A sports blog by and for Midwest Sports Fans
As today goes along, I will post a number of “Super Bowl 46 QuickNotes” as information is disseminated from the reporters in Indianapolis.
On ESPN, Ed Werder just reported that Chad Ochocino, who has done very little in two playoff games this year – even being inactive for one of them, will be active for Super Bowl 46 and is expected to have opportunities to make plays.
Watching football is good for three things: drinking, gambling, and having something to do on Sunday nights.
Thankfully, Super Bowl Sunday is the perfect combination of all three.
And what fun is it to just sit around and drink casually on your own terms? Why not have a little fun with it?
A couple weeks back, Trevor Stewart laid out four of his all-time favorite end zone celebrations. His list included Joe Horn calling his pops, Aaron Rodgers’ championship belt, and Randy Moss’ disgusting act.
Since Trevor’s post, end zone celebrations – and the inevitable debates about them – have re-entered the general NFL discourse thanks to Stevie Johnson mocking Plaxico Burress after a touchdown last Sunday. That led to Bob Costas decrying our eroding culture in his halftime SNF monologue.
Though Costas may find the end zone expressions of Stevie J and his ilk to be icky, I disagree.
Chad Ochocinco has not had a good first season in New England. He has just 11 catches through 9 games, hasn’t gotten into the end zone, and has made a number of key drops in crucial situations for the Patriots.
But Tom Brady is sticking by his embattled receiver, and as Jimmy Traina pointed out on Twitter today, @Ochocinco’s Twitter avatar is all kinds of awesome.
Week Three is over, and you are probably wondering one thing: How is a guy that’s giving such great advice 0-3 in his own fantasy league?
I wish I knew…injuries have just killed me…and I’ve lost each week by an average of 1.2 points. Just heartbreaking.
Some of you are probably in the same boat as me. Even if you aren’t, it’s the time in the fantasy football season when leagues are won and lost. Now is when we have to start making the tough calls.
Before the lockout began Carson Palmer made it clear that he did not want to be a Cincinnati Bengal in 2011, not after the team went 4-12 in 2010, which was a major decline from their 10-6 record and playoff appearance in 2009.
Palmer gave the the Bengals’ front office a choice: they could either trade him or he would retire. He is currently under contract through 2014, which makes this decision seem quite selfish. He signed a contract, and after a bad season he wants out. He is essentially giving up on his team and losing any respect that his teammates might have had for him.
The Bengals have announced that they have no intention to trade him, which means that Palmer is, as of right now, retired. His decision can be looked at it two ways.
Yesterday, in response to Chad Ochocinco’s claim that he was planning to change his last name back to Johnson, I tweeted the following:
This is really getting awkward with Chad Johnson/Ochocinco. Who is going to tell him he has, in general, overstayed his welcome?
My basic point was that with Chad’s production dwindling his antics and off-field self-promotion are becoming generally less palatable and interesting. A few minutes later I softened my stance a bit – mainly because while I may be annoyed by him, certainly more people find him interesting than find me interesting, so who am I to talk? – but the general point remains true.
I decided that to fully extend the olive branch to good ol’ 8-5, I should offer him something of value. Thus, here I am, to suggest nine last name alternatives that I think Chad should consider before going back to Johnson.
Eric Mangini is safe for one more week after the Browns defeated the Bengals on Sunday, 23-20.
It is speculated that Mike Holmgren might consider firing Mangini if the Browns reached 0-4. The firing of Mangini would also undoubtedly have resulted in the firing of offensive coordinator Brian Daboll. This would have left the Browns in complete disarray and with the reality of another disappointing season.
The coaches and the fans can thank the team for a well played game that resulted in a win.
The NFL takes a lot of well-deserved heat for its players making the wrong kinds of headlines far too often. Sadly, the bad press often overshadows the many positive stories that could and should be written.
Chad Ochocinco has always been a guy who has stumbled back and forth across the tenuous line between troublemaking diva and well-meaning entertainer during his up and down NFL career. He’s never gotten into trouble off the field, but he certainly has caused locker room issues that have made him a Queen City headache for Marvin Lewis on more than one occasion.
Today, we recognize the “good” Chad, because he recently did what you hope to see people in his position do: bring joy and opportunity to those less fortunate, in this case Ruben St. Hilaire, his #1 fan.
I think that this poignant video of Chad Ochocino probably sums up how the entire Bengals’ locker room feels today after the senseless passing of their teammate Chris Henry. (hat tip: SbB)
When you came to the site just now you might have noticed something a little bit different about our logo and navigation bar.
The nav bar is pink and the logo features a pink ribbon. Why the change? It’s not permanent, but there is certainly a good and noble reason.
October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and Midwest Sports Fans is following the lead of the NFL in promoting and supporting the world’s fight against breast cancer.
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2008 was a terrible year for both Chad Johnson (err…Ochocinco) and Braylon Edwards. Both were coming off of career years in 2007 — Ochocinco set a career high with 1,440 yards while Edwards set career highs in everything while scoring 16 TDs — with great feats expected headed into last year. However, the two barely eclipsed 100 combined catches in 2008.
Unquestionably, many fantasy owners saw their teams struggle because of high drafts picks wasted on these two receivers.
As we head into 2009, a lot of fantasy owners and prognosticators are struggling with how to value Ochocino and Edwards in their drafts. Will they return to #1 WR status? Are they merely second-rate #2 or #3 WRs like they showed last year? Something in between?
And, most importantly, if you are ready to pick a WR and these two are left, who should you pluck off the draft board first?
It’s an intriguing question: Ochocino or Edwards? Certainly we all expect each to be better in 2009. But by how much and which player improves more? From my perspective — even though I’m a Browns fan — I would rather have Ochocino. In this post, I will list out a few of the reasons why.
1 – The QB position is crystal clear in Cincinnati
Wide receivers are volatile from year to year and week to week because their production is predicated in large part on the success of the guy taking snaps. Last year, Ochocino and the rest of the Cincy WRs were severely hampered by an injury to Carson Palmer that left the overmatched Ryan Fitzpatrick under center. This year, Carson Palmer is back and will be counting on Ochocino as his favorite and most experienced target.
It should be noted that Palmer is still dealing with some injury issues this offseason, and his sprained left ankle might keep him out of the team’s next preseason game. But the team expects Palmer to be 100% by opening day, and the positive is that the injury is not arm-related. Obviously if Palmer goes down again, and J.T. O’Sullivan becomes the starter, this is no longer an advantage for Ochocino.
In Cleveland, the QB situation is still muddy. Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson entered the preseason entrenched in an all-out battle for the starting gig with no clear cut favorite. After two preseason battles (one won by Quinn, the other by Anderson) there still is no clarity.
Uncertainly at the QB position is never an auspicious sign for a WR, yet this is what Edwards has to deal with. I believe his value increases if Derek Anderson is the QB, as the deep ball will be more prevalent in the Browns’ offense, but the conventional wisdom has been that Quinn will end up getting the starting job. The whole thing gives me the headache, so who the hell knows. All it really means is that Edwards inherently carries more risk because of the QB flux in Cleveland.
2 – Last year was clearly an anomaly for Chad Ochocino, no necessarily so for Braylon Edwards
Look at Chad Ochocino’s career stats. Before last season, he had five straight seasons of 87+ catches and 1,270+ yards, plus 7+ touchdowns. His 2009 stats clearly jump on the page as the outlier. In looking at Braylon Edwards’ career stats however, his superb 2007 season is the one that jumps off the page as the outlier.Â
Now, to be fair, Edwards barely had a fighting chance last year with the Browns’ offense proving to be absolutely abysmal. Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn were shuffled back and forth as the starter, and there was no other consistent receiving threat to help draw coverage away from Edwards. But anyone who watched the Browns last year also knows that Edwards still should have had 65-70 catches (he had 55) and 1,000+ yards (he had 873) if he could just catch passes that hit him in the hands. Leading the league in drops — by a lot — is not the mark of a true #1 WR. Edwards now has an 80-catch, 16-TD season sandwiched in between two seasons in which he averaged 58 catches and 4.5 TDs.
So which player is the real Braylon Edwards? We know that he is extremely talented, and capable of making incredible plays. He just has yet to show this ability consistently, which makes him risky from a fantasy perspective.
We know who the real Ochocinco is based on his consistent track record — unless he has simply lost a step and is on the downside of his career, which I do not believe — but the statistical evidence is less clear with Edwards. Though Braylon has youth on his side, he has also been a #3 fantasy receiver for two seasons and a #1 receiver for one. That’s not a good ratio when the alternative is a guy with a full half decade of evidence that proves his ability to anchor a receiving corps.
3 – Ochocinco has more proven help around him to prevent consistent double-coverage
The Bengals lost T.J. Houshmandzadeh in the offseason, but brought in Laveraneus Coles to replace him. And though Coles at 32 is not the same player he once was, he still caught 70 balls and 7 TDs last year with an aging and injured Brett Favre as his QB. The Bengals also have a rejuvenated and possibly more mature Chris Henry (sleeper alert! Â Seriously…) on the outside to provide a deep threat opposite Ochocinco. Plus, the Bengals running game sucks (Cedric Benson? Â Please.) and their defense is unproven, meaning there will probably be a lot of throwing. With a solid three WR attack, Ochocino should find plenty of openings.
As for the Browns, they attempted a more long-term solution to their passing attack woes this offseason. Kellen Winslow and Joe Jurevicius are gone and Donte Stallworth is suspended, and in their place the Browns drafted two rookies (Brian Robiskie and Mohamed Massaquoai) in the second round and hope that the combo of Steve Heiden-Martin Rucker can provide a solid tight end duo. They also brought in Mike Furrey as a sure-handed slot receiver. While I love the long-term potential of the rookies, and think the Heiden-Rucker combo is underrated, there is no proven reason yet for teams not to double cover Edwards and make someone else prove they can produce consistently. Remember, when Edwards went nuts in 2007, Kellen Winslow was healthy all year and Joe Jurevecius provided a sure-handed option on the other side.
And seriously, If Braylon can barely catch passes when he’s wide open, how are we to expect a significant rebound when he’ll probably be pretty heavily covered again all year in 2009?
Plus, with Jerome Harrison and James Davis showing great potential alongside the aging Jamal Lewis, the Browns will be more run-oriented than the Bengals. I would think Ochocino would see more targets than Edwards as a result, obviously making his value higher.
In the end, I believe 2009 will be much better for both Chad Ochocino and for Braylon Edwards than 2008 proved to be. As for who will be better, other than his advancing age (Ochocinco will be 31 when the season starts, while Edwards will be 26) there is no reason not to like Ochocinco more for 2009. I think we will see numbers much closer to his averages from 2003-2007 (90-95 catches, 1,350-1,400 yards, 8-9 TDs) while Edwards will be somewhere between his 2007 and 2008 seasons (70-75 catches, 1,000-1,100 yards, 7-9 TDs).
Draft Chad Ochocino as a low-end #1 WR and feel good about it so long as Carson Palmer stays upright. Draft Braylon Edwards as a #2 WR and hope for — but don’t expect — a surprising resurgence to #1 status. If you are like me, and your goal is to minimize risk early, Chad Ochocino is the way to go if you’re in the position of deciding between he and Braylon Edwards.
Plus, who knows, Ochocino might just get kicker eligibility at some point this season.Â
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* – Braylon Edwards drop photo credit: Waiting For Next Year
* – Chad Johnson v New England photo credit: PastaPadre.com
* – Chad Johnson / Carson Palmer photo credit: ESPN.com
* – Braylon Edwards v Cincy photo credit: SortsOfSports.com
Pretty lighthearted, funny moment last night during the Cincinnati-New England preseason game. Chad Ochocinco, who grew up playing both soccer and football until choosing to focus on the American version of the game in high school, kicked an extra point and kicked off last night. (Shayne Graham, the Bengals starting kicker, was out nursing an injury.)
And unlike many of his past antics, this one actually didn’t seem all that ridiculous, mainly because he didn’t look out of place as a kicker.
When you watch the video below, pretend I didn’t tell you who was kicking and just watch the flight of the ball. Looks any other extra point you might see. The kickoff (not in the video) was pretty good too, though a little short. It had nice hangtime but was caught around the 11-12 yardline.
My favorite part is the announcers, who are clearly amused by the whole thing, and at one point say, “He’s going to be hard to live with.” Something tells me they probably said the same thing often last season, but with a decidedly more negative connotation.
Click here for Bengals, other NFL tickets as low as $5 from StubHub
Anyway, here’s the video:
While watching ESPN this morning they showed Bill Belichick and Marvin Lewis at their respective press conferences. Belichick was his typical droll, stoic self, but did say that Chad Johnson was “the best kicker out there” or something to that effect. Not sure if he was just trying to play a subtle motivational game with his own kicker, but I thought it was pretty interesting.
And Marvin Lewis looked like he loved it. What a change a year makes huh?
I’ve always liked Chad Johnson, but haven’t been too fond of his antics since becoming Ochocinco. Hopefully he can put a lot of the overtly selfish stuff behind him and go back to being one of the most dynamic, exciting, and fun players in the NFL. The last 18 months or so have seen him take it way over the top, but his attitude so far this year, and the video of him kicking the extra point above, seem a lot more like the old Chad Johnson. And that is much better for the NFL and certainly better for the Bengals.
