UNLV Rebels Head Football Coach Dan Mullen Praises Defensive Analyst Vontaze Burfict

There was some controversy stirred up in Las Vegas last week when the UNLV Rebels head coach, Dan Mullen, added former NFL linebacker Vontaze Burfict to his coaching staff as a defensive analyst. Burfict is a polarizing figure thanks to his history of dirty hits and suspensions during his time in the NFL with the Cincinnati Bengals and Las Vegas Raiders. The hire raised the ire of many fans and analysts.

However, it sounds like no one at UNLV is listening to the outside noise, nor should they be. It's been a long time since Burfict has had an incident on the field, and it appears he hasn't had issues off the field since retiring from the league. There is no reason he couldn't have matured, changed, and grown as a person. The mentality as a player in the heat of a game is also very different from being a coach. We have reached a point in society where we can't listen to everyone with an opinion on social media, and it's become clear that Mullen and his program have figured that out. As a matter of fact, Mullen responded by praising Burfict and the job he's done so far with the young players.

Mullen on Burfict

"Umm, you know, obviously a guy with that long time NFL experience, and you know," Mullen said. "Any time you're looking at a guy who wants to get into coaching a young, you know, older, I guess older guy, but a young coach. You know, when I put it that way in coaching. Obviously, you see the energy, his excitement, wanting to be out here, wanting to be in the game, wanting to be around the players, and also the knowledge he brings to the players as a player in the experience he brings to them of how to adjust and how to handle situations, been fantastic."

The addition of Burfict reunites him with his former NFL defensive coordinator, Paul Guenther, from their days with the Bengals. We will trust the judgment of professional coaches over the opinion of outraged people on social media with no connection to the man himself. Burfict has earned this opportunity and it's up to him to make the most of it. He has a clean slate at UNLV, and it's up to him to show why he deserves this second chance.