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How do we feel about Keith Rivers?


walzav29

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He hasn't exactly jumped off of the TV for me, but he seems like he's doing well. I'm usually in shock when I'm watching their games, but how is he doing? Do we have hope with this guy?

I think Rivers is doing as well as he can with this team. I think if he was put on the Vikings D he'd seem a lot better then he is here, but all great LB's have a great d-line.

So far i put him atop most the players on this D, maybe the 3rd or 4th best D player we have; obviously behind Dhani Jones and Leon Hall, maybe Ndukwe as well.

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As expected - solid but not spectacular...could be better with better protection upfront. This defense sucks against the run due to the small d-lineman, but he's probably their best run-stopper. Still need another LB stud.

Yup.

Real question is, knowing what we know now, do you still take Rivers? Passing on Ryan Clady looks iffier by the game. Mike Pollack (C, Arizona) would have been sweet in the second, too, instead of Jerome "Benchwarmer" Simpson.

Ah, well, hindsight is always 20/20 and all that...

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As expected - solid but not spectacular...could be better with better protection upfront. This defense sucks against the run due to the small d-lineman, but he's probably their best run-stopper. Still need another LB stud.

Are you referring to the DT's or DE's when you talk about the size of the line?

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As expected - solid but not spectacular...could be better with better protection upfront. This defense sucks against the run due to the small d-lineman, but he's probably their best run-stopper. Still need another LB stud.

Are you referring to the DT's or DE's when you talk about the size of the line?

Both.

Although Sims on Sunday seemed like a MONSTER on some plays tossing Mangold and Faneca on some plays, and thats hard to do. He should start every game for the rest of the season.

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As expected - solid but not spectacular...could be better with better protection upfront. This defense sucks against the run due to the small d-lineman, but he's probably their best run-stopper. Still need another LB stud.

Are you referring to the DT's or DE's when you talk about the size of the line?

Both.

Although Sims on Sunday seemed like a MONSTER on some plays tossing Mangold and Faneca on some plays, and thats hard to do. He should start every game for the rest of the season.

Yeah he should, but...

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He looks better than Simmons ever did and he is just getting the grasp of everything. Simmons never held his ground and was always making tackles 5-10 yards behind the line of scrimmage, horrible comparison. He is coming along just fine and looks better than a lot of outside linebackers throughout the league.

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As expected - solid but not spectacular...could be better with better protection upfront. This defense sucks against the run due to the small d-lineman, but he's probably their best run-stopper. Still need another LB stud.

See the sig ^_^ Oline with every other pic

Compared to the other picks in 2008, Rivers is a abberation.

He plays alot.

He impacts the game.

He makes a nice play from time to time.

Most of the other draftees are learners preparing themselves for when they might play, maybe this year, maybe next year.

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Rivers is exactly what he was in college. He's a good football player but should have never been picked as high as he was. I'm glad we have him but if you take a guy that high then he had better impact football games. He never really did that in college, he isn't doing that now, and he probably never will. Brian Simmons was a perfect example on the type of player he is.

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My take on Rivers is the same as it was before the draft-- He is a good LB , he is not a bad ,he is just not that special.

I said that he was not worthy of a 1st rnd pick and I still feel the same.

My point on rivers is , he is a good athelete and a good LB but, I would not have spent a 1st rnd pick on him, I dont think he is that special.

I would never spend a 1st rnd pick on a LB enless I was sure he was the next RayLewis and I didnt have needs at another position, the exception would be if you were a 3-4 team and he was the pass rusher LB/DE hybrid.

The reason is that there are too many good LB's that can be had in the mid and later rnds with equal talent.

When you look at the LB position it is much more about who is on the D line in front of him than it is about the LB- needless to say that he looked much better with USC's D line than the Bengals.

Ray Lewis has had a very good D line most of his career to make him look to so good, at one point when he felt his mumbers were slipping, he pushed the team to trade up and draft Haloti Ngata when he already had a some pretty good DT's in front of him.

Rivers is not even leading the team in tackles and you do not notice his play over the rest of the LB's which are the kind of things you would expect out of a 1st rnd pick

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I'd agree with that. Same goes for safeties, IMO. Get a nice intelligent one with decent speed in the later rounds. No need to draft high. Usually a half dozen competent ones to be had in the draft.

But, he's got starting potential for 10 yrs or so and on this team, with its recent draft history, it was probably worth picking him where we did. Having said that - I'll wake tomorrow to find an 18 page thread on here about how Rivers beat a crippled Rabbi to death with an orphaned baby and is now on the run having taken Goodell's daughter hostage after breaking into the commish's house and raping his three-legged, diabetic puppy.

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Keith Rivers is exactly what this D needed, the most reliable, body-beautiful LB that this team hasn't had, he's only a rookie and everyone's all over him like he should b gettin 10 tackles a game already, keep in mind he missed a big chunk of training camp and he's already a stud, look at David Pollack, he missed training camp and never caught back up to the time he missed, just think about it, he can only get better! He will become a tackling machine, but he's already been a lil playmaker with a int vs. dallas and hav u seen the way he reads and reacts the way he penetrates and fills the holes almost even b4 the rb gets the ball from the qb, just ask chris johnson

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As expected - solid but not spectacular...could be better with better protection upfront. This defense sucks against the run due to the small d-lineman, but he's probably their best run-stopper. Still need another LB stud.

See the sig ^_^ Oline with every other pic

We've been on the same page for a while, with Rey Maualuga, but unfortunately, if the Bengals keep playing like this, they'll end up with a top 3 pick...and GUARANTEE they wont take a LB at #3.

No. 6 or 7 maybe....but not top 3, even if its ReyRey.

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The "he's a good LB" line is such crap. And whoever said that he wasn't that great at USC is just plain wrong. I go to USC and have been a lifelong fan (my undying love for Carson being the reason I got sucked into becoming a Bengals fan), and can promise you that Keith and Sedrick were the sole reasons USC was so good against the run last year. Kaz, no offense to you, but Rey is disgustingly overrated. Yea he hits as hard as anyone's ever seen, but he's hopelessly undisciplined in his play, practically never fills a hole, and he mind as well wear a blindfold in pass coverage. Point is, many USC players are overhyped, but Keith wasn't one of them. An OLB is never going to lead the league in tackles so don't worry about that, and if you look at the first years of some of the most respected OLB's in the game (Michael Boley, Lance Briggs, Derrick Brooks, etc.), Keith is about on par with them. Now I'm not saying that Keith doesn't have work to do, or that he'll be as good as those guys, but I am saying to judge at this point is stupid, give it time and see how he progresses, and then the verdict will be much more definable.

P.S. I completely agree that Pat Sims looked like an above average NFL DT....and it was his first game.....?

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The "he's a good LB" line is such crap. And whoever said that he wasn't that great at USC is just plain wrong. I go to USC and have been a lifelong fan (my undying love for Carson being the reason I got sucked into becoming a Bengals fan), and can promise you that Keith and Sedrick were the sole reasons USC was so good against the run last year. Kaz, no offense to you, but Rey is disgustingly overrated. Yea he hits as hard as anyone's ever seen, but he's hopelessly undisciplined in his play, practically never fills a hole, and he mind as well wear a blindfold in pass coverage. Point is, many USC players are overhyped, but Keith wasn't one of them. An OLB is never going to lead the league in tackles so don't worry about that, and if you look at the first years of some of the most respected OLB's in the game (Michael Boley, Lance Briggs, Derrick Brooks, etc.), Keith is about on par with them. Now I'm not saying that Keith doesn't have work to do, or that he'll be as good as those guys, but I am saying to judge at this point is stupid, give it time and see how he progresses, and then the verdict will be much more definable.

P.S. I completely agree that Pat Sims looked like an above average NFL DT....and it was his first game.....?

Michael Boley? Are you serious? Dude had a career high last season of 125 tackles...Tied for 15th in his conference (NFC). Surely you could have used a better example to stress your point. BTW Boley is currently 6th on his OWN TEAM in tackles with 26.

That said, Rivers will be a fine LB, but as with most LB's, he'll be better if he has a great DL...which currently he doesnt.

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