Rivers and Maualuga

[Tombstone RJ]

Is there any real difference between these two? Keith Rivers is now in Cincy and I can't really say if he had a good season or not. I tend to think not because no one is talking about him.

Is Rey another USC bust in waiting?

Or, is he the next Jr. Seau?

Tuff call if your the Broncos. I think if Rey is sitting at 18, take him. Even if he's half the player Seau was in his prime, he'd be a serious upgrade. But, he might be another disappearing act like Keith Rivers...

[misturanderson]

Considering that rivers got jacked and put on IR early in the season I don't think it's fair to call him a bust yet. If I remember correctly he got a defensive rookie of the week one of the weeks he played to.

[Borks147]

Hines Ward broke Rivers' face with a block early in the season.

[Gcver2ver3]

Originally Posted by Tombstone RJ

Is there any real difference between these two? Keith Rivers is now in Cincy and I can't really say if he had a good season or not. I tend to think not because no one is talking about him.

Is Rey another USC bust in waiting?

Or, is he the next Jr. Seau?

Tuff call if your the Broncos. I think if Rey is sitting at 18, take him. Even if he's half the player Seau was in his prime, he'd be a serious upgrade. But, he might be another disappearing act like Keith Rivers...

Maualuga is a friggin tank...

him and Rivers are not the same player...

Maualuga is a down hill bruiser...i'd be plenty fine watching him shut down the run on our defense...

[Br0nc0Buster]

Originally Posted by Tombstone RJ

Is there any real difference between these two? Keith Rivers is now in Cincy and I can't really say if he had a good season or not. I tend to think not because no one is talking about him.

Is Rey another USC bust in waiting?

Or, is he the next Jr. Seau?

Tuff call if your the Broncos. I think if Rey is sitting at 18, take him. Even if he's half the player Seau was in his prime, he'd be a serious upgrade. But, he might be another disappearing act like Keith Rivers...

Actually I thought Rivers was doing quite well before Ward broke his jaw.

[Tombstone RJ]

So, he played like 8 games. My question remains the same, is Rey like Keith in many ways? Rivers went #9 last year and just a few months ago everyone thought Maualuga was way better than Rivers.

So would you rather have Rivers or Rey?

[FireFly]

If he's there at 18 you jump all over it IMO!

[BroncoMan4ever]

Originally Posted by Tombstone RJ

Is there any real difference between these two? Keith Rivers is now in Cincy and I can't really say if he had a good season or not. I tend to think not because no one is talking about him.

Is Rey another USC bust in waiting?

Or, is he the next Jr. Seau?

Tuff call if your the Broncos. I think if Rey is sitting at 18, take him. Even if he's half the player Seau was in his prime, he'd be a serious upgrade. But, he might be another disappearing act like Keith Rivers...

Hines Ward busted the dude's jaw like the 3rd week of the season and put him on IR. he was playing well before that though.

[Rohirrim]

Originally Posted by Tombstone RJ

Is there any real difference between these two? Keith Rivers is now in Cincy and I can't really say if he had a good season or not. I tend to think not because no one is talking about him.

Is Rey another USC bust in waiting?

Or, is he the next Jr. Seau?

Tuff call if your the Broncos. I think if Rey is sitting at 18, take him. Even if he's half the player Seau was in his prime, he'd be a serious upgrade. But, he might be another disappearing act like Keith Rivers...

I feel very comfortable about the upcoming draft. Especially when it comes to picking LBs. Could you find a better guy than Nolan to evaluate LB talent? In the few short months since the college season ended, Rey has gone from being the most ferocious MLB in the game to a bust who can't tackle, read plays, or cover his gaps. Amazing what a few short months of not playing any games can do to a guy. It's an interesting psychology at work. You hear people now saying that all the USC players are good because they play in Pete Carroll's pro-system, but then on the other hand, those players won't be good pros because they just benefitted from the system. Alone they're only so-so. Then, when you say Pete Carroll should get another shot to be a coach in the pros, those same people say he would be a bust in the pros because he couldn't get any good players, like he can at USC. WTF?

Rey seems to handle his assignments okay (nice Taylor Mays hit in here):

[Tombstone RJ]

Originally Posted by BroncoMan4ever

Hines Ward busted the dude's jaw like the 3rd week of the season and put him on IR. he was playing well before that though.

Really?

Keith Rivers began his rookie season with 10 tackles in the 17-10 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. In the following 24-7 loss to the Tennessee Titans, Rivers totaled 8 tackles. In the overtime loss to the New York Giants, Rivers recorded two tackles. In the 20-12 loss to the Cleveland Browns, dropping the Bengals to 0-4, Rivers defense production totaled 8 tackles. Rivers' rookie season was abruptly ended due to a broken jaw after being hit by Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward.

For being #9 in the draft, I'd hope he could be better than that. But, Cincy's defense pretty much sucked all around.

[Rohirrim]

This one is interesting. Look at the speed of Clay Matthews:

[gyldenlove]

Rivers played quite well considering the total lack of talent around him.

There are almost no similarities between Rivers and Maualuga. Rivers is extremely fast and can react to the game, he plays with good instincts and covers sideline to sideline, he is a real WLB.

Maualuga is an ILB who is really really good at running into people and knocking them into tomorrow. He is not as fast and he relies more on letting the play come to him and on his preplay reads.

[chaz]

Originally Posted by Tombstone RJ

Really?

Keith Rivers began his rookie season with 10 tackles in the 17-10 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. In the following 24-7 loss to the Tennessee Titans, Rivers totaled 8 tackles. In the overtime loss to the New York Giants, Rivers recorded two tackles. In the 20-12 loss to the Cleveland Browns, dropping the Bengals to 0-4, Rivers defense production totaled 8 tackles. Rivers' rookie season was abruptly ended due to a broken jaw after being hit by Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward.

For being #9 in the draft, I'd hope he could be better than that. But, Cincy's defense pretty much sucked all around.

Tackle totals is how you evaluate play?

[BroncoMan4ever]

Originally Posted by Rohirrim

This one is interesting. Look at the speed of Clay Matthews:

i would be ecstatic to get him in the draft. i tell you he has a little bit of Romo in him, the dude plays nasty

[Rabb]

Originally Posted by BroncoMan4ever

i would be ecstatic to get him in the draft. i tell you he has a little bit of Romo in him, the dude plays nasty

He reminds me of that roided out ****er in the god awful move The Program

[RhymesayersDU]

Originally Posted by rabbmasterflash

He reminds me of that roided out ****er in the god awful move The Program

I think you mean awesome movie.

[srphoenix]

is anyone else a little wary about drafting a USC linebacker because it seems that all of them played with each other rather then being a stud on their own.

I guess I would rather see a talented guy work almost by himself like a curry where an exceptional player makes a terrible defense good, then having a guy fit in on an all star defense like USC's. Just seems like they might appear good because the D was good, not because they alone are exceptionally talented.

[lex]

Originally Posted by rabbmasterflash

He reminds me of that roided out ****er in the god awful move The Program

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mxjefR-vdI

"He's on the punt return team for thee years and then he...?"

[cutthemdown]

Originally Posted by gcver2ver3

Maualuga is a friggin tank...

him and Rivers are not the same player...

Maualuga is a down hill bruiser...i'd be plenty fine watching him shut down the run on our defense...

Yeah Maualuga might not look great in some drills they do at pro days, but people forget watching not just shed blocks, but obliterate blockers and blow the whole play up. You stick him in the middle and tell him stuff the run from tackle to tackle. He might not be Zach Thomas type sideline to sideline, but I think he would kill inside in a 3-4. Pair a faster backer like DJ, alongside a bruiser like Maualuga inside in a 3-4 and you may have a real nice combo.

I also think Mauluga would do fine inside in a 4-3, but like I said he may not be as fast sideline to sideline as say an Al Wilson was, He would need a good SSL bigger then what we have to be successful IMO.

[supermanhr9]

REY REY REY REY REY REY REY REY!!!!!!!!!!! The guy will be pro-bowl his rookie year, compiling over 150+ tackles

[supermanhr9]

bold I know,, but I agree with everyone else that says teh guy is just a psycho who loves to tackle people

[misturanderson]

Originally Posted by chaz

Tackle totals is how you evaluate play?

Even if he did that would project out to 112 tackles for the year assuming no improvement. That's still not bad for a rookie. Just 16 less than the defensive rookie of the year.

[no-pseudo-fan]

Rey would be an attitude pick. They asked players who the best USC LB was last year, they said Rey without a question. People get caught up with combine and pro days and 40's and short shuddles. T Suggs sucked at all that coming out of college, but he was a football player that made plays. Rey is a FOOTBALL PLAYER that makes plays. Getter done.

[Rohirrim]

Originally Posted by no-pseudo-fan

Rey would be an attitude pick. They asked players who the best USC LB was last year, they said Rey without a question. People get caught up with combine and pro days and 40's and short shuddles. T Suggs sucked at all that coming out of college, but he was a football player that made plays. Rey is a FOOTBALL PLAYER that makes plays. Getter done.

Plus, a LB should be not be considered in isolation. A LB corps is a blend of players. If Moss shows he can play SOLB and DJ can cover the other inside slot, maybe Boss can actually get healthy (or platooning the weakside on rush downs with WW?) then you put Rey in the mix inside with DJ? That's not too bad of a team. A lot of ifs there, but I think any team would look at that blend of LB talent and be filled with envy. Maybe you have to design your secondary a little differently (and pick your safeties in the draft more for their ability to cover and leave the run to your LBs) but that's the kind of meshed support between units that successful teams build. Better than the Snyder approach: Go pay a ****load of money to the latest star and hope it works out.

I know one thing about Rey for sure; He disrupts plays. He makes things happen that the offensive coordinator doesn't want to happen. And that's always a good thing. The truth is, if you watch film of him, he scares people. I love that in a LB.

[Doggcow]

If we just draft all 3 USC linebackers I think we'll be better for it. At least 2 of them are gonna be studs.