Offensive line depth (R. Thomas' injury)

[itvnetop]

Originally Posted by The Goat

Nonsense. I'll go back and read the threads when I've got time but it blew my mind how many posts went on and on about his inability to play anything but MLB and how it was the talent around him that made him look good. I mean i don't even watch every USC game and I could tell that kid has got football pumping through his veins. I think Rey alone makes Cincy one of the big winners in this draft...not so sure how Smith will turnout. I think Oher may be the safer bet between the two, if just as a career RT.

I won't back down from what I said before the draft- I still believe Rey was the weakest pick out of the three Trojan linebackers from what I watched at SC the last few seasons. I still think Cush is going to wreck havoc in Houston and it will take Clay a few seasons to really show his worth, as he's a late bloomer. I'm happy Rey's making plays so far- but guess what... Cincy's coaching staff is letting him freelance a bit more because he's surrounded by two better, more disciplined linebackers in Dhani Jones and Keith Rivers (and Rivers is a far superior player than Rey at this level... yes, he has a season on him- but Keith is the real deal). Coincidence?

Sorta like at SC- the Bengals' coaches are playing to Rey's strength (aggressive headhunting/playmaking) and you can only achieve that in a system that allows for such a player. Most NFL teams bypassed him because most d-coordinators don't want the headache of such a high risk-high reward player that may not fit into a structured scheme that relies on every player to remain in their zones.

I bet if you were on this board before the 2000 draft, you would have been pretty amped on LaVar Arrington as well- the dude had pretty much the same MO as Rey coming out of school. Highlight hits, incredible speed and power, etc. His shortcomings were the same exact ones Rey had- inconsistency, tendency to overpursue, looking for the big hit instead of the solid tackle, slow to fill cut back lanes, etc. Do you honestly think Rey would be making a difference in DC? What makes him that much better than LaVar coming out of college? I was the biggest LA fan for most of his career , btw...

Remember, 31 teams may not have drafted Rey not because he isn't a playmaker and won't make SportsCenter highlights once in a while... but maybe because their systems don't allow (or don't have the surrounding personnel) the luxury of a freelancing headhunter that makes crowds go "Ahhhh."

It's been two games and I'm not yet ready to write off Orakpo for an Oher swap w/ a Rey miracle throw-in somehow (even though Oher is definitely the real deal for B-Mo). Did I just really defend a Longhorn over my own Trojan-in-arms? Somebody slap me...