Wednesday Morning Quarterback - Week 12: Is Chad Ocho Cinco’s career over? (11/19/08)
Chad Ocho Cinco has been suspended for Cincinnati’s Thursday night game with the Steelers, allegedly for walking out on a team meeting. Perhaps Ocho Cinco watched enough film to have a sense of what he and his teammates were up against this week, then decided to pass. Perhaps he needed more time to work on the choreography for yet another touchdown celebration that will never see the light of day (or night). Perhaps this was just his latest attempt to force the Bengals’ hand in an ongoing feud with the organization.
Whatever the reason, it seems likely that Ocho Cinco has played his last game with the Bengals. With Ocho Cinco headed for free agency and with the Bengals headed for yet another top 5 (if not top 3) pick in next April’s draft, the Bengals have little to no incentive to play him again this season, even if he is 100% healthy. If you were the Bengals, why wouldn’t you deactivate Ocho Cinco and see what (if anything) receivers such as Chris Henry and Glenn Holt have to offer?
What about other teams? Will some GM and owner be willing to take a chance on Chad the Flamboyant? After all, he hasn’t been arrested or suspended before - the worst thing he’s been guilty of has been bad judgment. In a league filled with mediocre receiving corps, it’s hard to believe a team like San Francisco, Oakland, Seattle, Jacksonville, or Chicago (just to name a few of the more obvious options) wouldn’t be interested in signing Ocho Cinco to see if a change of scenery would bring about a change of attitude. Lately, his antics have eclipsed his ability, but it’s difficult to forget how talented a receiver he is when he’s not acting out, and I’d bet the WR formerly known as Johnson will find a new home next season (although now that he’s legally changed his last name, it would be funny if his new team already had someone wearing #85 who wasn’t willing to give up that number). In the meantime . . .
Cincinnati at Pittsburgh - With or without Ocho Cinco the Bengals would be in for a long evening. Their Defense has actually been respectable for most of the season (just ask the Giants and Eagles), but the Offense’s inability to move the ball by ground or by air has forced the Defense to spend way too much time on the field. That trend figures to continue this evening - the only Bengal worth starting this week is WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh. It’s an entirely different story for the Steelers, who figure to win this game handily, even if, as I suspect, they’re able to put up only 21-24 points against the Bengals’ Defense. With TE Heath Miller’s status still up in the air, I’d avoid both Miller and his replacement Matt Spaeth, who has filled in adequately during Miller’s absence. QB Ben Roethlisberger, RB Willie Parker, WRs Hines Ward & Santonio Holmes, K Jeff Reed, and the Steelers’ Defense are all worth starting this week.
Until Friday,
The Sherpa
Tags: The Sherpa