Just days into this NFL offseason, reports were in that the Buffalo Bills were not interested in bringing back Terrell Owens who only served one season up north as the teams wide receiver. Thus created the brilliant idea of conjoining Owens with Pro Bowl WR Chad Ochocinco in Cincinnati who were in desperate need of a receiver at the time. Both Owens and Ocho made their desire to play with one another public and even joked around as being the Batman & Robin of the NFL with Carson Palmer playing the role of Alfred. However, those talks eventually died off once the Bengals took a much younger approach and signed the much younger Antonio Bryant.Four months later, Owens was still on the market and left without a place to play. With little interest in the future Hall of Fame wide-out and training camp underway, Owens' asking price began to drop which made for an even better reason for Cincy to sign him. Once it was all said and done, Owens signed a 1-year, $2Million dollar deal with an additional $2M possible for bonuses, all thanks to good friends Palmer and Ochocinco who both lobbied for the team to sign him. Just weeks ago, Ocho's dating show, "The Ultimate Catch" aired on VH1 with T.O. starring as his wing man, hoping to help Ocho find true love. But now the two can be teammates much rather on the playing field, than in the dating game as their dreams become a reality. A new question comes into play as many are wondering how the relationship between Ocho and T.O. will hold.
With quite possibly the two largest egos in the entire league on the same field for 16 games, critics already have their doubts. As for the dynamic duo themselves, they're more curious to see how teams will defend against them. Either way, it'll be a test of friendships for sure. Prior to Owens signing with Cincy, the rebuilding St. Louis Rams were also linked to Owens as a potential suitor in landing the 6-time Pro Bowler. For their sake, Owens signs elsewhere with a better team and a better chance at a ring. Something that remains on the bucket list of Owens. He also signs with a team that owns a better storyline. Surrounding their young QB with a drama queen and someone who's been known for being a virus in the locker room is the last thing they want. Sure Owens would've helped the Rams go from a 1-win team to a 3-win team, but he also would've helped Sam Bradford go mentally insane.If he can stay healthy, expect some big numbers out of Carson Palmer this year who now has three weapons to throw to in the wide receiver department. I think I speak for every football fan when I say this, the one thing I'm looking forward to, is what kind of touchdown celebrations the duo will have for us.
Goodbye Russell, Hello Campbell - Continuing a busy NFL offseason that has consisted of blockbuster trades, surprising draft choices, interesting controversies, head shrugging suspensions, mind boggling scandals (see Big Ben's Big Mistake) and the constant Brett Favre talks and never ending updates that have become a daily thing by now, comes another batch of goodies. From Big Ben returning to camp and being allowed to resume in team activities, to the Oakland Raiders releasing their 2007 number 1 overall pick -- JaMarcus Russell. Less than two weeks before Russell's release, the Raiders acquired QB Jason Campbell from the Washington Redskins in exchange for a 4th round pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. This of coarse coming weeks after Washington welcomed former Eagles QB Donovan McNabb. Alongside Ryan Leaf, Russell will go down as one of the biggest busts in NFL history.
Cincy takes a Gamble - Also making headway, is the Cincinnati Bengals who signed CB Adam 'Pac-Man' Jones to a 2-year contract. Like Russell, a lot was expected from Jones when being drafted in 2005 by the Tennessee Titans as the first defensive player in the Draft and sixth player overall in the first round. But after countless incidents and suspensions, Jones' presence on the field is yet to be seen. In fact, Jones has made a bigger impact in the wrestling ring than he has on the football field. In 2007, Jones saw a brief stint on TNA Wrestling and was even a Tag Team Champion at one time before retiring from the sport. The Bengals however, are no strangers for signing players who are linked to controversy and known for having issues both on and off the field, as the team saw a total of nine separate player arrests in nine months back in 2007.
Damaged Goods - Making some of the bigger news thus far in the offseason, was the trade between the Denver Broncos and the Miami Dolphins (see Welcome to Miami). While the Dolphins dealt two draft picks to get the highly talented WR Brandon Marshall, they were unaware of the news they would receive soon after. Just weeks before the start of NFL OTA's, the Dolphins were looking forward to seeing their new star wide-out. Instead, they got word that Marshall would be out until training camp while recovering from hip surgery. Surgery the team knew nothing about when they made a trade for him just a month earlier. And it didn't help that Marshall himself didn't mention anything about undergoing surgery either. The real question is, did Denver know they were trading away damaged goods? Let's hope the Dolphins held onto their receipt...
Continuing the surprisingly busy early offseason, numerous trades and acquisitions have taken place. But one of the biggest headlines, is what could have been done, but wasn't. After the Buffalo Bills expressed their decision to not offer wide-out Terrell Owens a contract to return for next season, the media went into a craze, with rumors of Owens possibly landing in either Cincinnati or Baltimore. But now, both destinations are just about out of the question. While the Ravens decided to trade for Arizona's Anquan Boldin, the Bengals decided to take a much younger approach by signing free agent and former Tampa Bay Buccaneer Antonio Bryant. With the contract Owens seeks and the role he expects to play in, Boldin's signing pretty much cancels any chance of Owens becoming a Raven.In Cincy, prior to Bryant's signing with the team, T.O. was scheduled to visit with Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis for dinner. But just hours before the two were expected met, Owens was informed that the club instead found its man with Antonio Bryant, sending T.O on a flight back home to Atlanta. As much as the world wanted to see T.O. donning the black and orange stripes, no man wanted to see the 6-time Pro Bowler with the Bengals more than Chad Ochocinco. With the Bills not offering Owens a contract, the thought of having Ocho and T.O. alongside one another made for a perfect story. Even #85 thought so, by making public via twitter. "Man it don't take that damn long to sign on the dotted line, lets go dammit!!! You can be Batman i will be Robin, lets go!!" My favorite part of the discussion, was what Ocho said later, "Oh and Carson is gonna be ALFRED."With T.O. stuck on the outside looking in, little interest has been shown thus far, as no team wants a drama queen on their team, nor are they willing to dish out big bucks for a 36-year old veteran who is coming off of his worse year since 1999 when he played for the 49ers. Owens played his one and only year in Buffalo last season finishing with a lackluster total of 829 yards and 5 touchdowns. But will the slim interest in one of the game's best wide receivers of all-time force him to retire and hang it up once and for all? Personally I don't think so, but things can't be looking too promising in the eyes of T.O. right now.
What's been a rather sad weekend for the Cincinnati Bengals, ends up on an even more sour note. Just days after the team lost wide receiver and fellow teammate Chris Henry, the Bengals were forced to go back to work and return to the playing field against the San Diego Chargers. Chad Ochocinco who had planned on wearing the #15 on his jersey in honor of Henry, did not get the opportunity, as the league has a ban on players changing jersey numbers for a single game. Ochocinco did however get his message across after scoring a touchdown that would give the Bengals the lead. Known for his more controversial and creative touchdown celebrations, Ocho dropped down on his knees and began to pray while pointing up to the sky in a touching manner. The emotional Ochocinco was then seen with fellow teammates hugging and walking back to the sidelines with tears running down his face. The Bengals would end up losing the game by a score of 27-24.
On December 16th, Chris Henry was rushed to the hospital after jumping out the back of a moving truck. Henry sustained serious injuries to his head and died early the next morning. The young Henry was reported dead on December 17th and passed at the early age of 26. In remembrance of Henry, the Cincinnati Bengals will wear the no. 15 on the back of their helmets as seen in the photo below.
RIP - Chris Henry
This past weekend, the Cincinnati Bengals completed a season sweep of the division rival and defending Superbowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers, the first time since 1998. The Bengals have also completed the season sweep of their division foe Baltimore Ravens, marking the first time in franchise history Cincinnati was able to sweep both in the same season. Even with a banged up and injured Cedric Benson, the Mighty Bengals were able to come out on top, 18-12 in Pittsburgh. Benson, the potential MVP candidate went down in the second quarter and was replaced by back-up running back Bernard Scott. Scott scored the game's only touchdown on a 96-yard kickoff return in the opening quarter.Seeing your star back go down with an injury is never music to a team's ears. However the Bengals are fortunate to have a core of good back-ups. & With the new addition of former Chiefs running back Larry Johnson, the team adds depth to an already strong position. Johnson, who was recently released from Kansas City last week could make his Bengals debut as soon as Sunday against Oakland, if he learns the playbook soon enough. & With Benson treating an injured hip, his status for this week's game is doubtful which would play a perfect role if Johnson does indeed play.The running back position hasn't been the only headline made for the Bengals. In fact, prior to Sunday's game in Pittsburgh, wide-out Chad Ochocinco wanted to send mustard to the Steelers locker room. Coach Marvin Lewis however simply said "No". The prank worked in week 9 when #85 sent a box of deodorant to the Ravens locker room. The barer of practical jokes and on field antics was fined $20,000 by the NFL for "Bribing" officials in week 9's defeat over Baltimore. After a reviewable call in which Chad was called out of bounds on, Ochocinco was seen jokingly trying to hand an official a dollar bill. The NFL didn't find it funny, as they refused the $1 and instead demanded a whopping $20,000 instead. Now that doesn't sound like a fair trade. Let's see what Chad has under his sleeve this week against Oakland.
It looks like the NFL will finally grant Chad Johnson's wishes, and allow him to wear his new last name on the back of his jersey. Last August the Cincinatti receiver legally changed his name from Chad Johnson to Chad Ochocinco. Chad asked for his name to be changed on the back of his jersey last season. The team agreed, but the NFL wanted him to help pay for the large inventory of jersey's Reebok had produced. However Johnson declined and decided to play the season using his old name. After legal agreements, this coming season #85 will be playing with the correct name he wanted, but not the way he had in mind. When Chad submitted his name change in August, it was spelled "Ochocino" instead of "Ocho Cinco", the two word nickname he's adopted and been going by for the past few years referring to his No. 85.
It sounds to me like someones being a little picky. But after all, it's his own fault. If he wanted the name spelled the way he wanted it on his jersey, he would have spelled it the same way on his name certificate, right? If you ask me, I say this has all grown into a big headache, and players now days are more focused and worried about the name on the back of their jersey's instead of the way their team is playing. If I was Mr. "Ochocinco", I'd be a hell of alot more worried about how the Bengals will be doing next season, rather that what name's on the back of my uniform...
