HAPPYJAQ Posted April 4, 2009 Report Share Posted April 4, 2009 With some recent hype surround Rey, I thought I'd post this to see what you guys think about him going to us at #6. He has to at least be in the discussion, right?Maualuga's bust factor scares NFL teamsBy Nolan Nawrocki April 1, 2009 Editor’s note: Check back later today for an update on USC’s pro-day workout.Entering the season, scouts were enthralled with this year’s MLB class, featuring Ohio State’s James Laurinaitis, USC’s Rey Maualuga and LSU’s Darry Beckwith, all of whom received high marks from evaluators.However, as the season progressed, concerns were brought to the forefront. Maualuga began missing too many tackles, Laurinaitis stayed blocked too long and Beckwith could not find the football.With a chance to redeem themselves at the NFL Scouting Combine, none of them stood out, as Maualuga pulled out of the workout with a hamstring injury suffered running his first 40-yard dash. On Wednesday, Maualuga has another chance to prove himself at USC's highly anticipated pro-day workout, but the way we hear it, nothing Maualuga does will erase the concerns teams have about him on tape and off the field.“Chart how many times he is on the ground,” one longtime evaluator said, “and you will see why I think he will always struggle in the pros. He had so much talent around him — that defense may be as talented as I’ve ever seen in college. It covers up a lot of mistakes.”For as fearlessly as Maualuga may run through contact and as violently as he may deliver some big hits, he too often struggles to break down in the open field and gets caught out of position by taking false steps. His instincts still leave a lot to be desired. Scouts that revisit the Trojans’ loss to Oregon State have come away even more unimpressed, as Maualuga’s shoddy tackling was identified as a major reason for the 27-21 loss to the Beavers.Despite leading the team with 12 tackles, Maualuga was not able to stop Oregon State RB Jacquizz Rodgers from consistently gashing the defense straight up the gut. Maualuga’s sprained right knee reportedly did not have any swelling after the game when an MRI was taken. However, he did not play against Oregon the following week, as Brian Cushing replaced him in the middle, leading scouts to question how much the benching was related to injury and how much was related to performance, the latter of which inside sources say was a greater factor in his absence.Laurinaitis and Beckwith both brought great leadership to the field and have been model citizens off it. The same can not be said for Maualuga, who program sources publicly said had matured after finding trouble early in his career while dealing with his father's battle with cancer. Maualuga not only showed poor judgment preceding the Rose Bowl, when he mocked ESPN reporter Erin Andrews, and later apologized, inside sources also have pointed to the need for Maualuga to be closely monitored, as well-trusted fellow linebackers Keith Rivers and Cushing were deliberately assigned to be his roommates on the road to provide the stability he needed to stay out of trouble."He has a high bust factor," said one NFL executive responsible for stacking his team's draft board. "There is a lot there that scares me. There is a right price for everyone, but I would not feel comfortable taking him in the first round where we are picking. The money is too great. You cannot afford to make mistakes and expect to recover from them." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArmyBengal Posted April 4, 2009 Report Share Posted April 4, 2009 Maualuga is the guy I want if we cannot get A. Smith.So he had a hard time dealing with his father battle with cancer huh ?? Boy what an assh*le right ?? Whatever...He was surrounded by great players at USC ?? So NFL proven LB's "aren't" better than college players ?? Oh yeah, one of those players that he was surrounded by, helped him through things, and made him a better player was our first rounder last year ?? Sounds good...We have Fitzgerald and Zimmer who I have all the faith in the world in and having them coach him up while still having a mentor like Dhani doesn't sound anywhere near bad to me.I still would prefer we trade down to get either A. Smith OR Maualuga, but I also would have little problem if either were the pick at #6. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HAPPYJAQ Posted April 4, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 4, 2009 I would much rather have us trade down and get Rey than draft him at #6 overall. The real problem with him is that he's a MLB on a team that already has a solid veteran MLB in Dhani Jones. At this point in his career, he's really not viewed as a pash rusher or pass defender, so he's not even a player that could come in on 3rd down. When would he see the field as the #6 pick and does it hurt the defense to insert him immediately as a starter in the AFC North? It which would almost be required if he's picked that high.I really like his toughness, competitiveness, college production and measurables, but as a MLB if this draft he's right there with Baby Animal in the 11-20 range, IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BengalPimp Posted April 7, 2009 Report Share Posted April 7, 2009 With some recent hype surround Rey, I thought I'd post this to see what you guys think about him going to us at #6. He has to at least be in the discussion, right?Maualuga's bust factor scares NFL teamsBy Nolan Nawrocki April 1, 2009 Scouts that revisit the Trojans’ loss to Oregon State have come away even more unimpressed, as Maualuga’s shoddy tackling was identified as a major reason for the 27-21 loss to the Beavers.Despite leading the team with 12 tackles, Maualuga was not able to stop Oregon State RB Jacquizz Rodgers from consistently gashing the defense straight up the gut. Maualuga’s sprained right knee reportedly did not have any swelling after the game when an MRI was taken. However, he did not play against Oregon the following week, as Brian Cushing replaced him in the middle, leading scouts to question how much the benching was related to injury and how much was related to performance, the latter of which inside sources say was a greater factor in his absence.Seriously? I had to laugh at this moron scout. Rey is a leader, and a big part of what made that USC defense so good, so for some IDIOT scout to even suggest that the reason he missed the Oregon game might have been due to performance? What an Idiot....He was hurt. USC would not bench the leader of the front 7 and one of their best players, who's started for years. he was hurt you moron. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BengalPimp Posted April 7, 2009 Report Share Posted April 7, 2009 With some recent hype surround Rey, I thought I'd post this to see what you guys think about him going to us at #6. He has to at least be in the discussion, right?Maualuga's bust factor scares NFL teamsBy Nolan Nawrocki April 1, 2009 "He has a high bust factor," said one NFL executive responsible for stacking his team's draft board. "There is a lot there that scares me. There is a right price for everyone, but I would not feel comfortable taking him in the first round where we are picking. The money is too great. You cannot afford to make mistakes and expect to recover from them."The unnamed NFL exec says He doesnt feel comfortable taking him where they are picking in the first round because the money is too great? Where are you picking? 1,2,3? Identify yourself, and your teams pick #.......What kind of writer interviews morons like this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HAPPYJAQ Posted April 19, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 19, 2009 According to C. Trent Rosecrans' blog, Rey REALLY wants to be a Bengal:And then there's these two guys who represent Rey Maualuga apparently and sent me 50 e-mails about how the Bengals would automatically be in the Super Bowl if they drafted Maualuga and that the Bengals will be lucky if he's still there at 6. In one of the many e-mails for their client (apparently, they couldn't get Mike Brown's carrier pigeon number, so they e-mail me, which is kinda flattering). So yeah, here's the poll just for them.http://www.1530homer.com/pages/ctrent.html...g-out-loud-4.17 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArmyBengal Posted April 19, 2009 Report Share Posted April 19, 2009 The only way the Bengals would be "lucky" for Maualuga to still be there at #6 is if there weren't so many players better than him at greater positions of need picking ahead of the Bengals. Don't get me wrong here, I'm a Maualuga fan, would love to have him in stripes, and think he will be a very good player in the NFL. I just don't see the Bengals taking him at #6 and I don't see them trading back up into the first in order to grab him. It just doesn't seem to be in the cards...EDIT: I also found it amusing that when you vote for who the Bengals should take at #6, you are given the choice of Maualuga or "anyone else".Anyone else is leading 88% to 12%... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whur CHad At? Posted April 19, 2009 Report Share Posted April 19, 2009 Give me Curry,Monroe, or Maualuga at 6 and I'd cream my pants Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArmyBengal Posted April 19, 2009 Report Share Posted April 19, 2009 I think it's been said time and time again, but now that we are a week away, I will say it again...Sitting at #6 we are going to get a player that will come in and impact this team positively.We can argue who will impact us to a greater degree, but we will be good anyway around... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whur CHad At? Posted April 19, 2009 Report Share Posted April 19, 2009 I think it's been said time and time again, but now that we are a week away, I will say it again...Sitting at #6 we are going to get a player that will come in and impact this team positively.We can argue who will impact us to a greater degree, but we will be good anyway around...This is true, I think any player will have a huge impact at first. But with someone like Andre Smith getting his fat hands on $21 million guarenteed scares the living hell out of me. He might be good on the field, but I think you know as I know we cant take another distraction off the field. From what I heard he has a troubled group of friends and is a severe homebody. It will be a challenge for him leaving Alabama. Kind of what we saw at the combine with him leaving and going home to work out, or look at agents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HAPPYJAQ Posted April 19, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 19, 2009 I think it's been said time and time again, but now that we are a week away, I will say it again...Sitting at #6 we are going to get a player that will come in and impact this team positively.We can argue who will impact us to a greater degree, but we will be good anyway around...This is true, I think any player will have a huge impact at first. But with someone like Andre Smith getting his fat hands on $21 million guarenteed scares the living hell out of me. He might be good on the field, but I think you know as I know we cant take another distraction off the field. From what I heard he has a troubled group of friends and is a severe homebody. It will be a challenge for him leaving Alabama. Kind of what we saw at the combine with him leaving and going home to work out, or look at agents.I'm officially passing on Andre Smith, too. Lapham seems to really like him, so maybe that's noteworthy. Other than that, give me the player who has less "questions" surrounding him, as the highest paid Bengal draft pick of all time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spor_tees Posted April 20, 2009 Report Share Posted April 20, 2009 I think it's been said time and time again, but now that we are a week away, I will say it again...Sitting at #6 we are going to get a player that will come in and impact this team positively.We can argue who will impact us to a greater degree, but we will be good anyway around...This is true, I think any player will have a huge impact at first. But with someone like Andre Smith getting his fat hands on $21 million guarenteed scares the living hell out of me. He might be good on the field, but I think you know as I know we cant take another distraction off the field. From what I heard he has a troubled group of friends and is a severe homebody. It will be a challenge for him leaving Alabama. Kind of what we saw at the combine with him leaving and going home to work out, or look at agents.I'm officially passing on Andre Smith, too. Lapham seems to really like him, so maybe that's noteworthy. Other than that, give me the player who has less "questions" surrounding him, as the highest paid Bengal draft pick of all time.Well on the topic of Busts...I would say Andre's moobies are the largest busts in the draft. On a serious note all the experts point to Curry being the safest pick at the top of the draft. The only reason he isn't going to be the #1 pick is because the Lion's need a QB so badly. The Rams need a tackle to replace Pace, the Chiefs are actually pretty full at LB with Demorrio Williams, Derrick Johnson, Vrabel, Zach Thomas, and Monty Beisel. The Seahwks could use a LB if they don't decide to take Sanchez. Finally the Browns need a WR in the worst way. Curry could be there and if he is Rey Rey is just an afterthought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArmyBengal Posted April 20, 2009 Report Share Posted April 20, 2009 The thing about Curry that most people seem to forget is that he has been noted as the best outside AND inside linebacker in the draft.That versatility is something else that I think would be hard to pass up... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HAPPYJAQ Posted April 20, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2009 The thing about Curry that most people seem to forget is that he has been noted as the best outside AND inside linebacker in the draft.That versatility is something else that I think would be hard to pass up...He said on Jim Rome that his preferred position is MLB. How does a Rivers, Curry and Brandon Johnson trio strike Bengals fan? Our major weakness from 2 seasons ago becomes the strength of the roster, with depth to boot. As Curry himself said on the same program, "defense wins championships". Besides that, he's one of those guys that plays with a chip on his shoulder, after only receiving two scholarship offers and being told last year by the NFL advisory board he was no better than a 3rd round pick and was not ready for the NFL. It'll be a dream come true, personally, to have a LB corp that could match up from a talent standpoint with the top teams in our division, on a Bengals teams with one of the better LB coaches in all of football. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whizzo Posted April 20, 2009 Report Share Posted April 20, 2009 woah - i never considered how much depth KC has at LB. christ, he could slide all the way to us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kazkal Posted April 20, 2009 Report Share Posted April 20, 2009 Meh I like B.johnson but not at strong stride....Well on the topic of Busts...I would say Andre's moobies are the largest busts in the draft.I'd give it to raji 3 inches shorter and just as heavy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArmyBengal Posted April 20, 2009 Report Share Posted April 20, 2009 Zach Thomas and Mike Vrabel hardly put the fear of God into players as they once may have. That being the case, Curry to the Chiefs is still a pretty good guess... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spor_tees Posted April 20, 2009 Report Share Posted April 20, 2009 Zach Thomas and Mike Vrabel hardly put the fear of God into players as they once may have. That being the case, Curry to the Chiefs is still a pretty good guess...Why would a team trade for a LB and then sign another as a free agent, if they were expecting to draft one with hte third pick in the draft? The ones they already had in Derrick Johnson, Demorrio Williams, and Beisel weren't horrible, just the defense as a whole was. With Tony Gonzalez on his last leg, no WR to compliment Dwayne Bowe, and a new HC that is offensive minded, how coul they pass up the opportunity to draft Crabtree? Crabtree would help to take the double teams of of Bowe, give Cassel a large athletic target, and help to free up room for the running game and get LJ back to form. In my opinion Crabtree would make the most sense here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArmyBengal Posted April 21, 2009 Report Share Posted April 21, 2009 Outside of Derrick Johnson they have a bunch of big name old guys or guys that just aren't the playmaker that defense needs. Why would the Bengals take Curry when they took a LB in the first last year and have a starting MLB that is well respected and signed two more guys in Jeanty and Johnson ?? It's not quite the same, but it's along those lines. Crabtree won't demand a double team right off in my opinion either as he doesn't possess the elite speed a true deep threat does and very few rookies come right in and produce at a high level. Cassel would help the learning curve I suppose, but I'm not sold on him either.I would be more than happy to see Crabtree go to the Chiefs though and hope you are absolutely correct !!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spor_tees Posted April 21, 2009 Report Share Posted April 21, 2009 Outside of Derrick Johnson they have a bunch of big name old guys or guys that just aren't the playmaker that defense needs. Why would the Bengals take Curry when they took a LB in the first last year and have a starting MLB that is well respected and signed two more guys in Jeanty and Johnson ?? It's not quite the same, but it's along those lines. Crabtree won't demand a double team right off in my opinion either as he doesn't possess the elite speed a true deep threat does and very few rookies come right in and produce at a high level. Cassel would help the learning curve I suppose, but I'm not sold on him either.I would be more than happy to see Crabtree go to the Chiefs though and hope you are absolutely correct !!!I didn't say that Crabtree would get double teamed, I said that he would help to take the double team off of Bowe. Dhani Jones isn't a spring chicken and Jeanty is only signed to a one year RFA contract. Brandon Johnson is nothing more than a back up which was made evident by the fact that as soon as anyone listed above him on the depth chart was remotely healthy they were back starting. Could you imagine a LB corp of Rivers, Curry, and Jones? Eventually in the next 2 years Jones will need to be replaced, but that would be one heck of a good group. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArmyBengal Posted April 21, 2009 Report Share Posted April 21, 2009 Gotcha, missed that about the double team...Anyway, I agree about what our LB corps would look like, but I guess we will just wait and see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HAPPYJAQ Posted April 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 21, 2009 I'm curious to see how Blackstock will be this upcoming year. He's got some real ability and speed off the edge and the Bengals seem to really like him. He's my dark-horse pick to have a breakout season, especially if we don't add another pash rusher in the draft. As I've said before, I can see Keith Rivers being moved to the middle. He reminds me of a younger and equally fast Brian Simmons and it makes sense if you consider he's not a natural pashrusher as a weak-side LB, but he has plus coverage skills. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kazkal Posted April 21, 2009 Report Share Posted April 21, 2009 Trade Chad for redskins next years first ....CUrry-SPikes-Rivers for next 5-8 years Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArmyBengal Posted April 21, 2009 Report Share Posted April 21, 2009 Curry-Spikes-Rivers for next 5-8 yearsI was thinking about that a few days ago and it seems almost to good to be true huh ?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kazkal Posted April 21, 2009 Report Share Posted April 21, 2009 Curry-Spikes-Rivers for next 5-8 yearsI was thinking about that a few days ago and it seems almost to good to be true huh ??Indeed...I remember last year thinking we had no chance at Maualuga now here we are picking too high >_< Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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