Don't Worry Bengals Fans, Chad and T.O. Will Be Fine

Imagine the celebrations we might see out
of T.O. and Chad during the upcoming
NFL season.

Can it be? The NFL's two most flamboyant personalities in one locker room? Both with reality shows. Both with extreme vibrato.

But that will be left off the field. Seriously, it will. If it does, it will be in the form of the most exquisite touchdown celebration ever. Yes, better than popcorn. Better than the Sharpie. Better than resuscitating the pigskin. Better than the Riverdance.

But can these two function on the same team? They sure can. Disregard all the fanfare and I'll explain why.

1. T.O. rarely misses a game. He's a health freak and still, even at 36, a physical specimen. Granted, that doesn't necessarily translate to on-field performance, but the fact that T.O. stays in such excellent shape shows commitment. Even the season in which he suffered a broken leg, Owens came back for the Super Bowl and if Philadelphia would have pulled out a win, T.O. would have most likely been the MVP (9 catches for 122 yards). Ask him. He'll tell you. The only extended period of time T.O. missed was due to a suspension and subsequent "de-activation" by the Eagles due to the famous "conduct detrimental to the team".

2. Owens can still make plays. T.O. may have only scored 5 TD catches last season for the Bills, but 4 of those were on receptions of 40+ yards. He hasn't lost a step. Maybe a half a step, but in no way has he lost a full one. Throw in a 29 yard rushing TD, too.

3. Carson Palmer is now his "quarterback". Think about this. Who would you want, Palmer or either of the two QBs Owens had last year in Buffalo (Ryan Fitzpatrick and Trent Edwards)? Next question.

4. With the addition of Owens, Cincinnati may possess the deepest receiving corps in the NFL. Throw in a healthy (if that's possible) Antonio Bryant, rookie Jordan Shipley (who some scouts were saying he's the next Wes Welker) and a guy that Palmer relied on heavily last year in Andre Caldwell. Deep. Very deep.

The lack of a running game in Buffalo let
opponents double up on T.O. That will
not happen in Cincinnati because of
Cedric Benson.

5. Owens best friend may not be Chad or Palmer. It might be Cedric Benson. With a healthy running attack, you get more "8-men in the box" looks. The Bengals saw that plenty last season. With the addition of T.O. and the others, that look might be something of the past. But if teams continue to give the Bengals that look, the receivers and Palmer will put up big numbers. Owens didn't have a running game to aid him in Buffalo.

Oh, there's a situation (or two or more) that could arise and sends all this crumbling. And don't be ignorant and say "we'll worry about that when it happens" either. Here's a scenario .

Bryant is placed on the PUP list and has to wait until after the 6th game to play. Meanwhile, Owens is putting up very good numbers. Bryant rejoins the team, but isn't really ready for a starters role until the 15th game of the season. The Bengals brass brought him along slowly because the did sign Bryant to a 4-year, $28 million deal.

Got it so far? Good. When Owens signed, he got $2 million and could earn up to another $2 million due to incentives. I know you're following along with me now. Owens is shifted to the #3 wideout. He only needs 9 receptions, 130 yards and 1 TD to reach the first level of all of his contract incentives. But he's no longer a starter. He's no longer the second option. He's now the third. I would imagine a blow up could transpire.

But if I learned anything from Owens' season in Buffalo, I learned that he has been humbled by the game. He has many situations where he could have launched his teammates and coaches under the old bus. He didn't. He gave the Buffalo media no fodder. He gave them zero reason to report negativity due to his statements.

That maturity tells me that T.O. finally gets it. He gets the whole package that is being an NFL player. That's why this works for the Bengals. It's almost a "win-win" deal.

Almost...