Tag: Cincinnati Bengals (Page 11 of 47)

      The Ocho is going back to Chad Johnson

      January 25, 2011 /
      New York Jets Antonio Cromartie forces Cincinnati Bengals Chad Ochocinco out of bounds in the second quarter in week 12 of the NFL season at New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on November 25, 2010. The Jets defeated the Bengals 26-10. UPI /John Angelillo

      You know it’s officially the end of the football season when I feel compelled to write about this crap.

      According to USA Today, Chad Ochocinco, the player formerly know as Chad Johnson, is going back to his birth name.

      In an appearance on ESPN, Ochocinco said his newer surname had run its course.

      “I don’t have a choice right now,” Ochocinco said. “I’ve done enough with the Ocho thing.”

      Ochocinco stemmed from a Spanish connection to his uniform number, 85 — which is not pronounced ochocinco in Spanish.

      Ochocinco did not say when the formal name change back to Johnson would occur.

      Word has it that pretty soon, the Ocho will just be known as:

      External Sports, NFL

      Marvin Lewis takes another shot at Chad Ochocinco

      January 25, 2011 /
      Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco (85) talks with head coach Marvin Lewis during the second quarter of their game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Field in Indianapolis on November 14, 2010. UPI /Mark Cowan

      The battle between Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis and receiver Chad Ochocinco is turning into a tale of two scorned lovers.

      Early last week, Ochocinco sent the Boston Herald’s Ian Rapoport a Twitter message suggesting that he’d welcome a trade to the Patriots this offseason. A couple days later, Lewis took a shot at his star receiver by saying: “Nobody was talking about him. He didn’t stand that,” which was in reference to Ocho’s desire for attention. Lewis then went on to say: “You want them to talk about you, win football games.”

      At the Senior Bowl on Monday, Lewis again took a swipe at his receiver, this time saying that Bill Belichick is “smarter” than to acquire a player like Ochocinco. So in one week, Lewis basically called his best receiver an attention-starved diva and then suggested that one of the league’s best coaches was smart enough to stay away from him.

      For a guy who reportedly wanted out of Cincinnati because of the circus-like atmosphere, Lewis sure is turning up the drama lately. And if Belichick is too smart to take on a headache like Ochocinco, then what does that make Lewis for keeping him on the roster? If he’s that much of a distraction, why doesn’t Lewis convince the higher ups to get rid of the Ocho?

      Ochocinco and T.O. both said on their latest episode of “The T.Ocho Show” that they would love to play for the Jets next season. So while Ochocinco continues to lobby to play for other teams, his head coach is taking not-so-subtly jabs at him.

      This situation is turning ugly.

      External Sports, NFL

      Bengals: We’re not trading Carson Palmer

      January 24, 2011 /
      Cincinnati Bengals’ quarterback Carson Palmer scrambles against Baltimore Ravens’ Terrell Suggs during the fourth quarter at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore on January 2, 2011. UPI/Kevin Dietsch

      While everyone was focusing on the two conference championship games this weekend, there was a report out of Cincinnati on Sunday that quarterback Carson Palmer will demand a trade from the Bengals. But owner Mike Brown has final say in the matter and he told the media on Monday that the team will not trade Palmer.

      Brown admitted that Palmer did meet with the Bengals last week about a possible trade, which gives merit to Chris Mortensen’s report that the quarterback wants out of Cincinnati. Mort even said that Palmer is willing to “play the retirement” card if he doesn’t get his wish, although that would mean he would leave $50 million on the table over the next four seasons.

      But Brown has no plans to trade Palmer, who probably wouldn’t fetch much in return anyway. He hasn’t been the same player since the knee injury he suffered against Pittsburgh in the ’04 playoffs and his arm strength has been repeatedly questioned. He played well in the final two weeks of the 2010 regular season but that won’t be enough to entice a team to trade draft picks and fork over $50 million in order to acquire him. Even if the Bengals did agree to trade him, he would have to restructure his current deal.

      For now, it looks like Palmer is stuck in the ‘Natti for the time being.

      External Sports, NFL

      Carson Palmer to return?

      January 5, 2011 /
      Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer (9) gets off a pass as Baltimore Ravens linebacker Jarret Johnson (95) is blocked by Bengals offensive tackle Anthony Collins during the second quarter of their NFL football game in Baltimore, Maryland January 2, 2011. REUTERS/Joe Giza (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)

      Marvin Lewis seems to confirm Palmer’s return in an interview with the Cincinnati Enquirer.

      Will Carson Palmer be back? Barring a major change in heart, which looks unlikely to happen, one of Lewis’ major priorities will be finding complementary parts for Palmer.

      “It’s important to recapture the spirit of our football team,” Lewis said. “I told him (Palmer) yesterday privately that it’s important to me that I will help him be the player that I know he is and I believe in him and he’s important to me.”

      This is good news for a few of my early sleepers heading into the 2011 season: WRs Jerome Simpson, Andre Caldwell, Jordan Shipley and TE Jermaine Gresham, who is just the 7th tight end in league history to catch 50+ passes in his rookie season. Palmer played pretty well with this group over the final two games, throwing for 574 yards and five TDs against two pretty good defenses (San Diego and Baltimore). It appears that he may be better off if he doesn’t have his wideouts chirping in his ear.

      I’m not sure how much longer Simpson will be a sleeper after the third-year wideout caught 18 passes for 247 yards and three TDs over his final two games of the season. If both Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens are gone next season, Simpson is a good bet to finish as a top 15 or 20 fantasy WR. Caldwell and Shipley are going to hold more value in PPR leagues, and they could cancel each other out if the Bengals go to a more run-oriented attack.

      External Sports, Fantasy Football, NFL

      Marvin Lewis to remain with the Bengals now?

      January 4, 2011 /
      Cincinnati Bengals’ head coach Marvin Lewis talks to quarterbacks Carson (L) and Jordan Palmer as they play the Baltimore Ravens’ at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore on January 2, 2011. UPI/Kevin Dietsch

      In rather surprising news, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that Marvin Lewis is now expected to return as the Bengals’ head coach in 2011.

      Schefter knows what I ate from breakfast, so I’m sure this report is on the money. If so, it’s rather shocking considering it looked like Lewis was on the outs as of yesterday.

      I don’t know why Lewis would want to return to the mess that is the Cincinnati Bengals but maybe owner Mike Brown promised to make some changes. The Bengals have one of the smallest scouting staffs in the league and Lewis was reportedly frustrated by the way Brown runs the organization. But maybe he had a change of heart after meeting with Brown on Monday.

      If Lewis is given a new contract, his first order of business should be to figure out what to do with quarterback Carson Palmer. If the Bengals still feel as though Palmer can get them to the playoffs and beyond, they may want to think about parting ways with Chad Ochocinco. Palmer’s best game came against the Chargers in Week 16 and he played well against Baltimore in Week 17. Both of those performances came with Ochocinco and Terrell Owens were both out with injuries.

      At this point, it might be worth it to the Bengals to see what Palmer can do next year without receivers like Ochocinco, T.O. and T.J. Houshmandzadeh buzzing in his ear. One would think that the Bengals’ offense would be worse off without a player like Ochocinco, but Palmer’s last two games tell a different story.

      External Sports, NFL

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