In San Francisco, T.O. established himself as one of the most talented receivers in the NFL, while also developing a reputation for dropping very catchable passes. He developed an even worse reputation for tearing apart teams from the inside: publicly bashing his quarterbacks and management even after successful seasons.
This reputation got worse and worse in Philadelphia and Dallas, where T.O. put up huge numbers for contending teams, but eventually became a villain of the organizations. Once again his attacks were focused on quarterbacks and management, despite the fact that his relationships with Donovan McNabb, Tony Romo and Jerry Jones started out great.
Last year, T.O. put up career low numbers in Buffalo, but he did show signs of the great player from years past on a subpar offense.
Ochocinco is thrilled about playing with T.O., claiming Owens is not past his prime and the two prima donnas have been great friends for a long time and they will not have any problems: “The older you get the finer. It’s like fine wine; it’s better when it’s older… It’s like Batman and Robin. It’s gonna to be like Siskel and Ebert. It’s gonna be like Bonnie and Clyde, but he’s Bonnie. We gonna be fine.”
T.O. has had endless memorable media moments, but they have been more desperate cries for attention: doing sit-ups for the paparazzi in his front yard while holding out or squeezing out fake tears in defense of Tony Romo.
Ochocinco, on the other hand, can make Charles Barkley look like Michael Phelps. I think he should pursue show business after football, but I don’t think reality-dating shows are the right way to capture his hilarity.
T.O. does give Ochocinco a run for his money when it comes to great celebrations. They are quite possibly the two most clever showboaters in sports history. If anyone has ever topped their celebrations, it was this Icelandic soccer team’s effort last week.
Of course it took an entire team effort to top T.O. and Ochocinco, so lets wait to see what they come up with together.
The Gods Must be Angry
Despite Commissioner Roger Goodell’s tightening of regulations on showboating that has caused the NFL to be known as the “No Fun League”, celebrating touchdowns has been a large part of pro football for a long time. This type of behavior has always been more frowned upon in the old-school sport of baseball. As we have recently seen celebrations get more carried away in America’s pastime, it has apparently angered the baseball gods.
In May, Angels' slugger Kendry Morales broke his leg jumping on home plate while celebrating a walk off grand slam. It was a huge blow to the Angels season, since Morales is one of the best young hitters in baseball. It was also a big break (no pun intended) for the Rangers who have been running away with AL West division lead ever since.
Marlins outfielder Chris Coghlan didn’t learn from Morales’ mistake, as he tore his meniscus in his left knee leaping to get his teammate with the old pie in the face, a Krusty the Klown gag that has become a lame, overused way for baseball players to celebrate a win. Coghlan was the 2009 NL rookie of the year and is a major part of the Marlins future. Note to Chris: you throw the baseballs. Let Krusty handle the pies.
Football players have injured themselves celebrating too. In 1997, Redskins journeyman quarterback Gus Frerotte celebrated his one-yard touchdown run by head-butting the padded wall behind the end zone. The only problem was there was concrete behind the padding, and Frerotte sprained his neck and had to leave the game. I don’t blame him though, that wall was talking smack all game.
The Gramatica brothers, Martin and Bill, were kickers who were known to excessively celebrate their field goals. Bill took this to the next level, when he emphatically leaped into the air, reacting to a 42-yard field goal that put the Cardinals up 3-0 in the first half of a regular season game in 2001. He landed hard and tore a ligament in his knee that kept him off the field for the remainder of the season. This is widely considered one of the silliest injuries in sports history and it was a major blow for kickers who want to be considered actual football players (sorry Adam Vinatieri).
Back to Reality
Lucky for them, T.O. and Ochocinco never injured themselves celebrating. With all of the scrutiny they bring upon themselves, they would never hear the end of it. Maybe they’re just better at it. Or maybe wide receivers are tougher than baseball players, kickers and Gus Frerotte.
Something tells me Ochocinco is right about he and T.O. being able to share the spotlight. I think their friendship is genuine and they will respect each other. I’m sure there will be some point in the season when T.O. shares negative views about his team with the media after a tough loss, but at this point in his career I don’t think he will carry on and try to break apart the team.
The Bengals 10-6 record was enough to win the division and this year they might be even better on paper, so naturally they are becoming a hip pick to go to the Super Bowl.
Although they may be better than last year, so is the rest of the AFC. Their division rival Ravens were only one game behind last year, and adding Anquan Boldin to young offensive talents like Joe Flacco and Ray Rice should push them ahead of the Bengals. As for the rest of the conference, the improvement of the Jets and the maturity of the Texans, who are due to for a breakout season, could keep them out of the playoffs all together.
Can Ochocinco and T.O. lead the Bengals to a Super Bowl? Unlikely. Can Ochiocinco and T.O. make every moment of Bengals coverage worth watching? Most Definitely. Grab you popcorn, sit back and enjoy the show.
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