Monday, February 25, 2013
The Maualuga debate
By Tim Kavanagh
Over the past week, there were reports on both sides of the Rey Maualuga situation; one stated that the Cincinnati Bengals were moving on from their starting MLB, another claimed that they hoped to work things out and have re-sign him, possibly moving him over to the strong-side OLB spot with Vontaze Burfict taking over in the middle.
The conversation continues this week, as Bengals DC Mike Zimmer indicated that Maualuga is actually a lot better than some people give him credit for, and that in his absence, we'd really see how strong of a player the USC product is.
"He is, as you will find out when this free agency period starts, a lot better than what a lot of people give him credit for," Zimmer declared, per Bengals.com. "I think that's going to be what people are going to find out if he goes. If he's not here people are going to miss him and say we should have had him. That's how it works, like Justin Smith."
Mentioning Smith certainly brings up a sore spot for Bengals fans that saw the DE sign with the 49ers and become one of the most dominant defensive players in the NFL. But, let's not get carried away here:
Jamison Hensley
Bengals want to keep Maualuga"Smith became a four-time Pro Bowl player after he left Cincinnati for San Francisco. I'm not sure Maualuga has that sort of production in him, but he seems to be a better fit for outside (strong-side) linebacker, where he played his first two seasons for the Bengals."
