Nick Vigil is making big waves during OTAs and Bengals coaches are noticing. Vontaze Burfict is working on his comedy routine.
When Bengals fans think linebacker, it’s usually Vontaze Burfict, Vincent Rey or the dearly departed Rey Maualuga that comes to mind. But, there’s a new addition to the LB fraternity who is banging on the door for attention. In fact, this is the year he could break it completely in. Nick Vigil has shown a strong understanding of the system and deserves to get on the field.
If you’re a talented rookie playing for the Bengals, don’t get your sights too high. The chances of pushing past Marvin Lewis are slim to none. But, Vigil has shown enough promise that his playing time slowly increased over the 2016 season. He eventually grabbed a ton of snaps in Week 15. DC Paul Guenther and Lewis found the courage to let him do a little damage over the final weeks of the season. His highest count was the season finale against Baltimore. In that game, Vigil logged 37 snaps.
"“He looks a lot better,” Guenther gleefully observed, via the Dayton Daily News. “I always say in between your first and second year you’ve got to make the biggest jump. He knows where to be, what the schedule’s going to be like. He’s not a rookie anymore. So he’s on top of things that way.”"
Vigil, like Burfict, went into the offseason with specific goals in mind. They both came back trim, fast and ready.
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"“Last year I didn’t feel like I knew what everybody was doing,” Vigil explained. “I knew what my job was, but when you have an understanding of the whole concept of what’s going and why the D-coordinator is making the call it makes it a lot easier.”"
It’s Vigil’s time and Guenther is noticing.
Comedian In The House
Rookie Carl Lawson has been getting tons of praise during the grueling workouts. Not only are coaches marveling over his abilities, the players are taking notice as well.
There’s always time for jokes. But, the Bengals always seem to be the punchline. Apparently, Burfict has been working on his nightclub routine during OTAs. After witnessing Lawson make a few plays and work his way into the backfield, he let loose with his best Kevin Hart impersonation. Well, actually, he was describing Lawson’s motor on the field.
"“The dude in “The Longest Yard,” (who says), ‘you brok-ed my nose,’” Burfict said. “He’s strong as h***. He’s fast as h***. He gets to the corner. Really, he can kind of be like a Von Miller off the edge type guy. He never gets tired. He has a great pass rushing ability. I’m excited to see him play in the preseason.”"
In other words, getcha popcorn ready, Bengals fans.