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| Height: 6-2 Weight: 241 Born: , Lake Mary, FL |
| Profile | Player Notes | Articles | Game Log |
| 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
| Player Notes |
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October 20, 2008 Linebacker Keith Rivers underwent surgery on Monday to repair two fractures in his jaw, the team's official web site reports. The rookie was placed on injured reserve, and his jaw will be wired shut for about six weeks. Our View:Please forgive our wording, but this is a tough break (or two) for the first-round pick. Brandon Johnson will replace Rivers in the lineup and might have a little IDP value. |
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October 19, 2008 Linebacker Keith Rivers is done for the season after suffering a broken jaw, according to NFL.com. Our View:Rivers was injured when he was hit hard from the side on a block by Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward. The rookie was replaced by Brandon Johnson and never returned to the game. |
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October 19, 2008 Linebacker Keith Rivers exited the game against Pittsburgh in the first quarter with a head injury. Our View:Rivers was pancaked on a block by wide receiver Hines Ward. The game announcers are reporting that the rookie has a jaw injury and is unlikely to return to the game. Rivers has been replaced in the starting lineup by Brandon Johnson. |
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September 8, 2008 The Bengals lost to the Ravens, but rookie linebacker Keith Rivers made a strong impact in his regular season debut with 10 tackles (nine solo). Our View:He should be considered for fantasy lineups in Week 2 against the Titans, and could emerge as a solid weekly starter. |
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September 4, 2008 Rookie linebacker Keith Rivers would like to change his number from 58 to 55, but it may cost him a bundle to do so, according to ESPN.com. Rivers has a deal with Reebok, which has already printed a season's worth of No. 58 jerseys with his name on them. Should he switch to 55, he could have to pay the company a $10,000 fee. Our View:Players buy numbers from teammates for more than that almost every year, but paying a company is not something that happens quite often. Whatever number he is, Rivers should be a play maker for the Bengals defense, something they sorely need. |
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August 17, 2008 Keith Rivers led the Bengals with seven tackles in his preseason debut against Green Bay, but promises to be sharper in Sunday's game against Detroit, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. He was unaware he led the team in tackles and said, "I didn't feel like I was as sharp as I should have been. I should do better. I don't like to get yelled at. I try to do my job the best I can." Our View:He could start at weakside linebacker against the Lions, and could stay there heading into Week 1 if he performs well. |
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August 16, 2008 Cincinnati linebacker Keith Rivers led the team with seven tackles in the team's preseason game against the Green Bay Packers, and is in line to get a starting job, according to Sporting News Today. Our View:It was no secret that Rivers was going to be a starter for the Bengals as soon as he could pick up the defense. The team desperately needs him to be a playmaker to help shore up their suspect defense. |
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August 10, 2008 Rookie Keith Rivers missed 10 days and 12 practices of training camp during his holdout, but is quickly picking up the Bengals' defense and could be listed as the starting weakside linebacker on their new depth chart next week, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. Our View:He would pass Brandon Johnson, and Rivers has the skills to generate solid numbers right away as a rookie if he nails down the starting job. |
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August 5, 2008 Linebacker Keith Rivers has signed a five-year deal with the Bengals, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. "I’m glad to be here with the other guys, to be officially a part of the team," Rivers says in a statement. The rookie missed 10 days of camp. Our View:Rivers won't be handed the starting job, especially after this holdout. We expect the talented first-round pick to earn the weakside spot, but Brandon Johnson has been playing well while Rivers was holding out. |
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August 5, 2008 Linebacker Keith Rivers has arrived at Bengals camp, will sign his contract soon, and could practice on Wednesday morning, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. Our View:Rivers can now concentrate on winning a job and (hopefully) helping IDP fantasy teams. He'll have to make up for lost time and try to unseat Brandon Johnson, who had a very good first week of camp. |
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August 4, 2008 Pro Football Talk reports that linebacker Keith Rivers, and the Cincinnati Bengals are close to a contract. Rivers was the team's first-round pick, and the ninth overall selection. Our View:Rivers has missed more than a week of training camp, and it is unlikely he will play the large role on defense that the Bengals assumed he would, at least early in the season. |
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August 4, 2008 Keith Rivers remains unsigned and the team is still far apart in contract negotiations, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Our View:The rookie first-rounder was expected to play a big role in the Bengals' defense this season as the starting weakside linebacker, but his chance to make an impact early dwindles with each day of camp that he misses due to his holdout. |
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August 2, 2008 Linebacker Keith Rivers, the ninth overall pick in the draft and one of two first-rounders still unsigned, missed a scrimmage and his seventh practice of camp, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. Our View:Rivers is expected to be a big part of the Bengals defense, which has not been good during head coach Marvin Lewis' time there. His holdout is costing him the chance to play a big role early on, which will hurt the Cincinnati defense. |
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July 27, 2008 Keith Rivers remains the only Bengals' rookie who is still unsigned, according to the AP. Our View:Rivers, who was the ninth overall pick in the draft, was projected to start at weakside linebacker this season, but that could change if he continues to miss valuable practice time in training camp during his holdout. |
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July 15, 2008 Discussions are underway with representatives for first-round pick Keith Rivers, the former Southern Cal linebacker selected by the Cincinnati Bengals with the ninth overall pick in the April draft, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. Our View:Rivers was a disruptive force during mini-camps, and is expected to start his career in Cincinnati on the weak side. |
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June 16, 2008 Rookie linebacker Keith Rivers (USC) has been a disruptive force in the backfield so far in practice, and is also displaying great range in pass coverage, according to the Dayton Daily News. Our View:Rivers is an intense player, and if he holds on to start as a rookie, he would make a solid impact as an IDP. |
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May 15, 2008 Rookie Keith Rivers could start at weak-side linebacker this season, according to the Dayton Daily News, who are already projecting him for the job. Our View:Rivers is a great athlete who flies around the field to make plays. He excels at defending the run and will also provide a presence as a blitzer on passing downs. If he holds on to start as a rookie, he would make a solid impact as an IDP. |
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May 5, 2008 First-round draft pick Keith Rivers, a linebacker from Southern Cal, worked on the weak-side position - which he played in college - and impressed coaches with his fluid play and work ethic during the Cincinnati Bengals’ three-day (five practice) rookie minicamp this past weekend, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. Coaches were impressed, too, with Rivers' natural leadership and ability to call his position players together. "He showed things that are innate," Lewis said. "Every time he was not in a meeting, he was upstairs watching tape on his own. He already gets it." Our View:Rivers is penciled in to start on the weak-side, and possesses the sideline-to-sideline athletic ability to make an impact in the IDP world in 2008. |
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May 2, 2008 The Cincinnati Bengals are likely to give first-round pick Keith Rivers looks at both weak-side and middle linebacker, according to Pro Football Weekly. Rivers’ high skill level, strong character and advanced football intelligence have the Bengals thinking big things; the hope is that Rivers’ learning curve is accelerated because of these factors. Our View:Rivers started on the weak side at USC, leading us to believe he will at least start out on the weak side as a professional. With the latest arrest of Ahmad Brooks and the uncertainty of the contributions of Odell Thurman, nothing is set in stone at this point. |
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April 26, 2008 The Cincinnati Bengals selected USC linebacker Keith Rivers with the ninth overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. Our View:Cincinnati really wanted another Trojan, Sedrick Ellis, but settled for Rivers after the Saints moved in front of them in the trade with New England. The Bengals linebacker corps was decimated by injuries last year, and Rivers possesses the athleticism to be a three down backer in Cincinnati. |
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April 3, 2008 Keith Rivers quickly made sure the USC Pro Day was every bit the athletic spectacle scouts expected, according to FOX Sports. Rivers kicked off the morning wowing scouts with a 42-inch vertical jump — a full 8 inches better than any outside linebacker recorded at the combine in February — and a 10' 7" broad jump that also topped any other linebacker tested in Indianapolis. Rivers' efforts weren't limited to leaping, as he also impressed scouts with a 4.51 in the 40-yard dash. Rivers, who didn't work out at the combine due to an ankle injury, is viewed by many as the top linebacker of the 2008 class, and could make an impact in his rookie season, if he is drafted into the right situation. |