This is supposedly what the former Georgia receiver, A.J. Green's, rookie card for the Cincinnati Bengals will look like. I sure wish he were still wearing the red and black this season, but I'm definitely looking forward to seeing what this Top 10 pick will do at the next level.
John Clayton thinks the most logical destination for former Georgia wide receiver, A.J. Green, will be the Cincinnati Bengals at No. 4—Carson Palmer or no Carson Palmer. That offense is built around the passing game and with Terrell Owens out and Chad OchoCinco likely on his way to free agency soon, the Bengals will be looking to add some young, playmaking talent.
If not them, the Browns are still a very good possibility at the No. 6 spot—assuming they don't decide to select Julio Jones. The Browns need receiver help and Green would not only fill that role, but would be just the impact guy they need to expand their offense and give Colt McCoy more viable options in the passing game.
Here's what John Clayton had to say:
Either way, it sounds like Green will be selected in the Top 10.
You know, with a coach like Marvin Lewis, who needs enemies?
Reportedly when coach Lewis was asked about the recovery status of Chad OchoCinco, he had this to say, "Well, he's being his mopey self. Hopefully, he can pull himself out of it and move forward ... When things don't go Chad's way, that's kinda how it happens."
Uh huh, tell us how you really feel Marvin.
To further aggravate the situation, Lewis added the following when asked how he deals with such behavior from his other media-friendly receiver, "I don't deal with it...we just move on. We'll put a new guy in there. If he's not ready to go Sunday, we'll have somebody in there ready to go and go from there."
Wow, coach, I didn't realize you had so many grand options at that position—especially considering your other head-case, wait, I mean playmaker is out for the year.
Mr. Lewis might need to learn how to be a touch more diplomatic when discussing his players. It's a trait that could serve him well when he searching for his next job—which could be soon.
As for how OchoCinco feels about this, well, he did say something about being thrown under the bus.
Things are getting hot in Cincy. Looks like there's still plenty of drama left for No. 85.
Is it possible to say that without someone wanting to place me on a skewer, hang me over a blazing fire, and roast me until I reach maximum temperature?...Is it?
Showboats and attention-seekers are a turn-off. Some fans find a playful attitude towards the game of football to be charming or good entertainment—but it's not. Football can be entertaining minus the circus, minus the drama, and minus the arrogance that many of its players seem to exhibit today.
Back when the game was only about "wins" and "losses", players often played with more purpose and a whole lot more discipline on the field. There was respect for the beauty of the game—the fundamentals—no one was trying to pull the attention to the name or the number stitched across the back of his jersey.
Individual recognition ran a distant second to winning championships and playing for Super Bowls. Nowadays, a guy has one good year and decides to hold-out for more money. Or, better still, rookies who have never played a down look to be treated like veteran pro bowlers—expecting a big paycheck before they even bother to grace a pro field.
It's a "screw you, pay me" mentality and it ruins the game for the purists who just want to see good football played on Sunday.
Of course, the natural argument against this thinking is to say that there weren't as many opportunities for individual recognition back then because there was no free agency, no internet, no Twitter, and no ESPN—guys played with anonymity back then because they were...well...anonymous.
During that era, one could probably list on one hand, possibly two, the number of players they would recognize minus their helmet, and most of them were quarterbacks. There simply wasn't as much of an opportunity to take advantage of ones own popularity as there is now.
Fair enough, but, even so, can you imagine former Washington Redskins great, Art Monk, wearing an Ochocinco jersey in the place of his No. 85?
Is it reasonable to argue that even the old school players would have liked a shot at the money that players of today make. After all, they weren't all just hoping to play for free—right. Of course, many of those guys will tell you they played for pennies back then and never could have dreamed of making as much money as even a veteran bench player does now—just ask Gale Sayers.
That said, can you think of a player today who would even bother to pick up a football if they didn't think it would net them a large paycheck in the future? Make no mistake, the mentality is different—no matter the era.
Is there anything wrong with a man making a living off his name? Of course not, Chad Ochocinco should feel free to do so for as long as he can. If he wants to go "Dancing With The Stars", find "The Ultimate Catch", or run around naked in public places (well, assuming he was given the clearance), then that's his business.
That said, changing his jersey to Ochocinco, tweeting during a preseason football game, and blowing off a voluntary conditioning program to enhance his popularity—popularity he wouldn't have without the game of football—seems like too much.
All of it is out of line.
Now, before the Ochocinco fans point out his great play and consecutive 1,000 yard seasons, please understand that the issue isn't his contribution to the Cincinnati Bengals but rather his need to always be maximizing his "brand". It's all Chad...all the time. That's a problem.
He has every right to remain Chad Ochocinco. He has every right to build his brand. He has every right to maximize his bottom line—in any way that he can. But, sometimes, it would be nice to look on the back of that No. 85 jersey and just see the name "Johnson" again and feel confident that his reason for scoring a touchdown was to get his team to the next level and not his face on the camera.
In the end, no one will likely care what he does this season because they, again, think it's entertaining and not hurting anybody. If anything, he's probably adored even more by his fans for the stunts he pulls.
However, if his numbers falter, if he gets an injury, or if his team doesn't do as well as most are hoping...what will you think of him then?
Multiple media outlets are reporting that former Buffalo Bills receiver, Terrell Owens, could land in St. Louis. The Rams are said to be "aggressively pursuing" him at this time, and a deal could possibly be made between the two entities within the next 48 to 72 hours.
My opinion of Terrell Owens and his immature antics have already been made clear and, in light of this newest information, I have to say that if the Rams or the Bengals were to sign him, they would both be making a huge mistake.
Both Cincinnati (a team with a penchant for adding reclamation projects) and St. Louis (a team that is currently stuck in rebuild mode) may have space for a guy with Owens skills but is he really worth the headache and the potential setback he could hand their respective quarterbacks?
Sam Bradford will be a rookie in 2010 and he will have his hands full attempting to build chemistry with his new teammates.
Furthermore, he will face hiccups along the way as he deals with running a new offensive system in a league where the defenses can, and often have, eaten newbies like him for breakfast—do you really want to add in the catastrophe that can be "T.O."?
After all, Owens is no longer the game-changer he once was and to throw a young, inexperienced, and ill-equipped Sam Bradford into a situation where he is forced to contend with the personality that is "T.O.", in his rookie season, seems like a lot to ask because despite what anyone might say about Terrell Owens, he is not a team player.
As for the Bengals, Carson Palmer seems to be back on track and he already has a couple of receivers on the Bengals roster who make him a happy man when airing out the football—one of them is named Ochocinco (AKA, Chad Johnson).
Can Johnson and Owens truly exist on the same football field without one or the other caving in to prima-donna behavior?
In my opinion, the only place that Owens truly belongs, at this point, is on the unemployment line. He's just too negative a personality for any team to handle.
Is he talented? Yes, without question.
Does he have the ability to make a team better? Maybe. Maybe not.
Is he worth the trouble anymore? Not really.
If either of these franchises are smart, they will do what every other team this offseason has done where Owens is concerned—pass.
