The Three Ochos

It's happened. Terrell Owens has finally been signed. Drew Rosenhaus can slip back into the shadows once more as TO takes the helm at wide receiver for...

The Cincinnati Bengals? Did Chad OchoCinco know about this?

He requested him? Well, that's interesting. Did Antonio Bryant?

He's injured and might miss the season, or at least part of it? Ok then. And Carson Palmer is ok with this?

He is? As is Marvin Lewis? Alright then. Might as well break this down.

When Free Agency first hit, I was a big proponent of signing Antonio Bryant here over Terrell Owens. He's younger, has been stuck on a poor Buccaneers team for a couple seasons, and has true number one receiver potential, where as Owens has lost a step due to age and is no longer a true number one option. Once Bryant was signed, I was thrilled. No TO in Cincy, Bryant would be alright with lining up alongside with OchoCinco on a winning team set to make a playoff run, and everything would fall into place.

A couple months later, Owens is still a Free Agent, Bryant is recovering from a knee injury with bone on bone complications, and the other receivers on the team aren't exactly impressing the coaches. Initial reports following the signing state that Bryant will not be placed on the PUP (Physically Unable to Perform) list, but it's still a concerning injury. So what does Bengals Owner Mike Brown do? Goes back to TO, says we have a contract offer for one year, $2 Million dollars, take it or leave it.

I should take this time to note that this might be the best negotiation Mike Brown has ever done.

TO, being wooed by only Cincy and the St. Louis Rams, signs on. Now, there could be numerous reasons: 1.) He truly just wants to win a title. In Cincy, it's Ocho's team. Well, at least it's Ocho's receiving corps. TO is the number two. 2.) The Rams were that unappealing. Which I think we can safely say is part of it. 3.) TO has realized he's not a number one receiver anymore and is willing to step to the side to play a lesser role in the play design to hopefully make his role more efficient. I won't bet on this one being part of the equation, but who knows. 4.) TO wants to have fun playing alongside a good friend of his. Likely, as it seems he has few in the league.

It's probably a combination of all of those and then some (sans the third choice). But, the big question is what will happen when things go wrong in Cincy? Every team hits one point in the year where things start to fall apart. Last season, it happened during the final weeks of the regular season for the Bengals. Now, Carson Palmer is a veteran Quarterback who was at one point an elite talent in the league. The past couple seasons, he has been beaten, bloodied, and a shell of his former self. If Palmer can't turn things around with this group, it'll be clear his days as a starter are done and the franchise will need to start moving in a different direction. But TO only has one year with the team. Bryant is signed on for four, he can afford to step aside for a season. TO just doesn't have that time, and it has been noted that he would like to win a title. So when Palmer slips, when the offense stalls for a game, or even two, what will TO's reaction be?

This is the epitome of boom or bust. You're either going to have a superpowered, high flying, intimidating offense with other weapons like Cedric Benson, Bernard Scott, Brian Leonard, Jordan Shipley, Andre Caldwell, Jermaine Gresham, and Chase Coffman, among others. That's a lot of options in the run and pass game, who will get to play off of the trinity of headache receivers headlining the Bengals new, shiny offense. Offensive Coordinator Bob Bratkowski has been on thin ice himself recently, and could also be gone if this doesn't work out. His offense since 2005 has been flat, and only last season did it really show a spark when Bratkowski went back to the basics and utilized the run game more with Benson in the backfield. Of course, personnel is always an issue, but that excuse can only be used so many times.

Some of those other weapons on offense are unproven as well. Gresham and Shipley are rookies. Caldwell showed some ability over the past couple seasons, but has disappeared often. Coffman logged no numbers last year because of his lack of blocking ability and won't see the field too often behind Gresham and veteran blocking Tight End Reggie Kelly. Scott and Leonard are package/down backs that won't see much time as long as Benson is healthy. So the benefit of TO is going to depend largely on how well these young players develop with him on the roster.

If you want my personal opinion, I think this will ultimately be a success. Coming to a team with a friend to rely on like Ocho, who also has a similar "Showtime" personality. TO should fit in more comfortably. Cincinnati also has a good recent history dealing with problem children. Recent history being the key part, as the Bengals have had their fair share of failed rehabilitation projects. But if there's ever a time or a place to say TO can thrive once more, it's now with Cincinnati. Picture Owens, Bryant and OchoCinco all on the field at the same time with Palmer lined up in shotgun on their 20. You can throw any combination of other players in there, that's a scary front to face.

It is to be noted that the other three teams in the AFC North are having secondary issues. Troy Polamalu is coming off of a serious injury from last season for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and their Corners have never really been impressive. Same goes for the Baltimore Ravens, except replace Polamalu with Ed Reed. They did sign Ken Hamlin, but he's not Reed. The Cleveland Browns, well, they're the Browns.

So with all of these things looking to fall in the favor of Cincy, we still are left to wonder what will happen when the Bengals stall on offense. They won't put up tons of yards and points every game, and it's difficult to even say they will with how much the offense struggled last season. The defense is what carried them to the AFC North crown, and looks to only be getting stronger with Defensive Coordinator Mike Zimmer returning to the team with a new contract, and key players Domata Peko and Antwan Odom returning healthy. It's a wonder why the Bengals aren't one of the "hot picks" to win the AFC North or the AFC title before TO even signed.

But to bring things back to where we started, it's now Terrell Owens, Antonio Bryant and Chad OchoCinco all sharing playing time in Cincy. You can't really point out one player the outcome of the team rests on, but if you must, it's TO. Palmer is a veteran QB who has dealt with OchoCinco for several seasons. He's used to prima donna reactions to poor passes or games. If there's a QB out there who can handle TO, it's Palmer. Same goes for Head Coach Marvin Lewis. His laid back attitude is just what TO needs, as long as he stays reasonably within the lines. Owner Mike Brown loves bringing in rehab projects and will trust TO to not be a distraction. TO has free roam in Cincy, and both OchoCinco and Bryant are running with him.

Get your popcorn ready.

Hey, who thinks TO will just kick Bryant in the knee and take his #81 jersey?