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NFL Draft Bible interview with Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Keith Rivers.
Linebacker Keith Rivers interviewed on the All Access Radio's Football Friday Show with Ralph Mancini, Daniel Mogollon and Rodney Towe in our Linebacker Special on March 20, 2009
How was your rookie year in the NFL? What surprised you about going to the next level?
Rivers: It was what every guy says, it’s more of a job. For me, on Thursdays, it was kind of like the movie Office Space, they had a case of the Mondays and I had a case of the Thursdays. (Laughs). I had to be up at 6:15 and be to workouts by 6:45 and not be done by 7 at night, so a little bit of a 12-hour day there. That’s the main thing, but as far as balling and everything, when you play at a high level with a great coach like coach (Pete) Carroll and coach (Ken) Norton you are kind of accustomed to it and you’re able to mix in fairly seamlessly. But it's just different, it's work.
Is it a big adjustment coming from USC? You have great players, great coach in Pete Carroll, you’re coming from sunny California, you have celebrities and beaches, you guys are living it up at USC.
Rivers: It’s definitely a culture shock when you get out there, but Cincinnati is a great place. At the end of the day, if there’s a football team in LA you couldn’t do any of the things that LA brings, you just get to enjoy the weather. It's work and you have to have that mentality, you have to go to work and put your hard hat on and grind it out on those Thursdays, those 12-hour days.
There has been talk about rule changes. One of the things that came up was the hit you received from Hines Ward when you were injured. The League was discussing making a rule where you can’t hit a guy high on a blindside hit. What are your thoughts on that?
Rivers: At the end of the day, that’s kind of a sore subject. It is what it is. At the end of the day, you have any place to hit somebody and this game is only so long. The average lifespan is three years and I already lost half a year due to a hit like that. But at the end of the day, it is football and you just have to keep your head on a swivel and stay looking for the blindside stuff.
If you had a vote, would you vote for that type of rule?
Rivers: I don’t know. That’s up to the guys who have the vote; they get the opportunity to do that. Whatever happens, happens. But for me, in the future, I just need to be wiser and know when you have a guy who is going to do stuff like that. I'd say 90 percent of the guys in the league don’t do stuff like that, but when you got a guy like that, you have to look out.
What has been the key factor in the defense’s improvement in your opinion?
Rivers: We just kept plugging at it. Coach (Marvin) Lewis had a saying to keep your head to the grinding stone and one day that rock will break. We were in the lower half of the league, ranked 12th defensively and that number is only going to jump up this upcoming year. We just kept working, kept believing and just controlled what we can control; which is effort and our pass defense.
One thing that (Defensive Coordinator) Mike Zimmer preaches is aggressiveness on defense, but where were the sacks? You only had 17 sacks. Why couldn’t your team be more productive in that area?
Rivers: We didn’t get as many sacks, which was tough and that kept us on the field a little bit. Things happen and hopefully this year we will be more productive in that area, but it’s just something we need to keep working on. The Bengals being the top defense in the league isn’t going to be built in a day. We made strides to get there but we have to keep working.
Could you tell us about one of your teammates who you think is ready to take it to the next level?
Rivers: There’s a ton of guys, I would hate to single anybody out. Guys have just done an excellent job, guys like Frostee Rucker and Dhani Jones, they’ve just done a great job and they'll continue to do a great job. The DB’s have been stellar and were going to continue to build on what we did last year and try and maximize that and try to get to the single digits in the defensive rankings.
Have you watched Dhani Jones’ show?
Rivers: Oh yeah, I have watched his show. Me and Dhani have a little rivalry going on, us both being linebackers. I like to tell him when he’s on his first workout I'm on my second workout; while he’s doing his TV show out tackling the globe, I’m getting ready to tackle football players.
I’m sure you’re also reminding him of some of the Rose Bowl scores between USC and Michigan, right?
Rivers: Always...him and Leon (Hall).
We have a poll question on our website NFLDraftBible.com and the question asks, “Which USC linebacker will be the best pro: Rey Maualuga, Brian Cushing, or Clay Matthews Jr.?” If the computer was in front of you right now, where would you click?
Rivers: (Laughs) Come on man, you know I can’t say that. All of those guys are excellent football players and they’re going to dominate next year in the NFL. They all have different attributes and as we all know, it all depends on what scheme you go to and what system you go to.
Everyone knows about Maualuga and Cushing, but did Matthews surprise you on how far he shot up?
Rivers: No, that was my roommate for the last three years so I know what kind of work he’s taking. He’s been so strict in his diet and has been really hungry to get where he’s at, and now he’s going to be a first-round draft pick. I couldn’t be more elated for him.
Do you hear from these guys throughout the whole draft process?
Rivers: Yeah, I talk to the guys all the time. Me and Thomas Williams, we try to give them advice, just from the experience that we went through and how to take the process.
What has been the public sentiment there in Cincinnati? What are the fans saying out there?
Rivers: People are frustrated...you know, 4-11-1 is frustrating. You have to realize that we finished the season with a lot of upside. We have a young nucleus and we have a lot of stuff to build on. The defense is great and we were missing some key ingredients like three-time Pro Bowler, Carson Palmer. Those are just some things to digest and they know that. The Cincinnati fans are very smart fans, they know what kind of team we have when we have Carson and now we have a pretty decent defense that’s only going to get better and become one of the better defenses in the league. I think there’s a sense of optimism and hope that this year, we can turn the corner.
What’s the latest on Carson Palmer? How’s he doing in his recovery?
Rivers: That I know of, he’s great and he’s getting back to 100 percent and he’ll be ready to go. In this business you guys know more than I do. (Laughs)
Time for three-and-out...First Down: Who is your favorite athlete of all-time, in any sport?
Rivers: Umm...that’s a tough one. Do I have a time frame. because I might be saying umm all night. (Laughs)
Who did you have a poster of when you were a kid?
Rivers: I didn’t because I wanted to be greater than who was the best. Let’s just say Jesse Owens.
Second Down: Who is your favorite baseball player of all-time?
Rivers: My favorite baseball player, even though he had a down year, is one of my very good buddies, Barry Zito. He had a bad year but he’s coming back strong this year, I promise.
He plays a mean guitar too.
Rivers: Yeah, he’s out there.
Third Down: Who’s got the best hair: Cushing, Maualuga, or Matthews, Jr.?
Rivers: Man, you got another tough one there. I’m going to go with Clay because I remember him talking to his mom about leaving conditioners on and stuff like that, so I’m going to go with Clay. (Laughs).  Trackback(0)
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