Bengals’ Rey Maualuga Is What He Is

Rey Maualuga is a name that causes consternation with Cincinnati Bengals fans around the country. He was once hailed as the next “Ray Lewis” and Bengals fans thought they struck gold when he was drafted in the second round of the 2009 NFL draft. While Maualuga has been a solid NFL pro, he has never been able to satisfy the expectations set out for him. Should we just embrace Maualuga for who he is, a solid run stopper and a deficient pass defender?

Maualuga was expected to be the dominant inside linebacker for the Bengals that the team could build around for the future. His tackle numbers are mediocre, with his highest number of total tackles (122) coming in 2012. Those 122 tackles ranked as…