http://www.yardbarker.com/content/player/33471 Recent articles about Keith Rivers en-us The New England Patriots have signed LB Jerod Mayo, the 10th overall selection in the 2008 draft, and the guy taken right after Bengals first round pick LB Keith Rivers. That helps to establish the slot and raises hopes that Rivers will get into camp on time. Uh, no, James, it isn't Marvin White versus Chinedum [...] Thu, 24 Jul 2008 12:24:35 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294952 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294952 The Bengals finally got cracking on their 10 draft picks, reaching agreements with 5th round DT Jason Shirley, 6th round TE Matt Sherry and 7th round WR Mario Urrutia. Bengals.com's Geoff Hobson reports they may have begun to dance with 1st round LB Keith Rivers as well. 4 p.m. today is the deadline for reaching a [...] Tue, 15 Jul 2008 09:56:44 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/290660 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/290660 The Bengals have certainly been in the news often this off-season for a number of reasons. Both Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh have expressed their displeasure over their current contracts and at one point it looked as if both were going to skip the team's mini-camp. The team also released oft-troubled WR Chris Henry and LB Odell Thurman - call it addition by subtraction - but both are gifted players who were looked to help the team contend again this coming season. Cincinnati failed to address its most glaring need in free agency, defensive tackle, but it's not like they didn't try. A deal for Shaun Rogers fell through, and he ended up coming here to Cleveland, and a deal for Dewayne Robison from the Jets also failed to materialize. And on top of all this the Bengals lost arguably their best defensive player in FA, Justin Smith. With all this in mind the Bengals' draft went as follows (Thurman was still with the team at the time of the draft): Round 1 – Keith Rivers, OLB, USC (9) Round 2 – Jerome Simpson, WR, Costal Carolina (46) Round 3 – Pat Sims, DT, Auburn (77) Andre Caldwell, WR, Florida (97) Round 4 - Anthony Collins, OT, Kansas (112) Round 5 – Jason Shirley, DT, Fresno St. (145) Round 6 – Corey Lynch, S, Appalachian St. (177) Matt Sherry, TE, Villanova (207) Round 7 – Angelo Craig, DE, Cincinnati (244) Mario Urrutia, WR, Louisville (246) The Bengals also signed three players this off-season: Darryl Blackstock, LB Antwan Odom, DE Ben Utecht, TE So what does all this mean to the Browns and the rest of the AFC North? Well, besides the FA signings and possibly Rivers, the rest of the off-season acquisitions will more than likely be role players. Simpson will fill the void left by Henry and may be a viable option in the red zone with his size, but he will still be a work in progress, having not played against top competition. It's no secret that this team had trouble on the defensive side of the ball last season, and I don't expect that to change either this year, mainly because they failed to address the defensive line in the early rounds of the draft (1st-2nd rounds). The pick of Rivers will help, if he was able to roam freely, but teams will be able to make sure he is limited in his involvement (much like teams were able to contain Kamerion Wimbley this past season). I don't think it's hard to predict this team going 6-10 or 5-11; they will win some games because they still have a potent offense, but that can only get you so far, as we found out last year with our beloved Browns. Draft grade: C - What were they doing taking three wide receivers when they certainly had bigger needs? Yes, at the time it looked like Johnson would not play, but three seems a bit much. Season prediction: 5-11, last in AFC North Mon, 23 Jun 2008 17:15:05 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/281348 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/281348 If you want to talk about speed, this year's WR draft class has just that. It's amazing to hear these guys' times that they put up at the Pro Days. I'm just glad I don't have to cover them. Keith and I talk about a few of the wide receivers that we've played against in the Pac-10 (DeSean Jackson and Lavelle Hawkins from Cal, and Mark Bradford from Stanford). Thomas Mon, 14 Apr 2008 13:44:52 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/236917 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/236917 Yesterday my teammate Keith Rivers posted an article about our mentor, Ken Norton. Coach Norton was a great football player. Now he's able to coach us the way he played. We owe our success and accolades to him, and he helped transform how people look at USC. USC has been known as Running Back University, but now Keith and I like to consider it LBU (Linebacker University). We have a plethora of linebackers here, not just Keith and I but also in years past and in years to come. Next year's Draft should include Rey Maualuga, Brian Cushing, Kaluka Maiava, Clay Matthews... Thu, 10 Apr 2008 13:25:07 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/234514 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/234514 Nothing spectacular here. Just a short Pro Day message from USC QB John David Booty, who happened to be parked next to me in the parking lot. We were both leaving campus at the same time, so I figured why not get a few words from the Trojan QB. Thu, 10 Apr 2008 11:27:23 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/234406 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/234406 Ken Norton, Jr. has been both a coach and a mentor to me and my road dawg, Thomas Williams. We owe all of our success to him. He's taught us everything we know, and he's been there for us as a surrogate father since we're in college away from home, through the good times and the bad times. Thanks, Ken. Keith Wed, 09 Apr 2008 12:20:46 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/233373 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/233373 I'm pretty sure I could do 4.50, assuming it's measured in days, not seconds. These guys from USC do it a whole lot faster. Up-close-and-personal video from USC's Pro Day: Keith Rivers, Sedrick Ellis, Thomas Williams, Chauncey Washington, Sam Baker and Terrell Thomas. Tue, 08 Apr 2008 20:16:53 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/232623 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/232623 Thanks everyone for your comments and positive messages. If you haven't seen it already on T-Will's blog, check out this video from the day after Pro Day at USC. Me and Thomas Williams recap a hard day's work. Mon, 07 Apr 2008 10:42:23 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/231123 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/231123 Here's a video filmed the day after Pro Day, me and my road dawg Keith Rivers talking football in the team room at USC. Sat, 05 Apr 2008 16:28:18 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/229704 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/229704 What's up, Yardbarkers? I'm excited to be joining the Yard. I'm a USC linebacker from Lake Mary, FL. I came all the way out to L.A. It's been a great four years. I'm excited to make the jump to the NFL. Just had Pro Day yesterday. Things went fairly well, and now I've got upcoming trips to visit with teams: New Orleans, New England, Detroit and Dallas. It's an exciting time but I've got to play the waiting game, and right now it all takes a back seat to finishing classes, taking finals, and getting a degree in public policy development. Keith Fri, 04 Apr 2008 13:27:26 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/228728 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/228728 What's up, Yard? I spent today at USC's Pro Day, where Sedrick Ellis, Keith Rivers, Thomas Williams, John David Booty, Lawrence Jackson, Fred Davis, Sam Baker, Chilo Rachal, Terrell Thomas, and others, worked out for NFL scouts. Below is a bit of what I learned after watching the drills, and also from speaking to coaches and scouts. These are the five guys who I watched most closely. I shot some video and a bunch of photos; between now and the Draft, we'll release some of the video, and I'll post some of the photos here in the comments. - Dewey CHAUNCEY WASHINGTON (RB): One scout said to me that on film Washington looks like a 4.73 guy. No one expected him to run a 4.35 forty. But he did. Surprise of the day. The stadium erupted when his official time was announced. SEDRICK ELLIS (DT): Sedrick Ellis is a beast, and fast too. Five seconds flat in the 40. But most impressive was his quickness out of the stance. The guy fires up and into his blocks. I don't think he'll last past Cincy at #9. KEITH RIVERS (LB): 42" inch vertical today. He literally out-jumped the machine designed to test vertical leaps. He had to do it again so that he could be measured properly. Rivers had nothing to prove today, but he worked out anyway. THOMAS WILLIAMS (LB): Maybe the smartest guy on the field. Scouts with whom I spoke love his intangibles and also his work ethic. He's not the same caliber as Rivers, but he helped himself today. I spoke with his teammate Rey Maualuga, who in a nutshell said that Williams was the most impressive guy at Pro Day, and that he made himself some money with a bump in draft stock. SAM BAKER (OT): He's a value pick in the second round, and a steal in the third round. He doesn't fare well on the quote-unquote measurables (i.e. he's slooooooooow) but in position drills he looks like a first-rounder. He's a football player, not a 40-yard-dash runner. Wed, 02 Apr 2008 23:09:05 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/227052 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/227052 It's mock draft time. You can never have enough of these, right? My Top 5 1. Chris Long 2. Vernon Gholston 3. Matt Ryan 4. Sedrick Ellis 5. Jake Long Thu, 13 Mar 2008 22:06:10 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/196982 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/196982 There are a lot of schools who could lay claim to being called 'Linebacker U.' To make the debate a little easier, here's a look at some of the prominent linebacker-producing schools, and who they've produced over the years. Wed, 12 Mar 2008 17:28:24 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/193965 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/193965