Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations
The Mile High Report — ... The defense will be bad against the pass, but could improve against the run, if Keith Rivers returns from injury well, and Rey Maualuga is able to help some against base personnel packages on first and second down.  The Bengals need better play out of ...

Fantastic Friday Links and Notes: Defensive line will make linebackers better
Cincy Jungle — ... good defensive front, especially in 4-3 alignments, the line holds blockers up so linebackers and bone-crushing safeties can free-flow to the point of attack. Offensive linemen generally are able to handle most linebackers in the NFL. So if 2-3 linemen reach the second level, then it's game over at the second level and the running back picks up at least five yards. If there's no hole, no obstacles for the linebackers, then the defense wins. That's what Tank Johnson and Keith Rivers are doing now -- studying film talking shop together ...

Are we expecting too many players to break out?
Cincy Jungle — ... Keith Rivers - All signs point to Rivers comming into his own and being that player the Bengals need. Fans will say Now we will have Keith for the entire season, that will make us better. Sure, as long as Rivers takes that next step. ...

What happens if Bengals' tackle Andre Smith holds out?
Cincy Jungle — ... , the last top-ten pick that the Bengals had to sign, Keith Rivers, held out for ten days and missed 12 practices last year. ...

Bengals big-play offense is taking shape (again); Whitworth is an emerging leader; Bengals linebackers are most underrated in AFCN
Cincy Jungle — ... Linebackers. Joe Reedy writes that the Bengals linebackers, while underrated, could be very good. The popular vote for the team's starting lineup is Keith Rivers, ...

Is the running back depth already set; USC linebacker tandem; Walker's weekend observations
Cincy Jungle — ... is obvious. Leonard can play fullback and is noted with good hands out of the backfield (versatility goes a long way on this team). Scott has the speed to turn corners and the talent for a change-of-pace back behind Benson. Players like DeDe Dorsey, James Johnson and Kenny Watson figure to be fighting hard for a job, which is a far cry from the Rudi Johnson, Chris Perry, Kenny Watson, DeDe Dorsey and James Johnson setup we had last season. Keith Rivers and Rey Maualuga, USC linebacker tandem flanking ...

The Bengals Feel Optimistic and Confident
Cincy Jungle — ... , former USC teammate of Keith Rivers.  He could become a force that the other teams who passed on him may grow to regret.  He came out of college as a highly touted linebacker who is expected to challenge the incumbents for playing time.  With Maualuga playing alongside Keith Rivers, they could provide a defensive line backing corps that should make the opposing offense's game plan around them. ...

The Bengals Defense Could Make it 3 in the AFC North
Cincy Jungle — ... fell into their lap, who should draw playing time away from a veteran from last season.  Plus, lining up alongside former USC teammate Keith Rivers should feel like old times for the two of them, who anchored one of the toughest defenses in college football a few years ago. ...

Bengals Draft Analysis ('00 - '08)
Cincy Jungle — ... 1st                    Keith Rivers                           LB                   Good * ...

Keith Rivers will breakout and Kevin Huber will surprise; two-game packs to go on sale Saturday
Cincy Jungle — ... ", asking who will be the breakout player in the division. Six said Keith Rivers (who led all vote getters in the division), two said Chris Henry with single votes going to ...

New season draws close; Bengals in the playoffs?
Cincy Jungle — ... of me, dread. God of the Golden Arms returns. New personnel on the offensive line. Defensive changes. More blitzes. Refined offensive playbook, which still holds an aura of mystery as to what that actually means. There's within this dynamic an uncertainty. Reports suggest that this is the best team, on paper, that Marvin Lewis has put together. Great draft. Solid free agent signings to, at most, fill in gaps and strengthen the depth chart. Return of USC alumni players in Palmer and Keith Rivers and the introduction of another in ...

Playoffs?!? You Want To Talk About Playoffs?!? - Part One: AFC
Hogs Haven — ... could end up being the breakout rookie receiver this season (albeit at the tight end spot.) In Marvin Lewis, they have a defensive-minded coach that seems to be getting more comfortable with the personnel he has collected the last few years. It is a young group, featuring the return from season-ending injuries last year of Keith Rivers at OLB, and ...

Bengals Pass Rush desperately needs to improve; Vick doesn't "deserve" NFL return -- he has to earn it
Cincy Jungle — ... -- serviceable in their own right, but easily upgradable as well. Defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer has spoken this off-season about being more aggressive against the pass, combining different blitzing schemes with linebackers and safeties. Keith Rivers and ...

Bengals linebackers will be the most exciting group to watch; Prisco ranks the Bengals 13th?!; Roger Goodell Presser on Michael Vick
Cincy Jungle — ... Reedy examines the team's linebackers in his second-to-last Countdown to Training Camp series. With Dhani Jones (165 tackles in 2008), Brandon Johnson (112 tackles), Rashad Jeanty (97 tackles) and Keith Rivers (7.1 tackles per game in seven games) combining with rookie Rey Maualuga, this unit will be a very exciting group to watch this season. Speaking of which, this NFL.com articles briefly examines the position battle between Maualuga and Dhani Jones. Rey Maualuga fell in the ...

Bengals Training Camp: The vastly improved Bengals linebackers will be fun to watch this year
Cincy Jungle — ... Brooks signed with the San Francisco 49ers, was waived in late November but re-signed in early December. Caleb Miller and Anthony Schlegel haven't signed on with another team and you have to assume Lemar Marshall is retired, after rupturing his Achilles tendon that year. Brooks, Frazier and Johnson, players that left Cincinnati and signed on with new teams, have combined to start zero games. Dhani Jones signed on in 2007 and solidified the team's inside linebacker spot. Keith Rivers and Rey Maualuga were draft picks in 2008 and 2009 ...

Benson's hard rushing causes "brief scuffle" with Dhani and Rivers; Maualuga had a "good shot" on Henry
Cincy Jungle — ... Chris Henry continues to impress all of us with his turnaround into maturity. No one was injured during Friday's session. Cedric Benson ran hard, and got into a "brief scuffle" with Dhani Jones and Keith Rivers. Even though Fui Vakapuna is the team's starter, Jeremi Johnson came into camp "in the 275-pound range" and actually participated in Training Camp. Palmer's first day was very rusty. "He had zip but not pinpoint control," writes Hobson. ...

Brandon Johnson suffers hamstring injury; Jerome Simpson rebounds
Cincy Jungle — ... ." Geoff Hobson writes that the injury could take "two to four weeks to heal." Johnson is the backup weakside linebacker behind starter Keith Rivers. In as many days, the ...

Bengals O-line coach Paul Alexander: "For one day at one small point in time, I was feeling satisfied"
Cincy Jungle — ... (excused) and Keith Rivers (sore muscles) were scratched, as was rookie backup Rey Maualuga, also with sore muscles. Rivers' backup, ...

Positives from tonight's game
Cincy Jungle — ... 4.)  Keith Rivers is going to have a monster year.  He's just as solid as they come.  I can not WAIT to get Maualuga on the field with him.  ...

Palmer and Cedric praise offensive line; other notes from Bengals loss
Cincy Jungle — ... line was far more impressive than I expected them to be. Chris Henry looked like a far more complete receiver than he was his rookie season; he appeared like a legitimate number one receiver. Cedric Benson and Bernard Scott previewed the possibly of being a great one-two combination. Chad Ochocinco had a long reception -- most of which he earned on his own -- and a nice 18-yard grab on third down while he was falling backwards. Laveranues Coles is tough. Keith Rivers seems stronger than last year and much more aggressive. The ...

Bengals Win Super Bowl XLIV - A Look Back on How They Did It
Cincy Jungle — ... did a good job all season stuffing the run, giving the defense a new dimension.  LB Keith Rivers emerged as a beast, being named AFC Defensive Player of the Year.  Rookie LB ...

Introductions and an overview of preseason game Numero Dos
Cincy Jungle — ... the Robert Geathers that got paid three years ago after a double-digit sack season.  He looked like the guy that terrorized the late Steve McNair during the 2007 season opener.  With the solid D-line play (more to come on that later) that we've been hoping for, maybe it will finally free Geathers and Odom up to put some heat on the opposing quarterback.  Good pressure was also applied at times by many other players including Pat Sims, Tom Nelson, Keith Rivers and Rey Maualuga.  3.)  J.T. ...

Pregame Zone Blitz: Steelers at Redskins
Behind the Steel Curtain — ... the Redskins improved the league’s 4th-ranked defense, and bring a unique defense to FedEx Field when they face the Steelers in both teams second preseason game. Orakpo is an interesting opponent to watch Saturday, partially due to his versatility, but mostly due to the fact his explosiveness and athleticism will provide the Steelers with some up-to-date experience against a multi-faceted player not unlike Baltimore’s Terrell Suggs, Cincinnati’s Keith Rivers and Cleveland’s Kamerion Wimbley. As if ...

Depth of the 2009 Cincinnati Bengals Part 2: Defense
Cincy Jungle — ... Linebackers: I'm lumping all these guys together because there are a lot of interchangeable parts at linebacker for the Bengals this year. You've got to really like the wide array of skill sets and talent in the top 6 linebackers this year. Keith Rivers is in line for a monster season. The guy plays with a mean streak and has a chip on his shoulder after suffering the broken jaw last year. I liken him to Troy Polomalu in terms of demeanor - that is, he is soft spoken and cerebral off the field, but he has an animalistic drive to hit, hit, hit on ...

Strength in numbers; an examination of who the Bengals started the regular season since 2006
Cincy Jungle — ... DT 5 Domata Peko, John Thornton, Jason Shirley, Pat Sims, Michael Myers Linebackers 6 Keith Rivers, Rashad Jeanty, Dhani Jones, Darryl Blackstock, Brandon Johnson, ...

Armchair Coaches analyze New England Patriots 6-7 loss against Cincinnati Bengals
Pats Pulpit — ... night for the boys. Looks like Brady still needs to knock some rust off the long ball throws. 4 for 8, ouch. O’Connell had 1 good series out of 5 before the half. Bad field position didn’t help him though. Hoyer moved the ball some. The second string linemen really held us back tonight with the penalties, negating some 1st downs. Green Ellis was really having a nice game up until that lost fumble in the red zone. I’d really like for him to make the roster. Looks like Keith Rivers found his form for this season after doing much of nothing ...

Chapter 1, Game 3 - @ Cincinnati Bengals (Aug. 27th)
Turf Show Times — ... Suffice to say, we need to improve on the 2.6 yds per carry average we posted against ATL.  While Steven Jackson will probably be off the field as soon as possible, the running backs behind him have to do more with less.  Kenneth Darby was able to hammer out 30 yards on 7 carries, whil Samkon Gado rushed 12 times... for 5 yards.  We could see somewhat similar results against the Bengals, especially if Darby sits out.   At LB, they feature Keith Rivers at WLB who is a very capable OLB.  Of course they drafted ...

Bengals vs. Rams preseason game recap
Cincy Jungle — ...   Kyle, you need to slide a little earlier, my friend.  Perhaps then Keith Rivers won't remove your helmet so harshly.  He should be thankful he's okay.   ...

Predicting the Cincinnati Bengals' 53-man roster. A look into the minds of CincyJungle writers
Cincy Jungle — ... Fullbacks (2) Jeremi Johnson       Fui Vakapuna Linebackers (7) Keith Rivers       ...

Presenting the Cincinnati Bengals 53-man Roster; and immediate reaction, of course
Cincy Jungle — ... Jeremi Johnson         Linebackers (6) Keith Rivers Tight End (3) ...

If you look at the Cincinnati Bengals roster, you have to ask yourself, is this team better than 2008?
Cincy Jungle — ... . Keith Rivers will retake his spot as the team's weak-side linebacker and it's evident that the Bengals coaching staff wants to start ...

Will the Bengals sellout by Friday afternoon; Troy Polamalu out against the Bengals in week three?
Cincy Jungle — ... Mike Zimmer is expecting a "mashup of the styles of past Denver teams along with what McDaniels did in New England." “They’re going to try and spread the ball out as much as possible. I know they’re not going to play smashmouth against us,” Zimmer said. The Broncos head coach might be the Denver Broncos head coach, but Josh McDaniels is an Ohio guy. Chick Ludwig wonders how Keith Rivers, Carson Palmer, Rey Maualuga and Frostee ...

Previewing the Kansas City Chiefs 2009 Schedule: Week 16
Arrowhead Pride — ... As Chiefs fans, we know plenty about first day draft picks not panning out.  Can you talk a little bit about the frustration with Keith Rivers going down last year and now ...

Bengals lose Season Opener, 13-7
Cincy Jungle — ... held the ball.  Time of possession was 33:27 Bengals, 26:33 Broncos.  At halftime, Quan Cosby had more yards returning punts than the Broncos had on offense. Cedric Benson had 3.6 YPC, 76 yards on 21 attempts with a long of 20.  Chad Ochocinco had five receptions for 89 yards with a long of 34. He was beastly. The Bengals' offense didn't put the ball on the ground once (though Carson had two picks credited).  Keith Rivers nearly knocked Eddie Royal into next week.  ...

Blaming is such an easy thing to do; but I'm not blaming the Bengals defense
Cincy Jungle — ... picked up five yards up the middle on the following possession, Keith Rivers stuffs Moreno for no-gain and Antwan Odom swats a pass at the line of scrimmage. Broncos punt. The story continues. On the third possession, ...

Previewing Cincinnatti's Visit To Lambeau
Acme Packing Company — ... and Roy Williams, combined with Keith Rivers' return from injury, have turned the Bengal defense into much more than just a paper tiger (lol, pun).  Granted, the main reason the Broncos were so inept at rushing the ball was because Cincinnati was stacking 8 men in the box all day long, and Kyle Orton's deep ball is so erratic he literally needs help from opposing cornerbacks to complete a long throw. ...

Denver Broncos Season Storyline - Week 2 Vs Cleveland
The Mile High Report — ... Great hitting and fast linebackers set the tone early, and despite a number of quick gashes, the D-line was very effective and the run support was excellent.  Rey Maualuga and Keith Rivers both looked terrific, while the D-line got good penetration to break up many of the plays. ...

Bengals leave Green Bay healthy; expect to be healthier against the Steelers
Cincy Jungle — ... came away Sunday unscathed on the injury front. Keith Rivers left early in the game for several snaps, but returned. On Monday, Geoff Hobson updates the older injury files after Marvin Lewis' press conference on David Jones, ...

Practice Report: Pittsburgh Steelers (1-1) at Cincinnati Bengals (1-1)
Cincy Jungle — ... DE Aaron Smith (not injury related) DNP     WR Hines Ward (scared of Keith Rivers) DNP     ...

Pittsburgh Steelers (1-1) @ Cincinnati Bengals (1-1): Q&A With Cincy Jungle
Behind the Steel Curtain — ... Green Bay abandoned the run - Denver was never losing the football game until there was a minute left in the game and against the Packers, the game was always within a score either way until late. The front seven is vastly improved since this time last year. With the combination of Tank Johnson, Domata Peko and Pat Sims at defensive tackle and safety Roy Williams darting through like a missile, the defense has a very good trio of linebackers in Dhani Jones, Keith Rivers and Rey Maualuga. The rushing defense isn't great by ...

Lance McAlister on Carson Palmer: Carson needs to be better than Ben Roethlisberger for a change
Cincy Jungle — ... is the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback (just in case you're new here). The question: Who is the better quarterback? I didn't see the necessity of bringing up the debate this week -- and neither did any of you -- until yesterday when Lance McAlister started going into a rant about Carson Palmer. What really peeved McAlister is that Palmer said that last year's season ending hit on Keith Rivers was " ...

Final Practice/Injury Report: Pittsburgh Steelers (1-1) @ Cincinnati Bengals (1-1)
Cincy Jungle — ... DNP DNP DNP DE Aaron Smith (not injury related) DNP -- -- WR Hines Ward (scared of Keith Rivers) DNP -- -- WR Limas Sweed ...

Cincinnati Bengals Links and Notes: We Beat the Steelers Yesterday Edition
Cincy Jungle — ... I mean, we did beat 2 straight so-called playoff caliber teams, and really should have beat Cleveland. "The Bengals of old would have laid down," Ochocinco said. "We would have been rattled."Also, Keith Rivers agrees with everyone that Stokely's TD was a fluke. ...

Getting to Know the Enemy: Cincy Jungle Talks About the Improved Bengals
Dawgs By Nature — ... Josh: "Last year we said that our best offseason pickup was Mike Zimmer, the Bengals’ defensive coordinator. He came in with an iron fist and the defensive players responded favorably. Plus, we’ve acquired decent talent in the past two years, ranging from Keith Rivers, ...

Game Review: Your Cincinnati Bengals are 3-1. The rest is just background noise
Cincy Jungle — ... , while still aggressive as hell, guessed the wrong point of attack, leaving massive holes beside him. Keith Rivers was, well, he was somewhere I'm sure. When Chris Crocker came up to the line of scrimmage to give the Bengals defense eight-in-the-box, Crocker missed multiple tackles; some of which should have occurred in the backfield. ...

Bengals First Quarter Review: Saying satisfied like only Billy Dee Williams can
Cincy Jungle — ... Linebackers Tackles Keith Rivers 29 Dhani Jones 25 Rey Maualuga ...

Bengals Defense Front & Center
Cincy Jungle — ... . The Ravens have almost 500 total yards rushing with 6 TDs in 4 games, McGahee is averaging 5.4 yards a carry. Keith Rivers and ...

How To Beat The Cincinnati Bengals
Baltimore Beatdown — ... This is not the "Bungles" team that we saw last year, when the Ravens easily swept both games from them. Cincinnati has greatly improved a defense that was better than most people thought last year. A healthy Keith Rivers plus the addition of rookie Rey Maualaga has made the linebacking corps more like the Ravens' group that Cincy coach Marvin Lewis used to rule over. The addition of Roy Williams at safety helps their already good set of cornerbacks. The health of ...

Another Reason to Argue for Hines Ward's HOF Candidacy
Behind the Steel Curtain — ... after him. When the NFL Network announced the most recent round of HOF candidates a couple of weeks ago, they had two HOF voters on the show. One said that she believed that a major consideration for whether a player is HOF worthy is whether you could tell the story of the NFL without them or not. I think it's clear that you cannot tell the story of the NFL without Hines Ward. His blocking down the field is so physical that they had to change the rules because of the hit he put on Keith Rivers in the 2008 season, breaking his jaw. The hit was legal then. ...

Keith Rivers leaves on crutches. MRI shows it's not a season-ending injury
Cincy Jungle — ... head coach Marvin Lewis said “I don’t know that.” On the Bengals second possession, with 6:49 left in the first quarter, Evan Mathis injured an ankle and gingerly walked to the lockerroom. He didn't return. Johnathan Joseph and Robert Geathers were injured and missed a few snaps, but later returned. In Geathers case, he recorded a late fourth quarter sack that forced the Ravens to go for it on third-and-19 with 2:16 left in the game. Keith Rivers left the game early in the third quarter after a Kevin ...

BTSC Steelers Daily Six Pack-Game Day Edition
Behind the Steel Curtain — ...   XIV-I know this whole issue has been beaten to death, but seriously my only comment is that you can stomp on someone's face, you can take cheap shots at a quarterback's knees but Hines Ward is the dirtiest player in the NFL?  In my mind Hines Ward is what you want any receiver to be, a complete player that makes everyone around him better by his intensity and thirst for the game.  I wonder how many times Ed Reed and Keith Rivers got to vote.  Hines did respond to the label and seems ...

Open Thread: Cincinnati Bengals (7-2) at Oakland Raiders (2-7)
Cincy Jungle — ...   Evan Mathis Jeremi Johnson   Keith Rivers     ...

Domata Peko suffered sprained MCL; Bengals bringing Benson along slowly
Cincy Jungle — ... fourth quarter, the Raiders only rushed the football seven times for 13 yards. Then again, Peko could have been a big contributor collapsing the pocket forcing Bruce Gradkowski to flow into Robert Geathers, Jonathan Fanene or Michael Johnson. Though, that's hardly assurance, considering most of Oakland's passing game was quick high percentage passes. Peko is expected to return next Sunday. Other possible returns could include Evan Mathis and Keith Rivers. Geoff Hobson did write that the team plans to bring ...

Interview With Pro Football Focus Reveals Excellent Analysis, New Jinx
Behind the Steel Curtain — ... and Keith Rivers to our mid-season All-Pro and both are injured. You should be paying us to put their CBs on the team too! ...

Five Questions with Cincy Jungle
Pride Of Detroit — ... their offense has scored fewer points than any other team that is currently in first place.  Is it accurate to say that Cincinnati's stellar defense is the biggest reason why they're 8-3? It would be a good place to start, that’s for sure. The team’s pass rush is vastly improved but their rush defense, which ranks third in the NFL, is combined with excellent defensive tackle play and a great linebacker lineup with Rey Maualuga, Dhani Jones, Keith Rivers and Brandon Johnson, who could arguably be the best ...

Lions-Bengals Injury Report (Week 13)
Pride Of Detroit — ... DT Domata Peko Knee Doubtful DT Tank Johnson Knee Probable LB Keith Rivers Calf Probable LB Rey ...

Inactive List: Detroit Lions (2-9) at Cincinnati Bengals (8-3)
Cincy Jungle — ... Dan Skuta   Cedric Benson Fui Vakapuna   Keith Rivers     Tom ...