News is spreading today that wide receiver/headcase Terrell Owens has accepted a one year, $2 million contract (plus extra incentives) with the Cincinnati Bengals. That means that Cincinnati will be home to two of the biggest egos and controversial players in the NFL, the other half being Chad Johnson, also known as “Ochocino.” The question is, can they coexist?
Even though Johnson legally changed his last name to Ochocinco to match his #85 jersey, I refuse to call him by that ridiculous last name. What is this? The XFL? It’s not even correct Spanish. Instead, I’ll just call him Chad.
At age 36, this will be Owens sixth NFL team. He played for the San Francisco 49ers from 1996-2003, the Philadelphia Eagles from 2004-2005, the Dallas Cowboys from 2006-2008 and the Buffalo Bills in 2009. With the signing of free agent Antonio Bryant, the Bengals could have serious depth at wide receiver, granted Bryant remains healthy after being hobbled by knee problems most of last season.
Chad and Owens are good friends off the field. According to a video on Chad’s Facebook page from a Super Bowl party, Owens said he would change his nickname from “T.O.” to “Ochouno”(to match his #81 jersey) if he went to the Bengals. It remains to be seen whether he keeps his promise. Judging by how much these guys joke around, I wouldn’t be surprised if they came up with something more absurd. Let’s face it. They are prima donnas. They each have their own reality shows. Owens is in his second season of “The T.O. Show” that follows his personal life off the field. Chad is in his first season of “Ochocino: The Ultimate Catch,” where women vie to be in a relationship with him. Needless to say, I barely made it through an episode of each for the purpose of this post. Owens wants to be an actor when he retires so he’s getting an early start. He also wants to be an interior designer…not kidding.
No matter what, it will be interesting to see if Owens can perform at age 36 and offers some lucrative online gambling opportunities for bookmakers. He disappointed in Buffalo last season with a weak supporting cast. Many people are also skeptical of how the ball will be distributed from quarterback Carson Palmer, since Cincinnati was mainly a running team last year. Owens looks like he has matured beyond the days of arguing with coaches and quarterbacks to the point of breaking the team apart, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see some more bizarre and hilarious end zone celebrations after touchdowns from Chad and Owens. Good luck keeping those two in check, Marvin Lewis.