http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20090...n+Steelers

It's the main topic of conversation going into this week’s game against Pittsburgh, but Bengals linebacker Keith Rivers is trying to put last year’s hit by Hines Ward behind him. "It’s over with, it’s done with."
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“It’s a new week and that happened almost a year ago. It’s over with, it’s done with,” Rivers said during Wednesday’s open locker room session.

“I’ve moved on and I’m looking forward to finishing this season off and doing well. It’s in the past.”

For his part, Ward told reporters today he'd make the same blindside block again, even though this year it will bring a penalty.

It was a different Rivers than the one who spoke following the hit, when he said after the hit in last year’s Week 7 game: “You know, you reap what you sow. That’s what happens. What goes around, comes around. We’ll see what happens.”

Since that hit, which ended Rivers’ season, the league passed Rule 12-2-12, otherwise known as the Hines Ward rule, which eliminates blindside blocks to the head or neck area of an opponent.

The rules change was the first play seen on the NFL instructional video on rules changes shown to all the players and media during training camp. Rivers says he has seen the play often and has not talked to Ward.

This year, Rivers isn’t saying much and is trying to focus on the entire Steelers team, not just Ward. Rivers would not even give his views on if he thought Ward was a dirty player.

“I’m not commenting on how he plays. All I know is how I play and I look forward to making plays. It’s a heated rivalry so whenever there’s a rivalry there’s always a little jawing and talking going on.”

As far as Sunday’s game, it is vital for both the Bengals and Steelers since both teams are 1-1. With Baltimore at 2-0 and facing Cleveland on Sunday, a team could drop two games back with a loss.

“It’s all the same. Every game is as important as the rest. I look forward to playing every game. Definitely look forward to this one. When it was Denver I was looking forward to playing Denver, when it was Green Bay them and week after and week after. I’m looking forward to playing every game.”