Chad “Ocho Cinco” Johnson says that he has so much respect for the Cowboys that if he scores on Sunday, he’ll kiss the Dallas star.
So what happens if Johnson, who only has one touchdown this season, scores against Dallas? “I’ve got so much respect for y’all,” Johnson said. “If I score Sunday, I love Dallas so much, I’m going to take my helmet off, get a fine and kiss the star.”
Terrell Owens can fill Ocho Cinco in on what happens when a player disrespects the star.
Whether it’s a few breakout wide receivers, a suddenly mature quarterback or an out-of-nowhere running back, Week 1 of the NFL season always has its share of surprises. Here are a few of the bigger revelations from the first weekend of action along with what they might mean in the larger scheme of things.
Michael Turner ran roughshod over the Lions. Most people were probably expecting a pretty good game out of Turner against Detroit, but I don’t think too many fantasy owners had “The Burner” racking up 220 yards (10.0 ypc) and two touchdowns in his Atlanta debut. The Falcons’ offensive line opened up monster holes for their RB, and unfortunately it’s not always going to be this easy. Turner will be tested against the Bucs this week before another nice matchup at home against the Chiefs. Going forward, Turner looks like a solid RB2, though he might have the occasional bad game when a team jumps all over the Falcons in the first quarter.
Jay Cutler shredded a good Raider secondary. I was very high on Cutler heading into the season figuring that a guy who could throw 20 TD while losing 30 pounds (and a lot of strength) due to undiagnosed diabetes would be a good candidate for a breakout season now that his illness is under control. He did play the Raiders in Week 1 (never a good gauge) and shredded what was supposed to be a pretty good secondary for 300 yards and two scores. And that was without his top WR, Brandon Marshall. He looked comfortable and in complete control of the Denver offense, which looks like it could be one of the best in the league. I think Cutler has a great chance to finish in the top 5 this season, which isn’t bad for a guy that was available in the 7th round.
Don’t expect to see Chad Johnson Ocho Cinco wearing his new name on a jersey anytime soon. CNBC’s Darren Rovell reports on his blog that the former Mr. Johnson would be forced to buy out the stock of the 100,000 remaining “C. Johnson” jerseys before making the switch to “Ocho Cinco”. If Reebok asked Ocho Cinco to pay for the cost of making the unsold jerseys, the total could reach upwards of $4 million (or $50 million pesos).
Because Johnson changed his name so close to the start of the season, Reebok was left in a bind since they’d have to produce new jerseys and eat the old ones. That’s why the NFL has told Johnson he’d have to reimburse the company for the price of the jerseys. That’s not unprecedented, rookie linebacker Keith Rivers did it last week when he changed his uniform number. Of course, Rivers didn’t have thousands of jerseys with his name on it on sales racks nationwide.
Is this charade over with yet? The Bengals are a circus and Ocho Cinco is the ringmaster. I don’t know how Marvin Lewis keeps it together on a daily basis. Poor bastard.
Comments Off on It’s going to cost Chad Ocho Cinco a mint to have Ocho Cinco on jersey
It’s official: Chad Johnson is Chad Ocho Cinco. The NFL and Bengals will recognize Ocho Cinco’s name change this weekend when Cincinnati takes on the Ravens in Baltimore.
The receiver had his name changed in his home state of Florida last week. It’s a reference to his uniform number—Ocho Cinco means “eight five” in Spanish. When the NFL celebrated Hispanic Heritage month in 2006, he wore it on the back of his uniform for pregame warmups, but had to remove it for the game because of NFL rules—it wasn’t his real name.
The Pro Bowl receiver asked the media to start calling him by his new name this week. The Bengals couldn’t change the name on his uniform until the NFL gave permission. In an e-mail to The Associated Press on Thursday, league spokesman Greg Aiello said simply: “It’s his legal surname.”
The receiver has declined to talk about the motivation for his attention-getting change. Coach Marvin Lewis said the receiver had been considering it since last March.
The change to Ocho Cinco is the receiver’s latest promotional move. He’s also known for his touchdown celebrations, his golden Mohawk for one season, his race against a horse and his list of defensive backs who failed to cover him.
This whole thing is absolutely ridiculous but as a sports writer I can’t wait to use this name in game previews and recaps. I know I’ll smile every time I write, “Palmer found Ocho Cinco in the back of the end zone for the Bengals’ go-ahead touchdown. Then Ocho Cinco got loose again in the Ravens’ secondary for a 15-yard gain. Ocho Cinco certainly didn’t take a siesta on Sunday as he torched the Ravens.” Ocho Cinco…ha!
Comments Off on Bengals, NFL to recognize Chad as Chad Ocho Cinco
According to Miami radio station 790 The Ticket, which is in Johnson’s hometown, the receiver has legally changed his last name to “Ocho Cinco.”
Johnson forewarned the public that a major surprise was coming during a recent interview with Chris McKendry on ESPN’s SportsCenter.
“A lot of people look at Chad Johnson and say he’s crazy and he does a lot of stuff, but I don’t think people really understand how smart I really am,” Johnson said. “So come Sept. 7, I believe when we play the Baltimore Ravens, I think that’s the game, there’s a surprise for everybody — for everybody. When I say something, it is what it is, just enjoy it. Because it’s going to last 16 weeks, plus some more.”
Could this be it? If the report is correct he should be able to wear his nickname on the back of his jersey without penalty, which he’s wanted to do for quite some time.
