jockstrap on right, put my cleats on right and be ready to play physical."
