Breaking News: Patriots Land Ochocinco

The New England Patriots have acquired wide receiver Chad Ochocinco after he accepted a restructured three-year contract from the Patriots, a source told ESPN.com's John Clayton.

We will have more on this tomorrow.

Carson Palmer Retires

Palmer has said all along that if the Bengals don't trade or release him he would retire. I guess he wasn't kidding...

"I honesty like Carson Palmer. He was a splendid player for us," Brown said, via Joe Reedy of the Cincinnati Enquirer. "He is a good person. I wish him well and he has retired. That is his choice."

"I'm not expecting him to be back. Carson signed a contract, he made a commitment," Brown continued. "He gave us his word. We relied on his word and his commitment. We expected him to perform here. If he is going to walk away from his commitment we aren’t going to reward him for doing it."

Does Bengals owner Mike Brown have the right stance? In a way yes. Palmer signed a contract and he is trying to walk away from that. So, yes he is right for basically not allowing him to do so. That being said, the Bengals now get nothing for Palmer. How is that better?

With so many teams needing QB's (Vikings, Dolphins, Seahawks, Cardinals, just to name a few) the Bengals probably could've got a pretty good return for Palmer. Now, they get nothing, and it will just take the process of being good again even longer (can you even say "again" with the Bengals?), which is just sad for this franchise and their fans.

So while I do think what Palmer is doing is fundamentally wrong (though I can't blame him), getting nothing in return is the worst way for this to end for the Bengals.

Cedric Benson Goes To Jail.... Again

With all the Steelers getting framed for things the passed couple of offseasons, it's finally good to see the police finally arrested a criminal.

Travis County sheriff's spokesman Roger Wade said Benson was arrested in downtown Austin on a misdemeanor count of assault with bodily injury with family violence. Benson attorney Sam Bassett said in a statement the arrest followed "a conflict" between Benson and a male former roommate. ESPN

This isn't good for Benson figuring he is an unrestricted free agent, and the end is in sights for the lock out. Figuring there are going to be a lot of fines/ suspensions once the lock out is lifted I expect Cedric to be suspended for a game, due to his continuous awful off field issues.

Forgetting about this, any team that gets Benson will have a quality runningback. He has rejuvenated his career in Cincinnati and will be a high priority free agent, so it will be interesting if this incident effects that at all.

Pacman Jones Is Getting It

"Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones was arrested at a bar late Saturday night for disorderly conduct while intoxicated and resisting arrest.
Two police officers were forced to physically restrain Jones to apply handcuffs as he fought to pull away, the TV report says. Jones had been yelling profanities and waving his arms violently, according to WKRC-TV."

This obviously had no racial overtones, Adam Jones is a bad boy and deserves to get whatever came to him. I can see the incident right now, him and his boys were hanging out drinking E and J from the bottle, then Pacman said, "Hey let's get into some trouble tonight." then him and his boys stopped into a night club and shot a bunch of people and stole the money from an owner. After that they decided to sell a bunch of drugs in Nebraska using a crazy Jamaician guy named Ox to front them all the money for the drugs. And then the local gangster in Nebraska gets mad that they are invading their turf and decides to "drop a dime" on them, ruining the whole operation. Meanwhile Method Man is around for some reason and shoots the guy that dropped a dime, Ox gets killed by a female Jamaican assassin and Pacman finally gets caught.

I mean that could seem like the plot of Belly, but I'm pretty sure it was also the same thing that happened with Pacman.

Mike Brown Is The Worst

Cincinnati Bengals owner Mike Brown reiterated Monday that his team won't trade quarterback Carson Palmer once the lockout ends.

"We don't plan to trade Carson," Brown told the NFL Network at the league's spring owners meetings in Indianapolis. "He's important to us. He's a very fine player, and we do want him to come back. If he chooses not to, he'd retire. And we would go with Andy Dalton, the younger player we drafted, who's a good prospect (ESPN)."

Mike Brown has made this statement before. He says he has no plans of trading Palmer, and if it was another other team I wouldn't believe. Palmer wants out, he has said he won't set foot in that stadium again, and has already sold his house. What Brown needs to realize is that this team is in full rebuilding mode (once again) and the only way out is to start getting some draft picks. Palmer should be able to bring in something decent with so many teams looking for QBs, but Brown is a hard headed moron, and the only thing this team ever leads the league in is arrests.

With The 4th Pick In the NFL Draft The Cincinatti Bengals Select

AJ Green WR Georgia

I like Julio Jones better, but he is going to be a real good WR. 6'4, 220 and can catch the ball all over the place. Goes through the middle and can turn the jets on. If anything can convince Carson Palmer to stop being a douche, this should be it. What a great weapon to have.

With The 4th Pick In the 2011 NFL Draft the Cincinnati Bengals Select.....

AJ Green WR Georgia
The Bengals need a wr really bad with Chris Henry dead and Chad Johnson most likely going to be cut or traded and Terrell Owens a year older. AJ Green is the best wr on board by scouts (even though I believe Julio Jones will be a better pro), another scenario is that Carson Palmer gets traded and they draft Cam Newton. I don't see that happening, who knows with the Bengals.

BMack's Pick:

AJ Green WR Georgia


I could've seen they go with a QB, but with the two top QBs off the board the Bengals go with a WR, as I doubt TO will be back, and Ochocinco declining and may even be cut. Green gives Palmer (?) a new weapon. He is big (6'3"), strong (211 lbs), and according to scouts is a great route runner. The Bengals need to put a new face on their offense, and A.J. Green could slide into that role nicely.

Carson Palmer Really Wants Out Of Cincy

Over the last two days Carson Palmer is making it very clear that he has no plans to ever suit up for the Bengals again. According to reports Palmer told a friend that he "will never set foot in Paul Brown Stadium again" and that "I (Palmer) have $80 million in the bank. I don't have to play football for money. I'll play it for the love of the game but that would have to be elsewhere. I'm prepared to live my life."

I am kind of torn on this. On one hand the Bengals are a terrible organization, and don't seem like they will ever do anything. The owner refuses to put money into the facilities, and they are near the bottom in spending every year.

On the other hand, Palmer hasn't exactly been stellar in recent years and their failures are in part his fault. I mean you can't come off the worst year of your career and then turn on your team and tell everyone to go screw... bad form.

Yet, at the end of the day I can't blame him. I wouldn't want to play there, and there isn't much time left in his career. Why waste it on this piss poor franchise? Sure, he hasn't played well, but I would be interested if he went to a good team if he could regain his former glory. Either way, he is right he has all the money he'll ever need, and doesn't have to play if he doesn't want to.

Marvin Lewis Slams Ochocinco

We have already heard that Carson Palmer wants out of Cincinnati, but now there seems to be more unrest as Marvin Lewis slammed Ochocinco to the Boston Herald. A writer for the Herald asked Lewis if he thought the Patriots would make a run at Ochocinco now that he is a free agent. His response was...

"Belichick's smarter than that," said Lewis, who coached Ochocinco in Cincinnati for the last eight seasons.

This all started because Ochocinco tweeted that joining the Patriots would be "epic", and Belichick had been quoted as saying...

“I like Chad — I like him as a player. I like him as a person,” Belichick said. “I like his enthusiasm and the fun he has with football, and I like how he competes on the football field. I have a lot of respect for that. [We’re] an odd couple, but in the end I think we have a lot of things in common.”

Well it seems that Marvin Lewis has had enough of Ochocinco, and who can blame him. I know he is a good player and trains hard, but he also can't keep his mouth shut. I just don't ever see him fitting on the Patriots. Welker got in trouble for opening his mouth ONCE, Ochocinco would be in the dog house from day 1. People keep referencing Moss and Dillon, and say it would be the same thing, but it's not. Those guys were bad dudes, who had attitude problems, but neither was big on talking to the media (and when Moss finally did he was traded). It is just a different kind of evil, and there is just no way Ochocinco will be a Patriot next year.

Looks like he won't be a Bengal either.

Carson Palmer Requests Trade From Bengals

Carson Palmer will ask the Cincinnati Bengals to trade him and will contemplate retirement if he does not get his wish, according to several sources.ESPN

I understand that playing for the Bengals must suck, but does Carson Palmer really have the leverage to say these things? Palmer was looked at as an "elite" QB some years ago, but since then injuries and shitty play has knocked him off that ranking.

Stats Overview	Passing
SPLIT	CMP	ATT	YDS	CMP%	YPA	LNG	TD	INT	SACK	RAT
2010	362	586	3970	61.8	6.78	78	26	20	26	82.4
Career	2024	3217	22694	62.9	7.05	78	154	100	160	86.9

Those are his stats, good, but not great.

He needs to win before he opens his mouth, if I were the Bengals I would totally call his bluff and make him suck it up.

Marvin Lewis To Stay In Cincy (2 UPDATES)

"ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter reports that the two sides now both expect Lewis to stay in Cincy, a fairly shocking turn of events. Furthermore, the team and the coach are expected to iron out any differences over the next 24 hours (ESPN)."

You have got to be kidding me! This team was terrible, and they are going to have to completely rebuild now. That should mean new QB, new WRs, and new head coach. If this report is true and Lewis is going to stay then maybe the Bengals are thinking of keeping a lot of these guys, because otherwise this makes no sense because if you are going to rebuild a team you should probably get a new head coach, so that you don't start your rebuilding process then fire Lewis in a year and have to start all over again.

God damn the Bengals are awful.

***UPDATE***

Reports are coming out that the meetings didn't go well and now Marvin Lewis returning to Cincy is said to be "unlikely". We'll keep you updated.

***UPDATE 2***

"Marvin Lewis agreed to an unspecified contract extension on Tuesday that will make him the longest-tenured coach in Bengals history. Owner Mike Brown agreed to changes in the coaching staff and the roster as part of a deal that left both sides comfortable (CBS Sports)."

Ochocinco To The Patriots?

ESPN Insider had an interesting article today that put the idea out there that the Patriots will sign Ochocinco this offseason. These are somewhat set off by the Patriots being known to "remake" a players image, and the comments from Bill Belichick...

"I like Chad," Belichick said in September. "I like him as a player. I like him as a person. I like his enthusiasm and the fun he has with football, and I like how he competes on the football field. I have a lot of respect for that. An odd couple, but in the end I think we have a lot of things in common." Enough to add him to the Pats' roster? We could find out this offseason (ESPN).

Could it happen? You never know with the Patriots, but I say no. The Patriots do not like people talking out in the media and that is all Ochocinco does. I don't see him stopping it even if it's for the "good of the team". I like Ochocinco, but lately his mouth does a lot more then his hands do, and he kind of goes against everything the Patriots seem to want to stand for.

Say what you want about Moss, but for the most part he kept his mouth shut, and when he didn't he was shipped out. Since I don't think Ochocinco can go a day without being in the public eye, I just don't see this partnership happening.

Least Shocking News Of The Day: TO Rips McNabb

If you can remember back to when the Eagles played the Patriots in the Super Bowl Owens ripped McNabb for getting tired at the end of the game.

"Well, I don't really want to start anything, but I did play in the Super Bowl and there were rumors where he couldn't get our two-minute offense going at the end of the game," Owens said. "I'm just saying (SI.com)."

He certainly could be right after Mike Shanahan said the same thing about last week's game, but there are two things that really bother me about all this.

First off, no matter what anyone says McNabb will always give you a better chance to win then Rex Grossman. The fact Rex is even in the NFL anymore shocks me, and even if McNabb was playing with a broken throwing arm I would still start him over Grossman.

Now for Owens. You really shouldn't be talking shit when your teams is going down the pipes. Maybe if you and Ochocinco spent a little more time working with your team and studying then making stupid TV shows that no one watches you guys would be better then 2-5. Honestly, if it wasn't for the Cowboys and Vikings this team would be the biggest bust.

Owens is actually having a very solid year, but it is the same old shit with him. He can't just be happy with making noise on the field, he always has to start shit off the field as well. I guess he'll do whatever it takes to keep his name in the press.

38 Patriots, 24 Bengals

Wes Welker is back and the Patriots offense seems fine. Wes who had the speediest recovery from a torn ACL caught 8 passes for 64 yards and 2 TDs as Brady and the Patriots went on to crush the Bengals week 1..... for at least the first half.

In the first half I was very impressed with the way the Patriots defense was playing. Devin McCourty was playing great defense on Terrell Owens, the Patriots pass rush was getting Carson Palmer uncomfortable and everyone was pretty much doing their job. Then after Brandon Tate's 97 yard kickoff return the Bengals outscored the Patriots 21-7. Carson Palmer exposed New England secondary and the flood gates opened. It's week 1, even if the Patriots had a big lead the secondary can't get fat and happy. Just something to keep an eye on going forward.

Other than a defensive collapse, the offense played pretty much how you would want them to play. Like I already said, Wes Welker looked fine, Tom Brady threw for 3 TDs and even rookie TE Rob Gronkowski chipped in with a score. Fred Taylor had a decent game running for 71 yards on 14 tries and the Patriots even ran the ball 23 times. All in all the offense did their jobs well.

I may not have gave the Patriots offense enough credit this off season.

Bengals Bullshit Begins

When I did the Bengals preview I said that they have got better with the moves the made in the offseason, but I still don't think they will bring it to the next level, because they have too many shitheads on the team. Well, today it seems my theory is being proved correct...

"Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Antwan Odom was leading the league in sacks in 2009 until he injured his Achilles tendon in Week 6. Back healthy, Odom was expected to be one of the leaders on D once again.

However, on Thursday, reports came in that Odom was facing a four-game suspension for testing positive for a banned substance, with some reports claiming that he had been caught taking performance-enhancing drugs. Odom issued a statement that he denies taking PEDs, and that his suspension is under appeal, per Joe Reedy of the Cincinnati Enquirer (ESPN)."

Unfortunately this probably won't help the Patriots, as the appeal will not be settled until after week 1. Still, this will be a bit of a problem, as he bring a solid pass rush for the Bengals. He is claiming it isn't steroids, but who doesn't? Even if it wasn't it was probably some other drug he shouldn't have been touching, and I very much doubt the NFL will back off.

2010 NFL Preview: Cincinnati Bengals

2009 Record: 10-6

KEY ADDITIONS:
Matt Jones, WR, None
Pacman Jones, CB, None
Mike Nugent, K, Tampa Bay, Arizona
Dave Rayner, K, None
Gibril Wilson, S, Miami
Terrell Owens, WR, Buffalo

KEY LOSSES:
Laveranues Coles, WR, Free agent
J.P. Foschi, TE, Free agent
Shayne Graham, K, Baltimore
Jeremi Johnson, FB, Free agent
Larry Johnson, RB, Washington
Shaun Smith, DT, Kansas City

Offense:
The combination of Ochocinco and Owens will be more then just entertaining, I think together they give this team some great offensive passing power. Owens may have lost a step or two, but he is still better then 90% of the WRs out there, and if he can keep his drops under control he should have a very good year. Palmer is a big fan of Owens, so that should only help. Palmer is a good QB, but kind of overrated. His production seems to be trending down every year, and although I think he will stop the slide this year with the talent around him, he is not as good as everyone ranks him. Cedric Benson was a beast last season, but I really don't see him being as good this year. Yet, with a very good offensive line there is no reason why he should be rushing for over 1,100 yards this season.

Defense:
Antwan Odom is back healthy and he was a beast at the beginning of last year (eight sacks through the first six games) before an Achilles tendon tear last season, so if he can return to how he was before the injury that should be a big bonus. That could prove to be huge as this unit was very good last season, and they are going to need to be with the Ravens offense getting so much better. Second-round draft pick Carlos Dunlap gives the defensive line some much needed versatility. They have great linebackers with Rey Maualuga, and Dhani Jones. The key to this defense is their conerbacks. If Leon Hall and Johnathan Joseph can once against cover the #1 and #2 receivers in man coverage it makes the whole defense better by allowing them to bring more guys in the box and get pressure on the QB.

Overall:
I just sang their praises on both sides of the ball, but I actually think they will only have 9 wins this year...Why? No, it's not because of Owens it's because this entire team has way too many troublemakers (PacMan, Owens, Tank Johnson, Rey Maualuga, Matt Jones, and Ochocinco) and something is bound to happen. I'm not saying all of it will be legal, but something will explode.

2010 Record: 9-7

Bengals Cut Antonio Bryant

Bryant was a major disappointment after signing a four-year, $28 million contract this offseason with just under $8 million guaranteed.

So the Bengals basically signed this guy gave him 8 million dollars and told him peace. That's a pretty sweet gig if your Bryant though. ESPN is painting a picture as him being a disappointment, but he's probably just pissed. You can blame the surgery he had or whatever, but he thought he would be lining up across from OchoCinco and then they go and sign TO.

I like Bryant and I think he still has some good years in front of him, but this may not have been the best move for the Bengals. Maybe the Patriots will take a look at him... not.

T.O. Is A Bengal

The Bengals and Terrell Owens agreed to a one year, 2 million dollar deal.

I really like this deal for the Bengals because I still believe Owens in a playmaker and see not a huge difference between him and Randy Moss for the exception of a couple of dropped balls. The Bengals now have the best tandem of WR for the AFC North (sorry Ravens). Now that Ochocinco and Terrell Owens are on the same team, the Bengals will be very entertaining, and will have a ton of fines especially when it comes to touchdown celebrations.

But another thing I want to point out, is why wouldn't the Patriots take a flier on this guy. Bmack and I were talking last night and he would have been a very good risk for them to take instead of Tory Holt. The Patriots lack of moves this offseason should be very concerning to their fans. They haven't got better on offense, nor defense, via free agency and that could certainly could mean trouble for them especially when they go against AFC East favorite Jets.

Just Another Classy Bengal

Cincinnati Bengals running back Cedric Benson was arrested Tuesday and charged with misdemeanor assault for allegedly punching a bar employee in the face nearly a month ago.

Another day, another Bengal on the wrong side of the law. The NFL will probably suspended him a couple games, but at this point what else can they do. It seems like every year the NFL is getting worse and worse with these kinds of stories. I mean just the Bengals alone are a black eye to the NFL. It is a joke that it is that hard for these guys to not be fuck-ups, but I guess that'll never change.

Pacman Jones Making It Rain In Cincy

Well it seems as if the Bengals are about to sign Pacman Jones and that's swell. Take his off field issues out of the equation, he's not a good football player. He can't cover anyone, and he's not the player he once was before he started paralyzing people. He's a name and I can't believe that of all teams the Bengals took a chance on him. The Bengals have been in a huge identity crisis for a while since everyone is a convict, and bringing Pacman into camp only draws more negative attention.