Now that free agency officially kicked off last week, the rumors are beginning to heat up about the Cincinnati Bengals signing Terrell Owens to play alongside his good friend, Chad Ochocinco.

The rumors of Owens heading to the Bengals have been swirling for over a month now, ever since Ochocinco started his campaigning for the six-time Pro Bowler in Cincinnati.

After the first part was published Monday, here’s the second part of why Owens signing with the Bengals could happen.

 

The Relationship Between Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens

If Owens does end up in Cincinnati next season, the Bengals will have Ochocinco to thank for bringing in the six-time Pro Bowl receiver.

Ever since the week leading up to the Super Bowl, Ochocinco has campaigned for his close friend to receive an opportunity to play for the Bengals in 2010. The rumors started on his UStream page, continued at his Mansion party for the Haiti Relief Fund and continued to develop throughout the offseason.

At first glance, Ochocinco’s comments towards the situation seemed to be nothing but another joke to members of the media. Now, Owens to the Bengals has arguably become one of the hottest debates during the first week of free agency.

Of course, that and the Brandon Marshall situation in Denver.

 

Number of Suitors Seem Smaller Now That Boldin is With The Baltimore Ravens

Numerous reports indicated last week that the top two teams interested in Owens were the Bengals and Ravens. After Baltimore exchanged a third and fourth-round pick to acquire Anquan Boldin from the Arizona Cardinals, the Ravens appear to be out of the running for Owens.

Sure, the 2010 free agency period may not even be a week old, but the Bengals are the only other team that has even shown the slightest bit of interest in having Owens for next season. He and agent Drew Rosenhaus have a history of asking for a big pa day when it comes to negotiating contracts with teams.

If Owens doesn’t draw interest from any other teams, he may have to accept whatever deal the Bengals offer him—assuming they end up offering one.

 

Owens’ Twitter Comments and Recent Visit To Cincinnati

Owens arrived in Cincinnati Tuesday night to have dinner with the Bengals coaching staff and will take a tour of the offices on Wednesday. Before his arrival, there was some activity emerging between him and good friend Ochocinco about his meeting with the Bengals.

OGOchoCinco @terrellowens: hey where you at? You sign on that dotted line yet

terrellowens @OGOchoCinco: i’m on the plane!

OK, so these “Twitter comments” shouldn’t be taken too serious, but they do show some signs of excitement between Ocho and Owens about the possibility of playing together next season.

If all goes well Wednesday, their wish may come true; Ochocinco and Ochouno may be playing side-by-side in orange and black stripes with the Bengals next season.

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Terrell Owens headed to Cincinnati on Tuesday to see if the Bengals are interested in adding him to their stalled-out passing game. The 36-year-old receiver tweeted on Tuesday that he was on his way to meet with team officials. Receiver Chad Ochocinco has been lobbying for the Bengals to sign Owens since the end of last season, when the Bengals' passing game lacked a deep threat.

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If you believe what NFL players post on Twitter, then in a matter of hours, Terrell Owens will be a Cincinnati Bengal. 

Late this afternoon, Owens replied to a tweet by the Bengals’ Chad Ochocinco, all but saying he was on his way to Cincinnati to sign a contract with the Bengals.

As far as how “conversations” go on Twitter, here’s how it went down between Ocho and T.O.:

OGOchoCinco @terrellowens  hey where you at? You sign on that dotted line yet
terrellowens @OGOchoCinco  i’m on the plane!

So what does this mean for Bengals fans? It means that Carson Palmer has the best one-two receiving combination that he’s had since T.J. Houshmandzadeh left for Seattle after the 2008 season. 

It also means that the Bengals will have the two most over-hyped bad boys (in perception only) amongst wide receivers in the league. And quite honestly, that should be good for the Bengals. 

Both receivers are huge competitors, and should only make each other better as they compete for passes from Palmer. They also respect each other immensely and are friends off the field, which should negate any finger pointing that may have gone on in past years for either player. 

It’s a dream combination for Bengals fans, and it looks like that dream will likely come true in the next few hours. 

Let the media circus and celebratory antics begin!

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By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season

I don’t think I’ve ever liked one thing about Chad Ochocinco. His only value is on the football field 16 days out of every calendar year, but even that gets compromised from time to time with his never-ending, off-the-field soap opera disguised as a circus.

His latest episode went public Tuesday on—where else?—Twitter.

ESPN’s best radio talk-show host, Colin Cowherd, did his job on Tuesday by expressing an opinion about moron athletes. I can’t remember if his rant was prompted by the latest Allen Iverson drama or another Ben Roethlisberger sex-abuse allegation.

Regardless, Cowherd went on about how many athletes make bad decisions when presented with boatloads of money. I couldn’t agree more.

Now, before we continue, please note there’s no disputing that non-athletes make bad choices with their money as well. Some people are bad at sports, others are bad at playing a musical instrument, and still others are bad at making decisions. It’s just a part of life that some are good at and others struggle with.

But the reason the exploits of athletes are dissected and discussed the way they are is because they are high-profile citizens in our shallow and fame-obsessed culture. Becoming a high-profile person is partly—maybe largely—what drives some young people to work hard and pursue a career in pro football, for example. Fame, money, cars, and women represent the promised land for many aspiring athletes.

They pursue those material things because to them, jewelry symbolizes a better life from the one that shaped their upbringing. How many times have we heard stories about athletes who made it despite a tough childhood in the ghetto with a single mother who worked three jobs because the alcoholic dad left home?

Despite an absence of proper parental guidance, some athletes remain strong enough to stick to their sport, stay away from the guns and drugs and earn a college scholarship, and perform well enough to earn the notice of professional scouts. Years later, they’re midway through a solid pro career, their troubles seemingly behind them.

But just because an athlete doesn’t have a felony rap sheet, however, doesn’t mean those problems are entirely in the past. Psychological or social shortcomings, certainly far less tangible than a DUI or an assault arrest, don’t go away with million-dollar salaries.

Perhaps an absence of attention during childhood is what drove Chad Johnson, years later as an adult, to sport gold teeth, to don a Hall of Fame jacket, and to change his last name to, in his mind, match his jersey number.

Perhaps it’s why Terrell Owens kept a Sharpie in his sock. Maybe it’s why Allen Iverson is, well, Allen Iverson. Could it be why Ben Roethlisberger seems to find himself in trouble frequently?

A few of my Cincinnati friends sent me a video that made one of the local news channels a couple years ago, when Chad Johnson went on some video-game shopping spree at a Best Buy or something like that. How come we never hear about athletes and their visits to Barnes & Noble?

But back to today’s latest, where Ochocinco used the popular microblogging site to lash out at Cowherd for his criticism of athletes and their squandering of money. Cowherd singled out the Bengals wideout for dropping $150,000 on an SUV, claiming he’ll end up like former NBA player Antoine Walker, who at one point owned nine luxury vehicles but now can’t pay his bills.

Because Ochocinco can’t take any criticism because he’s a child, here were some of his reactions on Twitter, all within the span of about 50 minutes:

+ Colin coward talking shh?

+ Colin Coward with all the negative going on with athletes how do u find a way to lump me n yo show just say I don’t like this black guy!!

+ I guess Colin won’t be happy till I get a DUI, arrested, well hell maybe I should get accused of rape, maybe that’ll make him STFU!!!!

+ @Reddy_Dean why talk about somebody who does nothing wrong? Talk shows are merely for negative material I don’t fit that category.

+ @espn__michelle tell your lil fake Ryan Seacrest never made it in life so I am gonna judge everybody who does what I couldn’t do to shutup!

+ @espn_colin its not my fault your girl is cheating on you, its your fault, try EXTENZE and stop worryin about me! Lmao-have a show bout that

+ @espn_colin you look like an extra from the movie LORD OF THE RINGS, get your lisp fixed before you do your next show!

+ Anyway back to being great, time is money and I just lost about awww nevermind, I love y’all, headed into practice

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If Cincinnati can rebuild its receiving corps like it did the offensive line, the passing game just might be able to be resurrected.

But unlike last year’s line reconstruction, the Bengals are going to have to use both free agency and the draft to fill their needs. Going into last year they already had the pieces to their line on the roster and added only one new player – Andre Smith in the first round.

“The biggest thing we need is productivity,” offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski said. “We need to find guys who can produce, who can take the pressure off Carson and can produce when teams take Chad (Ochocinco) out of the game.”

After a three-year period of ranking in the top 10 in passing offense, the last two years have been bad.

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I have not been avoiding the topic of Terrell Owens possibly becoming a Cincinnati Bengal.  I simply have not had time to offer my thoughts on whether or not he could be a productive addition to the offense.  For or against the acquisition, media members and bloggers have formed very strong opinions on the subject.

Owens’ track record of being a horrible teammate is well documented.  His stops in San Francisco, Philadelphia and Dallas were all filled with drama.  He has always come off as a player with outstanding ability from the neck down and nothing from the neck up.  His selfish attitude has alienated teammates and fans.

I also think the Bengals should sign him.

Why, you ask?

The Bengals need a wide receiver.  

Last season, it was obvious that Chad Ochocinco felt the effect of not having T.J. Houshmandzadeh on the other side of the field to alleviate some of the pressure.  Laveranues Coles was a non-factor, prompting the team to cut him last week .  With Coles and his $4.65 million base salary for 2010 out of the picture, the signing of Owens seems more fiscally possible.

It’s cool with Carson Palmer.

“I’d love to,” texted Palmer when asked about the possibility of throwing to Owens. “His past doesn’t bother me at all. If any QB can deal with extravagant WRs, it’s me.”

He does have a point.  The one person that has always seemed to be able to keep Ochocinco under control is Palmer.  It is easy to see who is in charge when the offense is on the field.  Palmer may not have a flashy personality, but when he talks, the team listens.

It’s so crazy, it just might work.

The Bengals have a reputation for trying to reform the bad guy.  After an irrelevant season in Buffalo last year, Owens needs another chance.

Ochocinco has been lobbying hard for the Bengals to sign Owens.  Could the two strong personalities keep each other in check?  

Some friendly competition between the two could provide Palmer and the Bengals with a much needed improvement to the passing game.

It would also be entertaining.  During Super Bowl week, Owens said , “If I go to the Bengals, I’m changing my name to Ocho Uno.”

Read more in The Wight Pages .

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The Cincinnati Bengals are working hard to bring in some new wide receivers. Monday the team was linked to trying…

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With Carson Palmer and Chad Ochocinco now in their 30s, the timetable for the Cincinnati Bengals to make a Super Bowl run is getting slimmer by the minute. If the Bengals have any inclination of making a postseason run in 2011 they need to make a move and do it quick. Here is a fast and simple solution.  Sign TO.  

The Baltimore Ravens just traded for Anquan Boldin bolstering an up and coming offense that is certain to improve in 2010. The Bengals offense needs more help at wide receiver than any other position and signing Terrell Owens to a one-year contract is a move that poses minimal risk, but could offer immense reward.  

While Terrell Owens has been known to be a cancer in the clubhouse, the fact is the guy can still play. With veteran leadership like Bobbie Wiliams, Reggie Kelly, and Dhani Jones, the Bengals have a solid core group of guys who will put TO in his place if he decides to open his mouth.

Allowing Owens to join forces with best buddy Ochocinco will form one of the best wide receiver tandems in the NFL. While he is 36 years old, there are still a few good years left for Owens.  

Some may say draft a receiver with a first or second round pick. That sounds like a great idea, but the fact is if the Bengals draft a wide receiver, the production he puts up in 2010 and even 2011 will be nowhere near what the Bengals need to compete for another AFC North Title and nowhere near to what Owens can give them.

For the Bengals signing Owens would allow them the opportunity to spend a first round pick on a tight end such as Jermaine Gresham out of Oklahoma. A second rounder could then be used on a wideout. History has shown that the Bengals have had much more success drafting wide receivers after the first round (see Chris Collinsworth, Carl Pickens, Darnay Scott, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, and Chad Ochocinco).  

Plugging Owens in opposite Ochocinco would allow the Bengals to develop whomever they draft a receiver without expecting too much from him early on.  

While some may say signing TO is somewhat of a risk, he is clearly a safer bet than say Brandon Marshall. Marshall will command a multi-year deal and will want upwards of 60 millions dollars. With his history and track record, the risk may not be worth the reward and after all, are the Bengals willing to dish out that kind of cash anyway.  

Owens on the other hand could be signed to a one-year, $5 million deal. The Bengals have been known to sign players who some may call troublemakers. Most recently they took a flyer on Cedric Benson. Look how that has turned out. It’s time to take another one and sign Owens.    

My message to the Bengals is this.  Don’t waste any more time. Sign Terrell Owens, give him No. 81 and change his name to Ochouno. Go into next season with Ochocinco and Ochouno, two future Hall of Famers spread out wide and I guarantee 2010 will be a season the Jungle has never seen before.  

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Now that free agency officially kicked off last week, the rumors are beginning to heat up about the Cincinnati Bengals signing Terrell Owens to play alongside his good friend, Chad Ochocinco.

The rumors of Owens heading to the Bengals have been swirling for over a month now, ever since Ochocinco started his campaigning for the six-time Pro Bowler in Cincinnati.

While the odds seemed as likely as the St. Louis Rams selecting a kicker with the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft, this deal seems more likely to happen now with everything that’s taken place this offseason.

Here’s the first part of why Owens signing with the Bengals could happen.

 

Laveranues Coles Release

Last week, the Bengals released Laveranues Coles after he fell nothing short of disappointing during his first and only season in Cincinnati. The organization was criticized most of the season for signing him to a four-year deal worth $28 million, despite the fact he turned 32 in December.

With Coles and his hefty contract around, Owens to the Bengals seemed highly unlikely from a financial perspective. Now that there’s a need for another wide receiver in Cincinnati and an extra $4.65 million from Coles’ base salary in 2010, Owens playing alongside Ochocinco next season seems more realistic than it did over a month ago.

 

Carson Palmer Would Welcome Terrell Owens With Open Arms

Throughout most of his career, Owens has established a reputation as a player known for causing headaches in the locker room—although he deserves credit for his actions with the Buffalo Bills last season.

Jeff Garcia, Donovan McNabb, and Tony Romo have all experienced life with Owens—both the positive and negative. While they’ve enjoyed his presence on the field, they’ve also had to deal with a few controversies off the field.

If any quarterback is capable of handling a player like Owens, it’s Palmer. He’s managed to keep it cool playing alongside Ochocinco throughout his career, so why shouldn’t he be able to handle Owens?

Dan Parzych is the Cincinnati Bengals Examiner for Examiner.com.

He is also the founder of WhoDeyBengals.com.

Questions? Comments? staff@whodeybengals.com

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I’m back. I disappeared for quite some time, but I am indeed 100 percent back in action on Bleacher Report. Thanks to everyone who has read, commented, agreed, or disagreed on my past articles. I hope you enjoy this one and any future articles that make their way on here via my account.

Sorry to sidetrack from the headline, but here go. NFL Free Agency, always huge, no matter what. Right now I’m laughing inside at the rumors of THE two biggest assholes in sports.

Sorry, I take that back. Two of the Top-Five assholes in professional sports today. Starting somewhere with Tiger Woods, followed by either Ron Artest or one of these two guys.

Mr. Terrell Owens and Cincinnati Bengal management are somehow concocting a plan in which both ”GQ coverboy” and ”black, Spanish, numero guy” are on the same team. Yes, T.O. is a free agent. Yes, Ochocinco needs help, but really? Really, Cincinnati? Really, T.O.? Really, Ocho? Lets break it down…

If a person were to mix Kobe Bryant’s ego with Dwayne Carter’s ego and swish it into football form you’d have these two insurgents. Don’t get me wrong, both were equally talented in ”their” day, (Which come to think of it, at the pinnacles of their careers I don’t think either of them were EVER  the ”best” receiver in the league, but maybe that’s just me). 

You have one guy who says he’s going to burn Darelle Revis (potentially the greatest corner to ever play the game). Pretty sure he didn’t score.

The other says, ”Yeah if I had better quarterbacks I’d be the career stat leading receiver”. You can’t say that when you drop a colossal amount of balls every year. You just can’t.

Then you have UFC fight talk and Michael Phelps swimming banter. There is entirely no need for that. The obvious pointer here is that both receivers don’t focus on their professional careers enough. They don’t take them seriously.

When there’s more preparation for hairstyles, dances, political views, tweets, threats, statements, photo shoots…Jesus, I could go all day, but it simply proves there’s no dedication.

The final verdict is in. NO . This won’t work, ever.

These two clowns on the same team would be atrocious. Could you imagine having Rodman, Artest, Shaq, Kobe and Marbury on the same team? Yeah, didn’t think so.

What kind of coach could survive a no work, all play, all eyes on me season? Talk about a constant rivalry, jeez. In the huddle, locker room, on the field, off the field, you name it.

Who knows, maybe they’d hit it off and start filming a movie during the season to distract everyone from their sub-par season. Hey, with their luck they may even end up getting another Bengal killed in the process.

OK, poor taste I know. R.I.P. Chris Henry, however, you get the point. Say it a million times, say it a million more times, and the word you have said two million times is…NO .

Cincinnati you have enough problems, beginning with the other half of this trigonometry equation. His name is Chad ”OG” ”Ochocinco” Johnson. The name explains it…CHAOS .

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