Dunlap: Steelers Need To Stay Away From The (Burfict) Nonsense
Something will happen.
Or, at the very least, something will be attempted.
That's the way Vontaze Burfict operates; that's the part of his football game that will, seemingly, always be there. If you can't see that's just who he is by this point, you are simply blind. He's an agitator, a pain-in-the-backside, a guy who understands part of his purpose is to make you take your focus off your sense of purpose --- and do it by using just about any means.
Burfict --- in fairness a tremendously talented linebacker for the Cincinnati Bengals --- is a guy who doesn't play on the edge. No, he plays over the edge, drifting across that line from hard to dirty.
Those aren't my feelings or words, but ones that have been publicly expressed by some of his brethren in the NFL.
And that's why, no matter what the words are in the run-up to this momentous Steelers-Bengals AFC Wild Card clash on Saturday night, you'll never convince me that there won't be a flash point of some sort with Burfict square in the middle.
It might be pregame.
It might be early on.
It might be late in a consequential moment.
It could be as the game is already decided.
Hell, it could come as the guy waits for the Steelers to get off the team bus.
But, for my money, it will happen --- and Burfict will be smack-dab in the middle of it.
This time, however, the Pittsburgh Steelers must walk away.
The Pittsburgh Steelers must ignore Burfict's antics and cannot get caught up in a sideshow.
Burfict is a man who was made to pay just about $70,000 in fines for his transgressions after the previous meeting of these two teams and, just after the first meeting when running back Le'Veon Bell was felled, was a guy who had his character publicly called into question by several Steelers.
That all needs to stay in the past as these two teams meet for the third time this season.
You see, as the Steelers are currently constructed, this is a team with many questions surrounding the effectiveness of their running game headed into the postseason. Such a predicament makes standout wide receiver Antonio Brown --- already probably the most valuable guy on the offense --- even more valuable.
When the Steelers met the Bengals for the second time this season, it was simple to see the one thing that had to potential to knock Brown off his game. Indeed, it was a calculated effort to get at him between his ears.
That time, it ended with a slapfight between Brown and defensive back Dre Kirkpatrick that wouldn't even make a couple of amateur straw-weights firing away at each other at the county fair proud.
It did, however, show that crack in Brown; that this is a guy who can really only be derailed by electing to partake in the shenanigans.
I'm guessing Burfict will be at the epicenter of lighting the wick for some shenanigans and nonsense on Saturday night.
This time, the Steelers simply must walk away, hard as that is.
Colin Dunlap is a featured columnist at CBSPittsburgh.com. He can also be heard weekdays from 5:40 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Sports Radio 93-7 "The Fan." You can e-mail him at colin.dunlap@cbsradio.com. Check out his bio here.
