Spor_tees Posted January 5, 2009 Report Share Posted January 5, 2009 We don't see many USC games here in Ohio, so I can't comment on Maualuga. But I think I read something a while back that said his stock was dropping pretty far, and that he could be a late first round pick. Anyone hear something similar? I've got some serious problems with the rankings at DraftScout (Oher 1st overall?) but they did just update their board and Maualuga is holding steady at #7. In fact, the only player to slip badly is Andre Smith to #8, a slide I'd guess is just a temporary reaction to Smith missing his bowl game. Eugene Monroe jumped slightly to #5. BTW, our boy Peria Jerry made the biggest leap of all, rising to #12. Previously he had been ranked as a borderline 1st or early 2nd rounder.I am just not that high on Maualuga because he has always been surrounded by very good players. Some of the USC games I watched this year, he was overshadowed by the other LB's on USC and the announcers pointed it out several times. He also got help from the fact that USC's safety Mays played up in the box a lot, which made it almost the equivalent of a 4-4 defense. If the Bengals go defense they HAVE to go DE...the pass rush is abysmal. If they still want to draft a LB, the Butkus award winner from Wake Forest is somehow ranked as a second round draft pick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
membengal Posted January 5, 2009 Report Share Posted January 5, 2009 If Rey Maualuga is available at 6,We don't see many USC games here in Ohio, so I can't comment on Maualuga. But I think I read something a while back that said his stock was dropping pretty far, and that he could be a late first round pick. Anyone hear something similar?Follow this link. Maualuga has decent taste. Not sure about his dance moves. Not sure if Erin Andrews was cool with it. But somewhat amusing... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
membengal Posted January 5, 2009 Report Share Posted January 5, 2009 I think people are too quick to give up on Anthony Collins. Once he took over at LT, the pass blocking got significantly improved, and this guy shut down James Harrison.Seconded. I think people tend to forget that Collins was a pretty highly rated prospect coming out. NFL Draft Scout had him ranked 8th overall among tackles and SI projected him to go early in the second. That he was there in the fourth had more to do with last April being rich in OTs and his status as a junior. He wasn't as highly polished as the seniors, and if he'd stayed and continued to play well, he could have been a first-round selection next April.Maybe, but I doubt it. I don't think it's not all about polish with him. I don't see him ever having the quickness to hold off a Freeney type. Some technique could help... but he's not going to be elite. This scouting report from last year tells a lot about why I don't think he should be the starting LT. Pass Blocking: Plays on his toes too much. Not great lateral quickness. Not a great slide in protection. May be best inside at guard. Struggled against Missouri when defenders crossed his face. May struggle with quick rushers because of his own mobility.I just think if Collins is going to be a starter for this team, it will either be at guard or RT. The Bengals need a top tier guy at LT, and Collins isn't it.I agree. I presumed people understood Collins needed to slide to RT. Still need a LT, and that's what the 1st round is for. Line for next year, ideally:New LTWhitworth New CenterWilliamsCollinsLivings etc. back-ups. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HairOnFire Posted January 5, 2009 Report Share Posted January 5, 2009 I am just not that high on Maualuga because he has always been surrounded by very good players. It is what it is. USC's defense was historically good precisely due to the staggering number of legit NFL prospects it featured...so much so the greatest challenge it faced each week wasn't the competition but rather if it could play disciplined team first defense. Well, didn't it do that? And wasn't that historically great defense built in no small measure around Maualuga? Some of the USC games I watched this year, he was overshadowed by the other LB's on USC and the announcers pointed it out several times. Fair enough, but the Rose Bowl is still fresh in my mind and two of the plays that stand out to me were running plays where Rey filled the gap and blew up blockers, allowing others to make the tackle. As a sophmore Maualaga would have run around both of those blocks attempting to make the spectacular play. Oh, and it's not just the little things either....because there are indeed days when he isn't overshadowed by all of that NFL-worthy talent. In fact, there are days when Rey looks like the biggest dog in the yard. So why wouldn't I want that?He also got help from the fact that USC's safety Mays played up in the box a lot, which made it almost the equivalent of a 4-4 defense. I'd say the opposite is closer to the truth. Pete Carrol once admitted Mays, entrenched as a deep safety, allows them to play a glorified 10-man scheme...with Mays primarily tasked with defending the deep deep pass. And when people like me wonder aloud if such a tactic might be a waste of Mays rather ample physical skills Carrol always mentions something about nobody completing a deep pass on the Trojans in three years. Which I admit is a great point. However, IMHO any NFL team that considers drafting Mays as early as we're talking has to first convince themselves that he can be an even better player in the NFL. If the Bengals go defense they HAVE to go DE...the pass rush is abysmal. I'll argue no team picking 6th overall, Bengals included, can afford to ignore what very well could be the last true blue chip talent available. And that last man standing may not be a LT, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kazkal Posted January 5, 2009 Report Share Posted January 5, 2009 Maybe, but I doubt it. I don't think it's not all about polish with him. I don't see him ever having the quickness to hold off a Freeney type. Some technique could help... but he's not going to be elite. This scouting report from last year tells a lot about why I don't think he should be the starting LT.What about the Manthis type on the right?I am just not that high on Maualuga because he has always been surrounded by very good players. Some of the USC games I watched this year,So was Keith & Carson and every other player to come out of USC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoosierCat Posted January 5, 2009 Report Share Posted January 5, 2009 The Bengals need a top tier guy at LT, and Collins isn't it.Well, this is where you and I part ways. I don't think the Bengals need a top-tier guy at LT. I think they'd be fine with an average guy who's healthy, and Collins certainly looked like that, at the very least. If he struggles against a guy like Freeny, well, so do most tackles. Don't get me wrong, if they take a tackle I'm not going to complain, but every time I think about it, Hair's favorite hobbyhorse about how, on the offense, the Bengals constantly make the perfect the enemy of the good, comes to mind. Then I look at all the money and draft picks they've poured into the D over the last 4-5 years and how that's finally starting to bear some fruit...and I just hate hate hate the thought of letting up now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walzav29 Posted January 5, 2009 Report Share Posted January 5, 2009 The bengals would be crazy to not draft a tackle. They have to protect Palmer. Thats it. They can't run the ball, and the QB has no time. The Bengals allowed 51 sacks. 3rd worst in the NFL. They HAVE to take a tackle to get Palmer protection. It's not even debatable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kazkal Posted January 5, 2009 Report Share Posted January 5, 2009 The bengals would be crazy to not draft a tackle. They have to protect Palmer. Thats it. They can't run the ball, and the QB has no time. The Bengals allowed 51 sacks. 3rd worst in the NFL. They HAVE to take a tackle to get Palmer protection. It's not even debatable.Can we not postpone it till round 2? there are tackles like whitworth and Marcus McNeill who have been available then in the past,Most successful teams don't have to burn top 10 picks to build a Oline...But then again we have Paul Alexander as a Oline coach :|PS,I was all up for Oline when we were picking number 2# and would have the top selection but now @ 6 think just actually gotta weigh your opitions,Isn't this supposed to be a deep year for tackles? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walzav29 Posted January 5, 2009 Report Share Posted January 5, 2009 No we can't wait until rnd 2 because it's too risky. It's not sexy, but when you have no offensive line (like this year) everyone looks horrible. Wasn't nice having Willie there for 13 years? Let's get Oher and protect the Golden Boy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoosierCat Posted January 5, 2009 Report Share Posted January 5, 2009 The bengals would be crazy to not draft a tackle. They have to protect Palmer. Thats it. They can't run the ball, and the QB has no time. The Bengals allowed 51 sacks. 3rd worst in the NFL. They HAVE to take a tackle to get Palmer protection. It's not even debatable.No, it isn't, but if you're concerned about the o-line and sacks, it was right tackle, not left, that was the problem. Kirk has the numbers here. Not sure you need to use the 6 overall to get a RT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HairOnFire Posted January 5, 2009 Report Share Posted January 5, 2009 The bengals would be crazy to not draft a tackle. All voices hush as the commish approaches the podium. Slowly he speaks.... "With the 6th overallpick in the 2009 NFL draft the Cincinnati Bengals select........a tackle? Wait, what is this? There's no name on the card. All it says is "a tackle"It's not even debatable. Yeah, it is. And that's true because the draft is more than one round long, the Bengals have plenty of other needs, and while it's true they're will be a very good OT available at #6 it's just as true that none of the top 3 prospects will be equally ranked on any teams draft board. So if it shakes out OT, great. That's the best bet right now, right? But if it doesn't...it doesn't. On to round two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HairOnFire Posted January 5, 2009 Report Share Posted January 5, 2009 Let's get Oher and protect the Golden Boy. I gotta tell ya I'm watched more of Oher's bowl game last night and it's a decidedly mixed bag for a player so often ranked in the Top 5. Plently of good stuff on display, but for example.....check out how often Oher ends up on the ground when run blocking. Or how often he uses a last second lunge to ward off a speed rush. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kazkal Posted January 5, 2009 Report Share Posted January 5, 2009 No we can't wait until rnd 2 because it's too risky. It's not sexy, but when you have no offensive line (like this year) everyone looks horrible. Wasn't nice having Willie there for 13 years? Let's get Oher and protect the Golden Boy.Who says Oher will be there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BengalPimp Posted January 5, 2009 Report Share Posted January 5, 2009 I am just not that high on Maualuga because he has always been surrounded by very good players. It is what it is. USC's defense was historically good precisely due to the staggering number of legit NFL prospects it featured...so much so the greatest challenge it faced each week wasn't the competition but rather if it could play disciplined team first defense. Well, didn't it do that? And wasn't that historically great defense built in no small measure around Maualuga? Some of the USC games I watched this year, he was overshadowed by the other LB's on USC and the announcers pointed it out several times. Fair enough, but the Rose Bowl is still fresh in my mind and two of the plays that stand out to me were running plays where Rey filled the gap and blew up blockers, allowing others to make the tackle. As a sophmore Maualaga would have run around both of those blocks attempting to make the spectacular play. Oh, and it's not just the little things either....because there are indeed days when he isn't overshadowed by all of that NFL-worthy talent. In fact, there are days when Rey looks like the biggest dog in the yard. So why wouldn't I want that?He also got help from the fact that USC's safety Mays played up in the box a lot, which made it almost the equivalent of a 4-4 defense. I'd say the opposite is closer to the truth. Pete Carrol once admitted Mays, entrenched as a deep safety, allows them to play a glorified 10-man scheme...with Mays primarily tasked with defending the deep deep pass. And when people like me wonder aloud if such a tactic might be a waste of Mays rather ample physical skills Carrol always mentions something about nobody completing a deep pass on the Trojans in three years. Which I admit is a great point. However, IMHO any NFL team that considers drafting Mays as early as we're talking has to first convince themselves that he can be an even better player in the NFL. If the Bengals go defense they HAVE to go DE...the pass rush is abysmal. I'll argue no team picking 6th overall, Bengals included, can afford to ignore what very well could be the last true blue chip talent available. And that last man standing may not be a LT, right?I couldnt agree more with your comments. People please keep in mind the Rey Maualuga played banged up in a lot of games. His toughness is Inspiring, his hits Vicious, and his presence INTIMIDATING. We have no such player on defense, I live in SoCal, and for those who dont get to see a lot of USC games, Rey Maualuga is the real deal, and he made Rivers a little bit better in college(he made Brian Cushing look a lot better too), and here's hoping he can do the same thing with the Bengals!!! Opposing teams know where he is at all times, and design plays away from him. He is an intimidating force in the middle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clackwoods Posted January 5, 2009 Report Share Posted January 5, 2009 We don't see many USC games here in Ohio, so I can't comment on Maualuga. But I think I read something a while back that said his stock was dropping pretty far, and that he could be a late first round pick. Anyone hear something similar? I've got some serious problems with the rankings at DraftScout (Oher 1st overall?) but they did just update their board and Maualuga is holding steady at #7. In fact, the only player to slip badly is Andre Smith to #8, a slide I'd guess is just a temporary reaction to Smith missing his bowl game. Eugene Monroe jumped slightly to #5. BTW, our boy Peria Jerry made the biggest leap of all, rising to #12. Previously he had been ranked as a borderline 1st or early 2nd rounder.Did you see what happened when Andre Smith sat out that bowl game? Their run game was non existent. I had questions about the guy, but after they flopped on their face without him, I wouldn't mind seeing his big ass in Bengals Orange and Black! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kazkal Posted January 5, 2009 Report Share Posted January 5, 2009 I couldnt agree more with your comments. People please keep in mind the Rey Maualuga played banged up in a lot of games. His toughness is Inspiring, his hits Vicious, and his presence INTIMIDATING. We have no such player on defense, I live in SoCal, and for those who dont get to see a lot of USC games, Rey Maualuga is the real deal, and he made Rivers a little bit better in college(he made Brian Cushing look a lot better too), and here's hoping he can do the same thing with the Bengals!!! Opposing teams know where he is at all times, and design plays away from him. He is an intimidating force in the middle. Funny how much the sheep on draft forums down play him because they don't get to watch USC games,Been seeing him put in middle of 2nd round on a normal basis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoosierCat Posted January 5, 2009 Report Share Posted January 5, 2009 Looks like the Bengals will get a good look at Monroe when they coach the Senior Bowl.If Eugene has any sense at all, he'll act like a supreme d**khead, maybe kick Lewis in the groin a couple times... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HairOnFire Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 If Eugene has any sense at all, he'll act like a supreme d**khead, maybe kick Lewis in the groin a couple times... More nut kicking? Really? That said, I love the idea of the Bengals staff coaching the Senior Bowl, and I'm glad they lobbied for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArmyBengal Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 I love the fact that Marvin and company get a long time frame with the Seniors. Seeing as how our scouting staff is at a huge disadvantage, this is a HUGE benefit to them... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kazkal Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 I love the fact that Marvin and company get a long time frame with the Seniors. Seeing as how our scouting staff is at a huge disadvantage, this is a HUGE benefit to them...When you say Scouting staff you mean scout right? I kidd I kidd I'm happy to see our crew doing it though that way Zimmer has a chance to get a good look at the defensive players and Paul Alexander can find some precoached Offensive linemen hehe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
COB Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 Hobson's article about the Senior Bowl included the following,"The announcement confirms the Bengals plan little change to their coaching staff in the wake of a 4-11-1 season."That leaves only one question unanswered. Do the pictures Paul Alexander and Bob Bratkowski have show Mike BrownA. Presiding as President at a NAMBLA Annual conference?B. Delivering bags of money to the Hamilton County Board of Elections on the eve of the stadium issue vote?C. Three words, "Midnight Morgue Cowboy"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icehole3 Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 I love the fact that Marvin and company get a long time frame with the Seniors. Seeing as how our scouting staff is at a huge disadvantage, this is a HUGE benefit to them...Last time Marvin had the game he went bonkers with a ton of reaches2004 draft1 Chris Perry RB Michigan 262a Keiwan Ratliff CB Florida 492b Madieu Williams S Maryland 563a Caleb Miller LB Arkansas 803b Landon Johnson LB Purdue 964a Matthias Askew DT Michigan St. 1144b Robert Geathers DE Georgia 1174c Stacy Andrews T Mississippi 1235 Maurice Mann WR Nevada 1496 Greg Brooks CB Southern Mississippi 1837 Casey Bramlet QB Wyoming 218 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whizzo Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 Agreed. You win the game in the trenchesmy thoughts exactly. if we can get LT, C, and (pass-rushing, thank you very much) DE early in this draft, i think production of both O and D would instantly rise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spor_tees Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 Can someone tell me why the Butkus award winner Curry from Wake Forest is not even ranked as a first round draft pick on some sites? Also from watching the Texas/OSU game last night I wouldn't mind having Orakpo as an addition at DE. He definitely has some speed off the edge. I really wish the Bengals could somehow get 2 first rounders this year. If they could, more than likely they could fill 3 very needy positions in the first 2 rounds. Michael Oher with their first pick, followed by a guy like Selvie from S. Florida, then finish up with a LB in the second round. There should still be some quality LBers still available. This years draft is deep at center as well and the Bengals could get someone like A.Q. Shipley in the 4th-5th round. The kid was a stud at Penn State and is an athletic type of center the Bengals need. He does need to put on a little bit of weight, but still held his own against Big Ten opponents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pidge Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 And lets not forget that we need a C very badly and our second round pick puts us in position to grab one of the top 2. The top 2 centers in this draft seemed to be a lot better than the rest.This. Getting a bookend and a centre who isn't made of pooh and we'll look like a different team. Will it solve all our problems - no of course not but honestly, if your O-line isn't as good as you can possibly make it then nothing else will work anywhere near its potential either. The QB can't throw the ball, the RB can't run the ball, the WRs can't get open in half a second, the defence is on the pitch for the majority of the game and wears down during games themselves and then over the course of the season and injuries all over the shop increase - we're hardly blessed with iron men anyway.So, by all means neglect the O-line and settle for substandard play from the QB, RB, WR positions and the entire D. Our individual talent can more than compensate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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