Bengals Have Less Than 24-Hours To Make Decision On Keith Rivers
by Ryan Harper on Nov 28, 2011 6:00 PM EST
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PrintIn 2008 the Bengals drafted linebacker Keith Rivers out of the University of Southern California with the ninth overall selection. He was expected to be someone that the Bengals could build the defense around. However, that hasn't been the case due to injuries that have derailed his career up to this point.
Rivers has missed the entire season up to this point due to a broken wrist that required surgery. At first he was only expected to miss approximately one month, but that hasn't been the case. Before the season started he was placed on PUP. Rivers has used that entire six-week period plus a three week exemption allowed by the NFL.
Now a decision must be made on the former first-round pick. The Bengals must decide by 4 p.m. Tuesday if they are going to place him on IR or find a spot for him on the team and release somebody else. As of now it would appear that the Bengals are more likely to place him on IR rather than activating him. He still has potential to be a contributing force on defense so why give up on him and put a healthy linebacker on IR?
In order to replace Rivers the Bengals signed former Oakland Raiders linebacker Thomas Howard to a two-year contract. His role with the Raiders had diminished drastically over the past two seasons after three consecutive seasons of 95 or more tackles. Howard added some much needed depth for the Bengals and he has provided stability at a position that has been bit by the injury bug frequently this season.
So far this season Howard hasn't disappointed anyone within Bengals Nation. He currently leads the team in tackles with 63, two forced fumbles, five tackles for a loss. Not bad for a guy who had a combined 88 tackles the past two seasons in 28 games.
As for Rivers, it will remain to be seen as to what his future with the team will be. During his four-year career Rivers has missed a total of 24 games up to this point of the 2011 season. If he is placed on IR then that total will reach 29 games. Last season Rivers compiled 77 tackles and one sack in 15 games. At Howard's current pace he will easily pass Rivers' 2010 numbers.
During his rookie season Rivers was off to a solid start before Hines Ward's jaw-breaking hit ended his season after seven games. He finished his rookie season with 37 tackles, one interception, and one forced fumble. Rivers hasn't been able to stay on the field for an entire season. Last season Rivers played in the most games in a single season for his career as compiled 77 tackles and one sack in 15 games.
Those aren't eye-popping numbers, but who knows what he could do during an entire season when he's completely healthy. Only time will tell what the Bengals decide to do with Rivers.
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Har to imagine they dont' put him on IR
All the same, I think he’d be a really valuable addition to our depth down the final stretch if he is healthy. One thing that’s pretty obvious is that you can’t go wrong giving Zimmer more pieces to play with. Rivers might not be elite, but he’s a very good OLB, especially against the run. I wouldn’t expect him to take the starting job away from Howard or Lawson, but he could be a good player to put in on running downs and he would certainly be a lifesaver in case of an injury to any of our starters.
He's also good in coverage...
something that Howard is good at as well but Lawson is very so-so at. Lawson’s biggest asset for us this season has been his ability to stop the run and blow up running backs in the backfield.
if pat sims is done for the season (don't know - pure speculation)
Do you IR sims and put rivers on the active roster for depth down the playoff stretch?
" Mike Brown is the owner that Cincy doesn't deserve, not the one it needs..."
scratch this, appears sims will be back at some point
probably not this week, per joe reedy’s twitter:
Sims walking better. I Would put it as questionable at this point early in the week for Sunday
" Mike Brown is the owner that Cincy doesn't deserve, not the one it needs..."
That's great news
I was waiting to hear about him. Watching the replay, I thought his ACL was done for. WHen he went out on the cart I gave up on him for the season. For him to even be questionable for next week is fantastic news. Means he should be back at the absolute least by the end of the season and hopefully the playoffs.
If Dunlap is still out.....
they could be looking at going to Pitt with only 6 healthy DL.
If he's questionable for Sunday, that's a great side.
I was worried about his career after that injury- it seemed that nasty to me. But if there’s a chance he’ll play Sunday, he’ll almost surely be back sometime this year.
LB Depth
We’re forgetting that before this year, one of our biggest concerns was LB depth. Although we have other concerns right now, I’m sure there is someone we can take off the 53 man roster to make room for a former first-round pick in Rivers. The post said he’s had injuries, while he has, he couldn’t help that b.s. hit he took from Ward that made him miss the season with a broken jaw. Has he been a stand out at LB? No. But he has been above average in my book. He’s not necessarily a play maker, but he’s very consistent.
by Striped Buckeye on Nov 28, 2011 6:24 PM EST reply actions
Drop Sims and go to a 3-4 with Rivers
kidding….We have to keep Rivers…Sorry VINCENT REY…I’m sure the coaches know what Rivers ability is……
If he thinks he can play and Marvin thinks he can play...
we absolutely should use him, albeit maybe in a more limited role. But I think his presence out there might help ease Rey’s transition into the middle since they did play together in college and Rey was the middle backer at the time. It creates a sense of comfort and Rivers played nearly every game for us last season while Rey quietly had a better year last year than he has had so far this season. Rey just doesn’t look comfortable out there running the defense right now and having Rivers back in the lineup might change that.
I wouldn't mind seeing a LB rotation
like the rotation we have on the DLine. It would keep our guys fresh throughout the game and potentially let guys make a bigger impact
I can't see Rivers going to IR. It would be silly, especially since this is the time of year when injuries start to rack up.
Anybody could go down at any moment, keep as many guys as you can as options to play. If we cut Vincent Rey or somebody else there’s a chance they don’t get picked up elsewhere. If we IR Rivers we are just out the ability to use him for the rest of the year. Take a chance.
Change gone come mane! Trust me! Cause i Bleed tigerblood!--Jerome Simpson
At the same time, if he can't play he can't play.
And besides that, it’s not like he figures to be a huge asset. Good for depth, sure, but he won’t vastly improve this defense. Might as well get him ready for next year if it doesn’t seem like he’ll be healthy enough this year.
I have a feeling...
if he goes on IR everyone here is going to be demanding we trade him and move on. Not saying that it’ll happen though it’ll just be a popular topic.
I thought he was looking good as well
You almost forget just how many significant injuries this team has dealt with this year and not really missed a beat.
Muckelroy (when Rey was hurt), Rivers, and Shipley all would have most certainly made a significant contribution to this team this year.
Fair enough. If they know he can't play this year, IR him.
If he can play, don’t.
Change gone come mane! Trust me! Cause i Bleed tigerblood!--Jerome Simpson
Even when he wasn't hurt he
certainly never looked like a force on the field to be reckoned with. Like so many Bengals linebackers who were top draft picks… you’d trade the whole lot of ’em for one dominant guy. Somehow this franchise and dominant linebackers are like oil and water.
by occams_tiger_teeth on Nov 28, 2011 8:42 PM EST reply actions
Rivers was an acceptable LB when he was healthy and one of the better players
on a generally mediocre team. I would IR the guys and tell him to get ready to prove he can step up and be a positive force on a championship team. Good 5th round pick. Too bad he was a 1st.
"If we always agree, one of us is not necessary"
Keith Rivers has been average at best.
I know that he has been hurt but he has not lived up t0 a top 10 pick. Cincy wanted Sedric Ellis that year but let the Saints jump in front of them. You can never have too many LB and Rivers will be an improvement over Manny Lawson who has played poorly. Brandon Johnson should start over Manny Lawson.
Kenneth Lewis Moore
by lightskin350 on Nov 29, 2011 1:44 AM EST up reply actions
Tough to say
He was on pace for a fine rookie season before getting his jaw broken in that Steeler game.
I think I lean with the poster above who wonders if that hit didn’t also knock the heart out of him. Shame. I liked him. He had some things to learn, but he seemed both intelligent and coachable.
... I still say it was a touchdown, got tammit.
.
shibacle said it.
and I have nothing to base this on other than my gut instinct…I think that Hines Ward hit knocked his heart right out of his chest.
... I still say it was a touchdown, got tammit.
release whalen
And keep rivers, btw are we not going to get any contributions from any of the rest of this years draft class?
by Jasonistheman11 on Nov 29, 2011 8:58 AM EST via mobile reply actions
I'm a little surprised Whalen hasn't been able to contribute
When Shipley went down I thought for sure Whalen would at least start dressing on Sundays. The guy went to Stanford, so I find it hard to believe he can’t grasp the playbook. Might just not be that talented. Seemed like a strange draft pick to me at the time, looks really dumb now.
I feel like I have said this a million times
Keith Rivers is a 4-3 WLB. That is not a glamour position. That isn’t a position that sacks the QB. It isn’t a position that gets INT’s. It’s a position that keeps a 5 yard run from becoming a 10 yard run. It’s about as thankless of a job as you can get on a football team maybe after long snapper. The thing about Rivers is he’s probably one of the most solid tacklers in the league, but that’s about all he has going for him. That being said, teams run away from him when he’s on the field. It’s why his tackle numbers were never as high as Dhani’s or Rey’s. Teams didn’t run to his side that often because they knew that RB’s probably aren’t going to make Rivers miss. If he gets a hand on you, that’s the end of the play. It’s not sexy, but it’s incredibly valuable. And like I said before, how can you not want to give Zimmer more quality players to work with? Keith Rivers will never go to a Pro Bowl, but he can very easily make this defense better by playing a situational role.
really?
It’s been a while since he was on the field, but I don’t remember ever watching Keith Rivers and thinking “there’s a solid tackler”. Most of all I remember thinking “where the hell was Rivers on that play?!?”
He hasn’t had a lot of experience in the NFL, so it is kinda early in his career to label him a bust… but it’s hard to ignore the complete lack of impact he’s had with the team.
by indesignkat on Nov 29, 2011 11:35 AM EST up reply actions
So correct!!!!!
When he was on the fiend he was constantly getting beat on passes and getting outrun,
I represent the Bengals of Cincinnati with extreme passion and prejudice and make no apologies for it!
blue collar vs. invisible
I don’t understand how you can make this argument when Howard is running around like a beast. As he could probably tell you, it doesn’t have to be a thankless position. I never once saw Rivers fall forward when making a tackle. RBs didn’t need to make him miss because they knew they’d get an extra 3-4 yards after contact before he finally got them down. Let’s not forget this guy was a reach when they picked him. They needed a ‘character’ pick for pr purposes, and he’s been a reach ever since, by far the most overpaid man on the roster. I heard Lance Briggs used to be one of the best long snappers in football, but then he switched to 4-3 WLB because he couldn’t handle the limelight.
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