Any look back at Bengals WLB Keith Rivers' rookie season — and any look forward at what Rivers could become — must start with how his first year ended: on the receiving end of a block from physical Steelers WR Hines Ward. 

The blow broke Rivers' jaw in two places, landed him on injured reserve and rendered him a spectator for the second half of the season. It's exactly the sort of injury someone could dwell upon, but it is old news to Rivers.

"I put it behind me," Rivers said last week. "People bring it up, but it happened months ago. It's over and done with."

Rivers' return is one of many reasons for optimism for a Cincinnati defense that finished strong in 2008 after suffering a wave of injuries. The Bengals finished 12th in yards allowed, an impressive feat considering only seven defenses were on the field more — and that Rivers, from whom much was expected as a rookie, missed the final nine games.

"We're excited about this defense," Rivers said. "That was just scratching the surface last season."

The same could be said for Rivers.

When he was in the lineup, the 6-2, 241-pounder was more steady than spectacular, but he occasionally flashed the ability that convinced the Bengals to take him No. 9 overall in the 2008 draft. Rivers notched eight tackles or more in three of his first six NFL games, and he returned an interception 39 yards against Dallas in Week Five.

"You always aim to do better, but I thought I was always coming along all right," Rivers said.

Then came his first-ever meeting with Pittsburgh on Oct. 19. Early in the first quarter, Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger evaded pressure, rolled right and hit TE Matt Spaeth on a short pass. As Rivers pursued behind the play, Ward took dead aim at the rookie linebacker.

"I actually saw the block coming, but it came so fast, I couldn't yell to him," Bengals SLB Rashad Jeanty recalled last week.

Ward hit Rivers squarely in the jaw with his helmet, and both players tumbled to the ground. Ward got up and walked back to his huddle, but Rivers, after sitting up briefly, lay on the turf as the Bengals' medical staff came to his aid.

Rivers' mouth was wired shut for the next six weeks, and he dropped weight. "At the end of the day, you eat what you can eat," Rivers said. "You're sick of eating the same stuff. It's all liquids, anything you can blend up into a blender."

While Rivers adjusted to his new diet, he also adjusted to not playing, something that didn't come easily to him. Both Jeanty and the Bengals' LB coach, Jeff FitzGerald, saw Rivers cope with not being able to help his teammates. Jeanty remembered seeing Rivers with watery eyes, "wishing he could play." FitzGerald noted that Rivers didn't stay away from the club after his injury, continuing to attend meetings and taking copious notes.

"Since that day of his injury, he's been a driven man," FitzGerald said. "He was disappointed. He lost time."

Rivers, who also had offseason ankle surgery, returned for the club's workouts this spring in good shape. His weight is back up; in fact, FitzGerald noted, Rivers "looks like he was better put together than he was before."

Rivers also has worked to become more well-versed in Mike Zimmer's defense — a scheme in which he believes he can excel. Rivers has worked closely with DT Tank Johnson, who will be playing directly in front of him in the Bengals' 4-3 scheme, with an eye on understanding how Johnson will combat the guard and center when double-teamed. The goal is to give Rivers as many quick, clean runs to the ball as possible.

Jeanty sees a marked change in Rivers' understanding of the Bengals' scheme.

"The biggest difference I've seen is he's more vocal," Jeanty said. "He's making the right calls at the right time. His pre-snap reads are quicker."

"The main thing is, you have an idea of what is going on, instead of being blind and relying on someone else," Rivers said of the difference between his first and second offseasons in the pros. "You have your own experience."

And it has been a unique experience to date, considering how his first season ended. The block that Ward leveled would now draw a penalty and likely a fine after the NFL changed the rulebook this offseason to outlaw blocks thrown with the head, shoulder or forearm to the head and neck area of a defender.

But Rivers enters his second season focused on the present. "I'm not going to change the way I live," he said, noting he will wear the same style of helmet he did a season ago.

The Bengals are confident the raw talent they saw last season is ready to take a big step forward.

"He's quick. He's strong," FitzGerald said. "I feel extremely optimistic he is going to be a real force for us."

"Success for me," Rivers said, "is going and making a lot more big plays."