Terrell Owens signs with Bengals

[Beerracuda]

Although it's being reported by Bengals.com and ProFootballTalk, there's been nothing "official" so far, but it seems inevitable.

Supposedly a 1-year $2 million deal, with $2 million more in incentives.

Leave it to the Bungles to do something like this.

With 2 of the biggest egos in the NFL on the team in OchoStinko and TO, this should be entertaining to watch them implode.

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/thehuddle/post/2010/07/bengalscom-terrell-owens-agrees-to-a-one-year-contract-to-play-in-cincinnati/1

[festivus]

Wow, TO must have had to swallow (choke on) his pride to take $2m for a one year deal.

[Dade]

What's the over/under on how many games till Chad TO and Carson are at each other throats?

[UKRavenGordon]

Honestly how many egos and malcontents does Marvin Lewis think he can handle on one team?

[the duke]

Wow......should be fun watching this team of characters try and win this year.......

[Jeremiah W]

I think this makes them better. I also think the teams that do not have 4 good Wrs and some size over the middle will have a very hard time moving the football on the Ravens.

If Palmer is back, the Bengals should be as good as the Steelers have been the last few years and in the hunt all year long. I really do not think they have as good of a D as they may seem. The Jets ran them over and out last year, and they may be fast, but I do not think they are Steeler and Raven like on D, but they may have a balanced high scoring O with TO and Ochostinko as well as Bryant and the young guys, we will need 5 good CBs to matchup.

Frank Walkewr coming back as a counter move is not much but I like it. He may be able to handle TO if the pass rush picks up.

[Stealthbirds80]

This makes them better if they are winning. Let them lose two in a row. Too many second chance malcontents on the same team plus they are in Cincinnati. That city alone is like the isle of misfits :grbac:

[myfavoriteboxer]

I guess Marvin saw the way it worked out for Dick Jauron last year, and figured this is the fastest way out of Cincinnati for him. Too bad it won't work, Brown is such a cheapass owner that he won't fire him no matter what, while he's under contract.

[Dade]

I guess Marvin saw the way it worked out for Dick Jauron last year, and figured this is the fastest way out of Cincinnati for him. Too bad it won't work, Brown is such a cheapass owner that he won't fire him no matter what, while he's under contract.

:laugh:

Marvin has been trying to get fire for years. Check this video out.

http://www.bangcartoon.com/2008/phonetag.htm

[Dragz]

What I don't understand is this: Why in the world do people act like T.O. can't play anymore?! Does nobody understand that REGARDLESS of attitude Terrell Owens is still a mis-match for MOST corners?! If you say he's not as fast, ok, he can use his body to box out a DB and he's tall enough to make jump ball situations interesting. Hate on T.O.as much as you like, but Ochocinco, Owens, Bryant and Caldwell, is a foursome that we're gonna have problems with.

[StingerNLG]

LOL:

Chris Henry
Cedric Benson
Larry Johnson
Matt Jones
T.O.

And I don't feel bad for Carson Palmer at all, he wanted TO here.

[baltimore_hokie]

Honestly how many egos and malcontents does Marvin Lewis think he can handle on one team?

They pick them up in free agency. They draft them. They sign them after other teams cut them.

Some of the moves the Bengals have made may look good (TO is still a good WR, Carlos Dunlap has a ton of talent, Michael Johnson has a ton of talent, Tank Johnson has worked out decently, Cedric Benson was great for them last year, Ochocinco is very good, Andre Smith has as much talent as anyone, Matt Jones is...well...Matt Jones, Rey Maualuga, and the list goes on), but you can't fake chemistry. You can't throw 20 thugs in orange jerseys and expect sustained success. They will always be the same underachieving Bengals.

It's just amazing to see how different our organization is from that mess. Last year was a great year for them (until it counted in the playoffs, at least), but you can't count on all those head cases to put it together for consecutive games, let alone consecutive seasons.

Things are looking good in Cincy now. Things will invariably go bad at some point. That's what happens in the NFL. When things go bad with that team, they will go very bad. It will happen very fast. They have been and always will be the Bengals.

[davver]

TO isn't that good anymore. Is he an upgrade over their #3? Probably, but he's no superstar anymore. If they are doing well he will behave but if that start 0-2 let the fireworks fly.

I think the bigger story is that they paid Bryant big money for 4 years and now they don't like him anymore and brought in TO to cover for him.

[Greg]

LOL, it is so bad nobody has even mentioned Pacman Jones.

[HoustonRaven]

Can we put the kibosh on littlecat, por favor?

[Beerracuda]

What kind of an idiot would believe that if he spammed every thread with inane, unrelated chatter, it would bring more business to his website that sells jerseys? If anything, it will probably keep most people away from that site.

What a moron.

Be gone, littlepussy..err cat

[xmradiodave]

Can we put the kibosh on littlecat, por favor?

Aside from making no sense, those are some banged-up looking Jerseys. I do not care how cheap they are priced. Look at the Boldin jersey! The fraggin' numbers are totally different sizes.

As far as the Owens signing, it definitely makes the Bengals a better team. Owens is a malcontent, and we all know that Ochocinco can be equally, if not more of a diva than Owens. But this improves their passing game exponentially, much the same way the Boldin signing helps our passing game. Owens is 36 years old, but that does not necesarily diminish his value as a legitimate receiver.

Derrick mason is 36 and is a very productive receiver. Aside from Ray Rice last year, he carried the receiving corps. Owens is still in remarkable shape, and there really is no telling how much fuel is left in the tank. Many people, including myself felt that the bengals we saw last season was a fluke, and were expecting to see them return to the Bungles we have come to know.

With Owens on the field, that changes the way teams (defenses) have to gameplan against the Bengals. We can all hope that the egos on the Bengals blow up and cause dissention in the ranks. Does this signing scare me at all? Not really. They swept us last year. They swept the whole division. The Ravens and the rest of the Division will not be sleeping on the Bengals this season.

[RavenScallywag]

Yeah, this signing actually worries me a bit. This makes it so our nickel corner (likely Carr or Fischer) is going up against Antonio Bryant or TO...Not very good matchups at all.

The two egos at WR will work if they are winning. If not, I've already seen some signs of stepping on toes...TO tweeted "Ocho Uno is on the way...Hold on Robin, Batman is coming" about him going to Cincy. So already, the guy is establishing that Ocho Cinco is a sidekick to him. I'm sure Ocho Cinco is taking it in jest now, hopefully some losing or difficulty starts making them each a little more crazy.

But as a WR, TO is still legit in what he brings to the table.

[Beerracuda]

Aside from making no sense, those are some banged-up looking Jerseys. I do not care how cheap they are priced. Look at the Boldin jersey! The fraggin' numbers are totally different sizes.


Agreed. But now I see why. That website is registered in China. The merchandise probably comes from there, and probably made in a sweat shop.

[xmradiodave]

Agreed. But now I see why. That website is registered in China. The merchandise probably comes from there, and probably made in a sweat shop.

And according to the quality of posts, I believe littlecat comes from China too.

[baltimore_hokie]

Yeah, this signing actually worries me a bit. This makes it so our nickel corner (likely Carr or Fischer) is going up against Antonio Bryant or TO...Not very good matchups at all.

The two egos at WR will work if they are winning. If not, I've already seen some signs of stepping on toes...TO tweeted "Ocho Uno is on the way...Hold on Robin, Batman is coming" about him going to Cincy. So already, the guy is establishing that Ocho Cinco is a sidekick to him. I'm sure Ocho Cinco is taking it in jest now, hopefully some losing or difficulty starts making them each a little more crazy.

But as a WR, TO is still legit in what he brings to the table.

I wouldn't be worried about Bryant. He might be a worse signing than Coles was last year for them.

[RavenScallywag]

The good news, IMO, is that the hype is being shifted off of us and onto the Bengals now. With Cody passing the conditioning test, the hope is this stops the string of bad news coming from us and focuses more media attention on the ego heavy Bengals.

[Greg]

Agreed. But now I see why. That website is registered in China. The merchandise probably comes from there, and probably made in a sweat shop.

LOL, there is no doubt about it. Check out this guarantee from the website.

1.Note: 14 days not satisfy , please contact us for return.

2.The price we give are cheap including shipping fees and insurance fees.

3.We accept Paypal, Western Union and Visa Card as major payment methods.After your payment, we'll send out your items and provide you with the tracking info.asap.

4.We use EMS, Fedex,UPS,DHL as major shipping ways. You'll get your items in 5-7 days USA and 7-10 days in Canada.

5.If your jerseys express lost or detain by the Customs, we will resend your items without your extra money.

6.If the jerseys you get are not in good condition such as dirty, deformed etc., you can ask us for compensation.

7.As we have a jersey factory here, if you want to customize your jerseys, please send us exact request with pictures.

8.For container order, please note, the minimum quantity is 3000 pcs, we can offer the best price.

9.We have a very big stock house here, so it is available for many models in stock, we do accept retail orders.

10.If you are a big jerseys wholesale buyer, want to shipping jerseys by sea/boat. Please let us know your order quantity and styles, then we will give you a discount price.

These are definitely knock-offs.

[FellsPointRaven]

Not sure why so many people are taking this lightly. I think this is a great signing for the Bengals and is about the last place I wanted to see T.O. go. He's normally good for one season anyway before he becomes a liability and as someone else said, he's still a hell of a receiver.

With him on one side, Chad on the other and Gresham catching balls over the middle, we'd better hope our pass rush does improve this season otherwise we're in deep shit.

IMO, for the money they've laid out for him, this is a great move by Cincy.

[Everything_Ravens]

And on today’s episode of cooking 101

We’ll be whipping up some locker room explosion pie

Recipe calls for:

1 Chad
1 Terrell
And a first half of the season at or below 500
Or
3 losses in the 1st six games

[ravensnhokies]

Cincy beat us both games last year b/c their OL kicked our ass (Their D did pretty good too). I'm sorry but Benson isn't all a sudden a beast... Any halfway decent back would have had a good year last year with that OL play. Andrew Whitworth is a seriously underrated LT. Ask Suggs... Whitworth completely neutralized Suggs pass rush one on one.

I am worried that our lack of effective pass rush will be our undoing this year, moreso than the DB play. Most Ravens fans put Flacco in the hotseat this year b/c of the WR acquistions made offseason, but I'd put Suggs in that spot moreso. Our pass rush was poor last year and our Big Money player, Suggs, didn't show up. We need him to earn his money in order to make it to the SB. I hope Redding is the surprise/under the radar Ravens signing this offseason. We sure could use the pass rushing help.

[Ravenfan_11]

am i the only one that thinks this is horrible? and that they are going to destroy us?

[myfavoriteboxer]

I'm not going to revisit those two dreadful games in depth, but I'm pretty sure that our D held its own against Cincy (except that we made Cedric Benson look like a good running back for some reason), giving up only 17 pts in each game. The trouble was that our offense didn't have any good WRs other than Mason, Cincy had two good corners in Joseph and Hall, and Flacco shit his pants. Or something like that. We scored only 7 pts on offense in each game, both from Rice.

[trailhiker85]

LOL, there is no doubt about it. Check out this guarantee from the website.

1.Note: 14 days not satisfy , please contact us for return.

2.The price we give are cheap including shipping fees and insurance fees.

3.We accept Paypal, Western Union and Visa Card as major payment methods.After your payment, we'll send out your items and provide you with the tracking info.asap.

4.We use EMS, Fedex,UPS,DHL as major shipping ways. You'll get your items in 5-7 days USA and 7-10 days in Canada.

5.If your jerseys express lost or detain by the Customs, we will resend your items without your extra money.

6.If the jerseys you get are not in good condition such as dirty, deformed etc., you can ask us for compensation.

7.As we have a jersey factory here, if you want to customize your jerseys, please send us exact request with pictures.

8.For container order, please note, the minimum quantity is 3000 pcs, we can offer the best price.

9.We have a very big stock house here, so it is available for many models in stock, we do accept retail orders.

10.If you are a big jerseys wholesale buyer, want to shipping jerseys by sea/boat. Please let us know your order quantity and styles, then we will give you a discount price.

These are definitely knock-offs.


LOL, yeah I think you nailed it. The grammar and mangled English is awful. OK, maybe not Clinton Portis-awful, but still pretty bad. Reminds me of the instruction manuals we got after purchasing some Chinese-made power supplies a few years back. We got quite a laugh reading those.

[Ravenfan_11]

Their roster is a ticking time bomb. Look at this:

1)To
2)85
3)Pacman Jones
4)Cedric Benson
5) Tank Johnson
6) a handful of dirtbags from USC on Defense.
7) Carlos Dunlap

It’s an accident waiting to happen.

[DVGN]

This is a great signing for the Bengals.

This is a team populated by misfits, many of which are one misdemeanor away from finishing their careers in the CFL. I would be shocked if guys like Matt Jones and Pacman can't keep it together in their first year back. Those two guys have probably felt the sting of embarrassment and public animosity, and I doubt they'll blow this chance at redemption that the Bengals are offering them.

If T.O. can bear the flames of football hell in Buffalo and keep his mouth shut, I'm sure he'll be perfectly content to win games in tiger stripes. He'll be a model citizen -- and prolific catcher -- in Cincinnati. Bet on it.

People talking about Ochocinco's ego are absurd. If Ochocinco had half of the ego some of you think he has, the absolute last thing he would have been doing is advocating for T.O. to join the Bengals. He even portrayed himself as Robin to T.O.'s Batman.

This team will not have locker room problems; and, even if the occasional personality clash came up, this team is stacked, and they will win some games this year.

Talent > Egos. Don't believe me? Go ask the Cowboys of the early 90s.

Sports fans -- especially football fans -- really overstate the degree to which off-the-field antics affect performance. (Well, other than really extreme cases like Jamarcus Russell.)

I'll be rooting for the Bengals this year -- whenever they're not playing the Ravens, that is. They'll be entertaining as hell to watch, and I'm always game for a good redemption story.

[Everything_Ravens]

This is a great signing for the Bengals.

This is a team populated by misfits, many of which are one misdemeanor away from finishing their careers in the CFL. I would be shocked if guys like Matt Jones and Pacman can't keep it together in their first year back. Those two guys have probably felt the sting of embarrassment and public animosity, and I doubt they'll blow this chance at redemption that the Bengals are offering them.

If T.O. can bear the flames of football hell in Buffalo and keep his mouth shut, I'm sure he'll be perfectly content to win games in tiger stripes. He'll be a model citizen -- and prolific catcher -- in Cincinnati. Bet on it.

People talking about Ochocinco's ego are absurd. If Ochocinco had half of the ego some of you think he has, the absolute last thing he would have been doing is advocating for T.O. to join the Bengals. He even portrayed himself as Robin to T.O.'s Batman.

This team will not have locker room problems; and, even if the occasional personality clash came up, this team is stacked, and they will win some games this year.

Talent > Egos. Don't believe me? Go ask the Cowboys of the early 90s.

Sports fans -- especially football fans -- really overstate the degree to which off-the-field antics affect performance. (Well, other than really extreme cases like Jamarcus Russell.)

I'll be rooting for the Bengals this year -- whenever they're not playing the Ravens, that is. They'll be entertaining as hell to watch, and I'm always game for a good redemption story.


Nah lets ask the Cowboys of two seasons ago, the team that had him! Hate to bring up old shit but here is a guy that dreamed up some conspiracy to keep him from getting the ball in Dallas. Add that to the fact that his contract under the bengals will be based on incentives that require him to get a certain amount of catches and touchdowns........ Mikey Brown is asking for the drama.

and i will be pulling for them in every game that they dont play an NFL team

[RavenScallywag]

In all fairness...who did he have playing opposite him in Dallas? Who did he have playing opposite him in Buffalo? Who did he have playing opposite him in Philly?

This is the first time he's going to a team where he might not be double teamed. Ocho Cinco is the better WR there, but as a #2 or #3 option, TO still represents a big mismatch.

Sure, I don't think Cincy will suddenly break the league scoring record, much as I don't expect us to either. But TO is an upgrade, and he will play well there. The only hope/question is whether the two big WR egos can stay in check if/when they start losing some games. And is there enough balls to go around there.

[Stealthbirds80]

Someone mentioned the hilarious notion on why the Bungles wasted $28 mil on a WR where now there are rumors of being cut b/c of the knee (not happening unless there is an idiot in the FO). The thing is the Gals are a running team and now have a ridiculous amount of players to appease in the passing game. We have seen teams implode because they get happy with one portion of the offense when the chips are on the table. I believe that they should be balanced this year at least on paper, but you cannot buy chemistry either (see Redskins). However, I will enjoy seeing the circus come to town more than once.

"And they played the violins as the ship went down?"-Cedric the Entertainer.

[grayplay]

I don't particularly care for TO, but he hasn't lost much. He's what I consider an all star #2 receiver. You can blame injury (hand/finger issues I believe) if you like but the last few years he's dropped a lot more than he used to. The combo of 85 and 81 will be a tough match up if Carr and Foxy are the starting two. Physically I don't believe they match up well.
On the bright side, now Ray has 2 opportunities to de-helmet TO like he did 85 last year.

[HoustonRaven]

Rays hit on 8-5 pretty much cost us the game.

Why people keep referring to that moment as a good thing is baffling to me.

[grayplay]

It's a good thing because it was a clean hit. It was a bad call.

[HoustonRaven]

It's a good thing because it was a clean hit. It was a bad call.

Launching yourself upon a receiver and the ball is a good 3-5 feet over the receivers head is hardly a bad call.

[grayplay]

The receiver lept into the air to catch the ball, the defender makes a play to break up the catch. The rules clearly state:

Actions that do not constitute pass interference include but are not limited to:

(a) Incidental contact by a defender’s hands, arms, or body when both players are competing for the ball, or neither player is looking for the ball. If there is any question whether contact is incidental, the ruling shall be no interference.

(b) Inadvertent tangling of feet when both players are playing the ball or neither player is playing the ball.

(c) Contact that would normally be considered pass interference, but the pass is clearly uncatchable by the involved players.

Because the ball was horribly thrown it makes the play clean. Even if it is thrown perfectly the play is clean. It is the fact that the defender making a play on the receiver no longer can see the ball is now protected from penalty by the rule. Unless it was thrown pefectly (catchable) and he hit him early...which didn't happen.

[trailhiker85]

Wasn't Ray's hit called as an unnecessary roughness personal foul? Pass interference rules have nothing to do with it.

[Losac]

Wasn't Ray's hit called as an unnecessary roughness personal foul? Pass interference rules have nothing to do with it.

Yes. It was a personal foul - hitting a defenseless receiver, not pass interference. I agree too that fans need to stop bragging about that moment as a good thing. It was one of several lapses that cost us that game and cost us the AFCN title.

[trailhiker85]

Yeah, I was pretty sure I remembered correctly that it was a personal foul. And yes, it was a poorly advised action by Ray -- a la Ed Reed's bread-loaf handling of the ball after his pick in the Indy playoff game. Shows that even great players can make critical mistakes.

[HoustonRaven]

The receiver lept into the air to catch the ball, the defender makes a play to break up the catch. The rules clearly state:

Actions that do not constitute pass interference include but are not limited to:

(a) Incidental contact by a defender’s hands, arms, or body when both players are competing for the ball, or neither player is looking for the ball. If there is any question whether contact is incidental, the ruling shall be no interference.

(b) Inadvertent tangling of feet when both players are playing the ball or neither player is playing the ball.

(c) Contact that would normally be considered pass interference, but the pass is clearly uncatchable by the involved players.

Because the ball was horribly thrown it makes the play clean. Even if it is thrown perfectly the play is clean. It is the fact that the defender making a play on the receiver no longer can see the ball is now protected from penalty by the rule. Unless it was thrown pefectly (catchable) and he hit him early...which didn't happen.

Excellent accessment of the Pass Interference rules for the NFL.

Problem is, he was called for a personal foul, not pass interference.

[Jeremiah W]

It was a clean hit. Ray can not track both the football and hit the target. Ochostinko went up as if he was going to catch teh ball and he paid the price. The play looked like it should be a penalty at live speed, but not in hindsight.

Ray clearly hits Chad shoulder first with his hat on his nameplate. (see pic below)

[Dave Lap]

The Bengals will be tough this year, methinks.

[grayplay]

My point is that the play can only fall in the realm of pass interference and that the personal foul was bogus.

A personal foul is: A conduct- or safety-related infraction. Includes unnecessary roughness, such as hitting a ball carrier after he is already out of bounds, "piling on" a ball carrier who is already down, or violent contact with an opponent who is away from and out of the play. If the officials decide that the action was particularly flagrant, the player in question can be ejected from the game

I am saying that if the ball is in 85's hands, the hit stands as clean, the helmet flies off people clap, whatever. Because the same ball is now 3 feet higher than it should be, it falls under pass interference. It was not so far away that it falls under the category of "away from and out of the play". It then falls to the refs to decide whether it was a malicious act, and unless Ray had a rear view mirror on his helmet to see the ball was not catchable--the play should not be a personal foul.

[trailhiker85]

I don't think Ray needed a rear-view mirror since he had a bead on Ochostinko and was looking right in his direction immediately prior to the hit. You can say it was momentum, you can say the call was bogus, you can say it would never have been called in the NFL of 20 years ago. And that may be so.

But this is the NFL of the 21st century, and personal fouls are called at the drop of a hat (or helment, in this case). Ray knows this, and he also knew the situation: the defense holding onto a small lead on a critical 4th quarter drive. It's all well and good to send a physical message to the opposition, but in my view, situational awareness has to take priority. Consequently, I'm definitely not among those who celebrate that particular hit.

[HoustonRaven]

My point is that the play can only fall in the realm of pass interference and that the personal foul was bogus.

A personal foul is: A conduct- or safety-related infraction. Includes unnecessary roughness, such as hitting a ball carrier after he is already out of bounds, "piling on" a ball carrier who is already down, or violent contact with an opponent who is away from and out of the play. If the officials decide that the action was particularly flagrant, the player in question can be ejected from the game

You pulled that from Wiki. Hardly the official version.


I am saying that if the ball is in 85's hands, the hit stands as clean, the helmet flies off people clap, whatever. Because the same ball is now 3 feet higher than it should be, it falls under pass interference. It was not so far away that it falls under the category of "away from and out of the play"

That's your opinion. That play happened right in front of my section and was obvious to everyone in my section it was a lousy hit. It wasn't until I came on these boards where I started seeing the black helicopter theory that it was a bogus call.

Everyone under the sun reviewed that video -- Sportscenter, NFLN, Mike Pereria, blogs such as Deadspin and Sports by Brooks, etc -- and all came to the same conclusion. The league even fined Ray.

It's only a vocal few on these boards and sports talk radio that were crying foul.

Anything to keep the conspiracy theorists alive I suppose.

[grayplay]

I could not find the link to the official rules, but when has wiki EVER had bad information. NFL.com didnt list that particular rule and I can only sneak so much time on here during work- anyone who knows a link or can post the official terms would be great.

My point is no less valid--well without the official rule book in front of me it is, but not enough to debunk the arguement. I am not calling for a consipiracy, bad calls happen all teh time to every team every year. For and against them. I believe this to be the case.

Regardless of where you or I view the play it's completely different on the field in the moment. To me, that play...bad call. I also don't think it was a conspiracy- it's a judgement call by the ref and I think he was wrong. I am pretty sure Ray and Chad both agree. I recall hearing that Chad (whether you wanna take it serious or not) twittered it was a clean hit and that ray shouldnt be fined.

[grayplay]

Sorry for the conspiracy thing twice....had to delete things and start over when my boss came in. I should really proof read before posting.

[HoustonRaven]

I could not find the link to the official rules, but when has wiki EVER had bad information

Oh yeah? Take a look at that same Wiki page and check the "Personal Foul" description you quoted from.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penalty_(American_football)

Wiki is wrong most of the time. My example is why it's not recognized as a valid source.

[Losac]

Wiki is wrong most of the time.

Disagree. And I assume you're referring to Wikipedia. The information is correct most of the time. The mods are pretty quick to remove/delete/edit bogus information.

[HoustonRaven]

There are no mods -- that's the whole premise for the site.

It's just everyday Joes uploading info and verifying data.

It's for that very reason writing associations such as MLA, APA, etc do not recognize it as a valid reference source.

[Losac]

There are no mods -- that's the whole premise for the site.

It's just everyday Joes uploading info and verifying data.

It's for that very reason writing associations such as MLA, APA, etc do not recognize it as a valid reference source.

They have "editors" who review the submissions and change things based on the talk page. But you're right in that they are everyday Joes. And topics that are particularly controversial or subject to "vandalism" aren't available for open editing.

I agree I wouldn't cite it as a source for an academic research paper, but I've found it fairly accurate for quick and dirty look-ups.