Covered in elaborate Polynesian tribal tattoos with a wild mane of hair screaming down the middle of his back, Rey Maualuga looks like anything but a simple man.

But simplicity is exactly what the Cincinnati Bengals are looking for from their middle linebacker in 2012, something that didn’t come easy for Maualuga when he moved inside last year to replace Dhani Jones.

“In the offseason we talked a lot about how we can help him to become a better player, and one of the things is to not be so complicated with him,” Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer said. “Dhani Jones was a good player for us. He knew what everybody did on every single play and wanted to tell them what to do. Rey is not Dhani Jones. He’s tried to be Dhani Jones, but he doesn’t need to do that. He just needs to know what he does.”

It’s a change Maualuga is embracing as he enters the final season of the four-year contract he signed in 2009 after the Bengals drafted him out of USC in the second round, 38^th overall.

http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/sports/pro-sports/maualugas-mission-keep-it-simple/nQDqj/