Rey Maualuga talks about fan criticism

Bengals linebacker Rey Maualuga is on fire.

Prior to training camp starting, he told the Dayton Daily News that the criticism he's heard doesn't affect him.

"I've received all the criticism, hate, tweets, Facebook posts and shrugged it off," Maualuga told Carlos Holmes in a one-on-one interview. "To concentrate on that would make me less of a player. If I'd let that stuff affect me I wouldn't have came back. Moving forward, I'm not focused on what they say here and there. It's a new season and everyone gets a fresh start. They can still talk. It will go in one ear and out the other."

Understandable. One must be focused and eliminating the static around you is only beneficial to one's cause.

Then he spoke to the press on Thursday and without knowing the origins of the comments or what the question was, he again went into a "you can't bother me" perspective. Talking about why he returned, Maualuga said he didn't return because of the fans.

"I'm not going to go to another team because I didn't feel welcome by the fans," Maualuga said. "If they could do it better than I could be they'd be in my position."

In the end, Maualuga relies on this three coaches, from Marvin Lewis, Mike Zimmer, and Paul Guenther, as well as his teammates. You? Not so much. But that's kind of how it should be?

Right?

Or not?

Your perspective starts now.