2nd Round: Rey Maualuga

[derekshank]

Amen Membengal, switch Dhani, he has made it a career on the SS.

You mean his lackluster journeyman career? Yeah... he did. But he came to Cincinnati and filled out a position he had never played before with high above average play. Something he never did at SSLB.

I'm not saying that Maualuga should be switched... but I am saying that Jones intelligence level makes him uniquely gifted to make the defensive calls from the middle. And since Maualuga's greatest strengths are in being incredibly physical and a natural pass rusher, the switch would not surprise me all that much.

I doubt that's the plan... but I would say if you were looking out for only the '09 season, I like Rivers/Jones/Maualuga more than Rivers/Maualuga/Jeanty or Jones.

[bengalsfansince68]

Plug Rey in the middle today... Dhani is great depth.

[agreen_112]

Guys we got our Shaun Merriman/Odell Thurman/Tatupa caliber LB. We should all be proud of this pick... I can't wait to see the defense hit the field. They will be FiERcE ou there with this guy. Our defense is damn near scary as hell!!! Hopefully S. White and Ndukwe both have a breakout season.

[ArmyBengal]

I love the pick and still have people coming up to me saying they can't believe we got him in the 2nd and I'm in Vikings, Bears, Broncos, Packers country.

I'm kind of torn with where to start him. You need not look any further than Keith River's comments on the new article on the official site when he said:

"I know Dhani is going to help him a lot because he did a great job helping me" "That's the guy who is going to help because Dhani knows how to play the game and he's a smart player."

Getting him to learn the outside I don't think would be that difficult while letting him learn from Dhani. Then again, let him turn it loose in the middle and push Dhani to the outside. The next question becomes, who's the better OLB, Dhani or Jeanty ?? Hmmmmmm. I like having this problem though !!!

I'm not as sold on the secondary as I was not long ago. Hopefully Crocker has another solid year, but White is coming off an injury and Ndukwe should be decent as well. Can JJoe stay healthy and who do we have for depth ?? That is probably my biggest concern for this defense at this point as I think we've addressed some of the other issues.

[TJJackson]

I'm in Vikings, Bears, Broncos, Packers country.

I thought you were in the Middle East, not the Mid West

[derekshank]

Then again, let him turn it loose in the middle and push Dhani to the outside. The next question becomes, who's the better OLB, Dhani or Jeanty ?? Hmmmmmm. I like having this problem though !!!

I don't have a problem with turning Maualuga loose in the middle. Serisouly, I don't. He'll make mistakes and hurt the team at times (like Odell did) but there is probably no better way to learn. Maualuga will have an immediate impact... but the pick will start paying off a lot more starting in '10.

That said... I would be equally pleased if they moved him to SSLB. Here's why. He's a steal in the 2nd round, but as an ILB, he fits better in the 3-4 in my opinion. I assume that the main reason he didn't get drafted in the first round is because of his suspect coverage skills. He's got good speed for is size, but lacks elite sideline to sideline speed for a MLB.

Add to that the fact that Dhani Jones only has 5 sacks in his entire career... and Jeanty has 0. Maualuga is a freak with his size (a good 10-15 lbs heavier than Jeanty) and is a natural as a pass rusher.

I'm starting to think that he'll be great as a MLB, but he would be elite as a SSLB. With his style of play, as well as the SSLB position masking many of the weaknesses in his game, I think it would be a good fit.

Dhani might not be the future at MLB for this team... but he has played extremely well for them. As far as being the signal caller on defense, there is no one I'd want more. He's smart, disciplined, and could help Rivers and Maualuga a lot on the field.

[ArmyBengal]

I'm in Vikings, Bears, Broncos, Packers country.

I thought you were in the Middle East, not the Mid West

South Dakota doesn't have a pro football team, so they all choose who they want to root for. They have a huge mess of the teams I listed in the earlier post. It's quite painful, but it's easily explained by the simple fact they think McDonald's is a restaurant only located in their state...

[derekshank]

Annoyed about snapshots instead of video... but this

makes me feel even better about the pick (as if I wasn't happy enough).

[derekshank]

I didn't see this until after I posted my thoughts on Maualuga as a SSLB. Apparently I'm not the only one though. It was a question asked to Rivers.

With talk Rivers, Jones and Maualuga could be on the field at the same time, Rivers was asked if Maualuga could play SAM even though he only played the middle at USC.

"I think so," said Rivers, alluding to Bengals linebackers coach Jeff FitzGerald. "If anybody can teach anybody to do it, it's Coach FitzGerald."

Rivers interview

[Kazkal]

Report: Rams Passed on Maualuga Because of Off-Field Concerns

Posted by Aaron Wilson on April 28, 2009, 1:36 p.m.

The St. Louis Rams could have drafted USC middle linebacker Rey Maualuga in the second round, but instead opted to pick Ohio State linebacker James Laurinaitis and plan to install him as their starter in the middle.

According to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Rams were concerned about Maualuga’s past history of off-field issues.

However, Maualuga hasn’t been in trouble in a few years and is considered to be a bigger, more explosive hitter than Laurinaitis. And the Cincinnati Bengals were excited to grab Maualuga in the second round.

The Rams did take Iowa cornerback Bradley Fletcher, who had a DUI arrest in 2007, in the third round. General Manager Billy Devaney said that the Rams evaluate character on a case-by-case basis.

By the way, Laurinaitis wasn’t the Rams’ first choice for the 35th overall pick.

They had reportedly planned to draft North Carolina wide receiver Hakeem Nicks if he hadn’t gone to the New York Giants with the 29th overall pick of the first round.

Thank you rams for being scared of one minor thing that happened his freshman year.

[membengal]

Indeed. Much props to the employers of Leonard Little for this gift. Good lord.

[HAPPYJAQ]

I think that Rey will be on a backup SLB and MLB, initially. He could replace Jeanty on passing downs, as Marvin likes to blitz his SLB and I remember Zimmer calling out Jeanty earlier in the offseason for not making enough plays and converting in the pash-rush. With Jeanty a UFA after the season, I think Rey will slide into that position before eventually taking over a MLB. Rey, Dhani and Rivers with Brandon Johnson and Jeanty as the 4th and 5th LBs should make for a pretty deep unit next season.

[volcom69]

The LB core this year looks so amazing on paper, and i just hope it pans out like it should. I hope that Rey stays in the middle he is a hard hitting MLB who plays the run great, and i think thats where he needs to stay. Please do not move him to sam.

[Esiason#7]

The top two players I wanted was A Smith and Maualuga. I never dreamed that he would drop to us in the second round. I thought we'd go Center in round two, but when our pick came up and Rey was still was on the board I knew the Bengals would take him. I wasn't worried about the center position, I was pretty certain they'd pick one in round three or four.

[Whur CHad At?]

If we move Rey Maualuga to OLB he will be a bust. Keep him in the middle. Dont f**k with his game. The Seahawks didnt f**k with Lofa Tatupu. Turned out pretty will.

GO BENGALS

[derekshank]

If we move Rey Maualuga to OLB he will be a bust. Keep him in the middle. Dont f**k with his game. The Seahawks didnt f**k with Lofa Tatupu. Turned out pretty will.

GO BENGALS

Maualuga didn't even call the defense at USC. If they keep him in the middle, they will have to have someone else call it.

Not a huge problem, since Simmons called the defense in Odell's rookie year - but if you ask me, he seems like a prototypical SSLB in a 4-3. His ILB skills would work best in a 3-4... especially as a rookie.

I'm not worried about it either way... but I think he'd be bigger upgrade over Jeanty than Jones. Of course that's not a good reason to change his position...

Anyway, Zimmer and FitzGerald will turn him into a good LB regardless. And honestly, I'll trust their judgement regardless of what they choose to do. But from afar, he looks more like a SSLB to me. At least initially.

[BengalPimp]

Maualuga would make for a far better MLB than SAM. The dude's a MLB and a Brutal one at that.

[derekshank]

Maualuga would make for a far better MLB than SAM. The dude's a MLB and a Brutal one at that.

Fair enough. I suppose his pass rushing skills will be just as useful to Zimmer from the the middle as from the outside.

Like I said before, whatever the coaching staff decided to do - I'll trust them on this one... because I can see it both ways. My main concern is the massive chasm that exists between his responsibilities in college where he didn't even have to make calls, and the responsibilities of an NFL MLB.

[ArmyBengal]

Agreed Derek... I'm all for going with whatever Zimmer and Fitzgerald come up with on this one. Whichever position they view him at as the best position for him and the team is good by me. It really wouldn't suprise me one bit to see Dhani in the middle calling the shots with both Rivers and Maualuga on either side. I honestly believe at this point that is what we will see, but there are many months before the season starts and many things can happen. Dhani is the one veteran on the defensive side of the ball they CAN'T afford to NOT have on the field and you only have to see what Rivers' says about him to determine that's going to be the case.

[Kazkal]

If we move Rey Maualuga to OLB he will be a bust. Keep him in the middle. Dont f**k with his game. The Seahawks didnt f**k with Lofa Tatupu. Turned out pretty will.

GO BENGALS

Maualuga didn't even call the defense at USC. If they keep him in the middle, they will have to have someone else call it.

Not a huge problem, since Simmons called the defense in Odell's rookie year - but if you ask me, he seems like a prototypical SSLB in a 4-3. His ILB skills would work best in a 3-4... especially as a rookie.

I'm not worried about it either way... but I think he'd be bigger upgrade over Jeanty than Jones. Of course that's not a good reason to change his position...

Anyway, Zimmer and FitzGerald will turn him into a good LB regardless. And honestly, I'll trust their judgement regardless of what they choose to do. But from afar, he looks more like a SSLB to me. At least initially.

"He handled that for us and he did a good job with that," Norton said. "I don't think that's going to be a problem."

FitzGerald has spent the last four months "probing" that very question with Norton and head coach Pete Carroll.

"My understanding is he made all the calls on defense and that question was probed," FitzGerald said. "Pete basically said, 'Hey, he's done the things we wanted him to do. He's called the huddle. He's been responsible for making calls and checks and we haven't had any trouble with it.' He seemed very pleased with the things Rey was able to do from a mental standpoint.

From the new article

Anyways I can't wait to see how they use him either SLB because passrushing talents or in the middle for his run stuffing....

[HAPPYJAQ]

I say the best move is to allow Rey to adjust to the NFL first, before throwing the whole book at him as a rookie. Ultimately, I think that was the downfall of Ahmad Brooks. We don't need Rey Maualuga to start this season. The best move is to let him learn the playbook, adjust to the speed of the NFL and put him in a position to make plays with his god-given ability. I think Dhani Jones is one of the most underrated MLBs in football and he has been more than solid as a Bengal. With Jeanty a free agent after the season, groom Rey as his successor and plan on having him as your MLB in 2011, when Dhani will be a free agent and Rey will be going into his 3rd season, with two years already in the defense.

[Ickey44]

I say the best move is to allow Rey to adjust to the NFL first, before throwing the whole book at him as a rookie. Ultimately, I think that was the downfall of Ahmad Brooks. We don't need Rey Maualuga to start this season. The best move is to let him learn the playbook, adjust to the speed of the NFL and put him in a position to make plays with his god-given ability. I think Dhani Jones is one of the most underrated MLBs in football and he has been more than solid as a Bengal. With Jeanty a free agent after the season, groom Rey as his successor and plan on having him as your MLB in 2011, when Dhani will be a free agent and Rey will be going into his 3rd season, with two years already in the defense.

I don't see a need to make him sit. LB seems to be the easiest position to pick up going from college to the NFL. The majority of the DROY awards go to linebackers.

[kentjett]

Don't worry, he will be starter from day one. Let him grow in our defense. It's the energy that he brings that is lacking amongst our defense.

[ArmyBengal]

No way Rey doesn't start this year. The question is where ?? I think the answer is on the outside at Jeanty's spot with a move to the middle next year.

[Clackwoods]

Any doubts of his talent should be put to rest by the fact that the Ravens were going to take him at their spot had they not moved up and taken Oher. The guy is a freak and I am glad as hell I don't have to watch him line up next to Ray Lewis in Baltimore. We got a steal and a cornerstone to go along with Keith on our defense.