espn's len pasquarelli covered thurman in this week's tip sheet..."Judging from the verbal bouquets being tossed around by Marvin Lewis, it appears second-round draft choice Odell Thurman will be the Cincinnati Bengals' fourth different starting middle linebacker on opening day in the last four years. He'll also be the fifth different starting MLB overall – Kevin Hardy all of 2003, then Nate Webster, Caleb Miller and Landon Johnson in 2004 – under Lewis' stewardship. Lewis said this week he will be surprised if Thurman and former Georgia teammate and first-round pick David Pollack aren't in the Bengals' opening day lineup at two of the linebacker spots. The sudden ascension of Thurman, who might actually be further along the learning curve than Pollack (who is making the transition from college defensive end), should not be that surprising. Most scouts felt Thurman possessed some of the top pure football skills in the 2005 draft class and he always played with great instinct and intensity. But the reality is that most teams do not invest first-round choices on middle linebackers, and that Thurman's off-field problems at Georgia probably conspired to keep him out of the top round. Still, plenty of personnel people realized that, in terms of a terrific football player, the Bengals got a steal by grabbing Thurman with the 48th overall selection. Lewis' flattering words about Thurman this week only confirmed that. The new defense installed by first-year coordinator Chuck Bresnahan is similar to the one in which Thurman played at Georgia, and that, too, has helped. It doesn't hurt, either, that Thurman has an undeniable presence and an air of confidence. The unsolicited concession by Lewis that Pollack and Thurman likely will be starters is further indication that he is anything but reluctant to use young players. And why not? In Lewis' first two seasons, the Cincinnati defense statically ranked 28th (in 2003) and 19th (in 2004) overall, and 25th and 26th versus the run, respectively. Sometimes you're just better off putting kids on the field and allowing them to grow, even if it means an aggressive mistake, right? Of the team's projected starters on defense for 2005, the Bengals figure to have a pair of second-year veterans (right end Robert Geathers and free safety Madieu Williams) along with Pollack and Thurman. The defensive lineup probably will have just two players – weak-side linebacker Brian Simmons and right corner Tory James – starting at the spots they did for Lewis' regular-season debut in 2003."