It Is What It Is

[HairOnFire]

Bengals QB Carson Palmer on WR Chad Ochocinco's offseason TV schedule: 'Obviously it doesn't help'

Jun 09, 2010

It sounds like Bengals QB Carson Palmer would prefer WR Chad Ochocinco be on the practice field and in the film room rather than being filmed.

Ochocinco recently completed the latest season of Dancing With the Stars (he finished in fourth place) and is now working on the dating show Ochocinco: The Ultimate Catch, which will air on VH1 next month.

"I don't think he's getting fined for that," Palmer told NFL Network's Solomon Wilcots of Ochocinco's absence from team workouts to do DWTS. "I think he's getting paid for being there, so I guess it counts as an OTA."

The Bengals returned to the playoffs last season by winning the AFC North, but their passing game ranked just 26th even though Ochocinco had a Pro Bowl season with 72 catches for 1,047 yards and nine TDs.

However Palmer didn't seem to believe the team's once formidable air attack was progressing as well as it could this time of the year without No. 85.

"Obviously it doesn't help," Palmer said. "He's a guy that we count on, and we're going to lean on him a lot during the season. And obviously it would be much better for our team and for him if he was here, but it is what it is."

The quarterback did acknowledge that the extra reps are good for youngsters Andre Caldwell and Jerome Simpson as well as the rookie wideouts.

But ...

"This is the NFL, and guys have other things going and other priorities," Palmer added. "But the guys that are here, this is what we do -- this is our first love. Some guys have extra activities that are going on, and it is what it is."

[BengalPimp]

However Palmer didn't seem to believe the team's once formidable air attack was progressing as well as it could this time of the year without No. 85.

poop

[BengalPimp]

The quarterback did acknowledge that the extra reps are good for youngsters Andre Caldwell and Jerome Simpson as well as the rookie wideouts.

Yup.....Everybody looks better/faster in T-Shirt/Shorts with no contact.

[Kazkal]

Hey could be worse look at all the players the Ravens are missing yet their still favorites.

[BengalPimp]

"He's a guy that we count on, and we're going to lean on him a lot during the season. And obviously it would be much better for our team and for him if he was here, but it is what it is."

And there you have it.

[bwillycuse]

''The quarterback did acknowledge that the extra reps are good for youngsters Andre Caldwell and Jerome Simpson as well as the rookie wideouts.''

Extra reps always good for the youngsters.

Again Chad hurting the team and helping the team at the same time.

We all want him there. He even has said that he wants to be on the field.

Thornton just said on 1530 that the extra reps are doing wonders for Simpson.

Thank You Chad - I would have been mad if you were hogging all the reps.

Bengals have a great attendance record compared to other teams for OTAs.

[ArmyBengal]

I guess it depends on how you interpret Carson's words when he says, "It is what it is".

Some may think he means, it's neither here nor there. I think he means, the situation sucks and he should be here.

This is the line that I think says a lot about his true intent:

But the guys that are here, this is what we do -- this is our first love

I think he kind of questions Chad's dedication with that one simple sentence.

[BengalPimp]

WR Chad catches crap for Dancing and a ManWhore show, but a QB (THE Most Important position) like Tony Romo can take all the time he wants to Golf, and try to qualify for the U.S. Open, and he doesn't catch any sh*t?????

I'd be much more pissed if the leader of the team (QB) was practicing his Golf swing instead of his throwing at this time of year......

[HairOnFire]

I guess it depends on how you interpret Carson's words when he says, "It is what it is".

Some may think he means, it's neither here nor there. I think he means, the situation sucks and he should be here.

I think it's an example of Carson showing his displeasure about being placed in a professional partnership with a so-called entertainer who no longer considers football to be a priority.

Let's face it, we're no longer dealing with a Chad who wants to be remembered as a better player than Jerry Rice. Now were dealing with Brand Ocho...which quite frankly doesn't have very much to do with football anymore.

f**k Chad

[ArmyBengal]

WR Chad catches crap for Dancing and a ManWhore show, but a QB (THE Most Important position) like Tony Romo can take all the time he wants to Golf, and try to qualify for the U.S. Open, and he doesn't catch any sh*t?????

I'd be much more pissed if the leader of the team (QB) was practicing his Golf swing instead of his throwing at this time of year......

Tony Romo is complete idiot as well. That guy just screams "TOOL BAG" to me. If Carson would do that sh*t here, I would be the first to put his ass on blast. However, he's not, Chad is, so "It is what it is"...

[bwillycuse]

I wonder why Coach Lewis would give his blessing and allow Chad to do this. Now his starting QB goes public about his displeasure that Chad is absent and not at voluntary OTAs.

I wonder if this means that Marvin has lost this team and that he has no intentions of re-upping his contract next year.

Or some are starved for anything, any tiny morsel that can strengthen their argument against Chad.

Or a non issue and a cookie cutter statement by the QB in a cookie cutter interview. If Carson has a problem with Chad then take it up like a leader does....behind close doors. I wouldn't think he would give a veiled insult like this.

Reading wayyyyyy to into it IMO. If Palmer is doing this through the media then ummm well never heard Brees or Manning or Brady do that. I hope its not the case.

Im more inclined to think people are trying to read between the lines of comments made by a football player after practice.

[ArmyBengal]

Or some are starved for anything, any tiny morsel that can strengthen their argument against Chad.

Or a non issue and a cookie cutter statement by the QB in a cookie cutter interview. If Carson has a problem with Chad then take it up like a leader does....behind close doors. I wouldn't think he would give a veiled insult like this.

Reading wayyyyyy to into it IMO. If Palmer is doing this through the media then ummm well never heard Brees or Manning or Brady do that. I hope its not the case.

Im more inclined to think people are trying to read between the lines of comments made by a football player after practice.

Apparently it's no longer just "our" argument against Chad. Those are Carson's words there and there is no reading between anything by my account.

Him saying, "This is our first love" clearly indicates that he doesn't feel it's Chad's. Well, unless there's a better way to interpret that based upon the original thought to the article.

As for him taking it up with him as a leader, when Chad wants to be led as opposed to what we are seeing now, that may be possible, but there has been nothing to this point to think that would ever happen here. God knows Chad couldn't lead a turd out of his ass, so we are left to deal with it.

[HoosierCat]

I think it means that since Chad isn't in OTAs we should all write off the 2010 season because clearly the Bengals are doomed.

Wait 'til 2011!!!

[DC_Bengals_Fan]

WR Chad catches crap for Dancing and a ManWhore show, but a QB (THE Most Important position) like Tony Romo can take all the time he wants to Golf, and try to qualify for the U.S. Open, and he doesn't catch any sh*t?????

He dropped out when rain delays from the open were going to cut into OTAs, I believe.

For what it's worth, Romo has caught a bit of flack for his extracurriculars - recall his excursion to Cabo with Daisy Duke and "Third wheel" Witten?

[derekshank]

Reading wayyyyyy to into it IMO. If Palmer is doing this through the media then ummm well never heard Brees or Manning or Brady do that. I hope its not the case.

Whatever. Palmer has been calling Chad out in private for years. There was an article in ESPN magazine back in '06 about Palmer's leadership and his willingness to call Chad out for bulls**t.

Last year these were things Palmer said...

When asked what his expectations about Ochocinco this season were, Palmer said: “Well, I really don’t know. I haven’t talked to him. I haven’t talked to anybody that has talked to him. He wasn’t here last year so I’m expecting him not to be here at all this year. Last year I think he was here for the mandatory camp but didn’t participate in it. So I’m planning on him not being here just because he hasn’t been here yet so we’ll prepare, like I said.

So, this isn't new. It's not '06 anymore. Chad decided in '08 that football wasn't the most important thing to him. Palmer sees he's over 30, and he's being forced to rely on a guy who doesn't prioritize winning nearly as high as he does his own celebrity. It's a point of frustration... and Palmer maintains professionalism.

Meanwhile, Peyton Manning has often thrown his O-Line under the bus and Tom Brady has often been criticized for blaming the defense for losses. Explain to me how that is better leadership than Palmer honestly expressing his desire for the team's best WR to perform his actual job.

[Trevor]

Viva ocho! He is still the best reciever we have and carson knows that...

[Kazkal]

-Plenty of Players aren't with their team right now I don't hear any one questioning Ray Lewis's or Lord Favre's love for the game

-Chad Isn't the only player who does shows in the Off Season and setting himself up for a Job after football.

PS,Once again he's only missing voluntary workouts not mandatory If he misses the Mandatory,Then I could see calling him a douche who no longer cares about the game but right now I don't see it as any different as Dhani doing his show "shrug"

[bwillycuse]

Reading wayyyyyy to into it IMO. If Palmer is doing this through the media then ummm well never heard Brees or Manning or Brady do that. I hope its not the case.

Whatever. Palmer has been calling Chad out in private for years. There was an article in ESPN magazine back in '06 about Palmer's leadership and his willingness to call Chad out for bulls**t.

Last year these were things Palmer said...

When asked what his expectations about Ochocinco this season were, Palmer said: “Well, I really don’t know. I haven’t talked to him. I haven’t talked to anybody that has talked to him. He wasn’t here last year so I’m expecting him not to be here at all this year. Last year I think he was here for the mandatory camp but didn’t participate in it. So I’m planning on him not being here just because he hasn’t been here yet so we’ll prepare, like I said.

So, this isn't new. It's not '06 anymore. Chad decided in '08 that football wasn't the most important thing to him. Palmer sees he's over 30, and he's being forced to rely on a guy who doesn't prioritize winning nearly as high as he does his own celebrity. It's a point of frustration... and Palmer maintains professionalism.

Meanwhile, Peyton Manning has often thrown his O-Line under the bus and Tom Brady has often been criticized for blaming the defense for losses. Explain to me how that is better leadership than Palmer honestly expressing his desire for the team's best WR to perform his actual job.

My question are these.

Since the Coach of the team said it was ok for Chad to be absent to do these things, then shouldn't the QB accept that decision?

Or is there discord between Coach Lewis and Palmer?

If my BOSS said it was ok for a coworker to be absent during safety training. Would it be ok for me to say in the company newsletter that I am not ok with it? (I think my Boss would be pissed)

Is it ok for me to publicly second guess my boss's decisions?

Palmer is not Lebron James

Is this a bigger issue than we think or is it a smaller issue and we are trying to make it bigger?

I know Chad isnt a leader. Ive known that for years.

I know that Carson doesn't want us to boo when the team does poorly. I know that Carson thinks every new WR looks good and he is excited to work with all of them.

Carson never says anything in interviews. Maybe he doesn't agree with Coach Lewis' ways but he definitely has learned from Lewis on how to say nothing in interviews.

New Headlines

Palmer NOT On Board Lewis Train

or

Lewis Not Interested In Coaching Bengals Past 2010

oooh drama

Ill let Florio know.

[bwillycuse]

Viva ocho! He is still the best reciever we have and carson knows that...

One thing has been proven. Palmer needs good WRs (plural) to succeed. The system and the QB are not good enough to make whoever lines up successful. (i.e. Indy)

So Palmers success has hinged on Chad, Henry, and TJ. Only one of them remain and he led the team last year in all receiving categories. (albeit lower than normal)

I hope we are viable without Chad. For Palmers sake.

btw I have more apprehension about how good a QB Palmer is than what kind of receiver we have in Chad.

I do want to say that I am very high on Antonio Bryant and do expect good things from him this year. More benefit than Coles.

[TJJackson]

ocho! He is still the best reciever we have

Somewhat in doubt now

And that begs the point - is he trying to be as good a WR (a job for which he is compensated ridiculously well for) as he can be?

"best we have" is not the same as "best as he can be"

[TJJackson]

Carson has some even more choice words for Chad, it seems

see: http://cincinnati.com/blogs/bengals/2010/06/10/palmer-with-message-for-85/

“I mean we’ve drafted guys high and they haven’t played enough. There are fresh guys with a lot to prove and some new guys in a new system and offense that have a long way to go. We’ll get there,” Palmer said. “Last year we were in the same boat. Chad wasn’t here. Last year was a mess.

When asked what Ochocinco needs to pick up when he arrives in Cincinnati this weekend, Palmer did say that there is quite a bit in terms of plays, concepts and verbiage. Palmer, who is entering his eighth year, did say this is the biggest overhaul of the passing game since he’s been here.

[ArmyBengal]

-Plenty of Players aren't with their team right now I don't hear any one questioning Ray Lewis's or Lord Favre's love for the game

Ray Lewis is still pretty much considered by all in Baltimore as a God and they know what he brings. Chad ?? Not so much.

Favre had surgery and is like 62 now, so that's a little different.

-Chad Isn't the only player who does shows in the Off Season and setting himself up for a Job after football.

Dhani does shows as well, but he's here isn't he. Other players in the NFL might, but I don't think they have the expectation on their shoulders that Chad does in Cincinnati. What other player does non-football things that take them away from the team's practice, with the expectations of leading the passing game or whatever position they play ??

PS,Once again he's only missing voluntary workouts not mandatory If he misses the Mandatory,Then I could see calling him a douche who no longer cares about the game but right now I don't see it as any different as Dhani doing his show "shrug"

Agree that it's only voluntary, but Carson seems to think it's important with all the new stuff in the passing offense. Carson's words seem to speak more to me right now than anything else. More to the point, I think he's making my argument easier.

My question are these.

If my BOSS said it was ok for a coworker to be absent during safety training. Would it be ok for me to say in the company newsletter that I am not ok with it? (I think my Boss would be pissed)

No it probably wouldn't be, but there's a difference in working wherever you do and being the franchise QB for an NFL team. It's just different. However, I don't think you would be wrong in general, because if that co-worker hurt himself or another employee and they couldn't justify him missing that training, someone would have to pay up.

Is this a bigger issue than we think or is it a smaller issue and we are trying to make it bigger?

I don't think it's bigger than we think or a mole hill turned mountain. Only the one major issue this team is currently facing when everything else seems to be going quite well. People want to be happy we aren't like other teams that have all kinds of issues with people bailing on OTA's or contract disputes and that's true, but Chad gets the focus for that very reason. There's nothing else BUT HIM that's going wrong right now. Chad needs another Bengal to get arrested and he will be just fine.

I know that Carson doesn't want us to boo when the team does poorly.

I also think he knows if he had Chad here learning the new stuff being installed for the passing game, it would lessen the chances of him hearing those boos from the homecrowd. Well, that and actually helping the team win more than an AFCN crown.

[bwillycuse]

How much do they do in a day in OTAs? The little 7 minute OTA vids on the .Com show them doing nothing but stretching. Does it seem they are slacking this year in that regard?

Im thinking all this wont mean much come Tuesday when Chad and the rest of the team will be ready to go.

Then maybe ill start getting on Andre until he can start earning his millions.

60 days or so until the Hall of Fame game. Ooooh time is starting to fly.

[bwillycuse]

-Plenty of Players aren't with their team right now I don't hear any one questioning Ray Lewis's or Lord Favre's love for the game

Ray Lewis is still pretty much considered by all in Baltimore as a God and they know what he brings. Chad ?? Not so much.

Favre had surgery and is like 62 now, so that's a little different.

-Chad Isn't the only player who does shows in the Off Season and setting himself up for a Job after football.

Dhani does shows as well, but he's here isn't he. Other players in the NFL might, but I don't think they have the expectation on their shoulders that Chad does in Cincinnati. What other player does non-football things that take them away from the team's practice, with the expectations of leading the passing game or whatever position they play ??

PS,Once again he's only missing voluntary workouts not mandatory If he misses the Mandatory,Then I could see calling him a douche who no longer cares about the game but right now I don't see it as any different as Dhani doing his show "shrug"

Agree that it's only voluntary, but Carson seems to think it's important with all the new stuff in the passing offense. Carson's words seem to speak more to me right now than anything else. More to the point, I think he's making my argument easier.

My question are these.

If my BOSS said it was ok for a coworker to be absent during safety training. Would it be ok for me to say in the company newsletter that I am not ok with it? (I think my Boss would be pissed)

No it probably wouldn't be, but there's a difference in working wherever you do and being the franchise QB for an NFL team. It's just different. However, I don't think you would be wrong in general, because if that co-worker hurt himself or another employee and they couldn't justify him missing that training, someone would have to pay up.

Is this a bigger issue than we think or is it a smaller issue and we are trying to make it bigger?

I don't think it's bigger than we think or a mole hill turned mountain. Only the one major issue this team is currently facing when everything else seems to be going quite well. People want to be happy we aren't like other teams that have all kinds of issues with people bailing on OTA's or contract disputes and that's true, but Chad gets the focus for that very reason. There's nothing else BUT HIM that's going wrong right now. Chad needs another Bengal to get arrested and he will be just fine.

I know that Carson doesn't want us to boo when the team does poorly.

I also think he knows if he had Chad here learning the new stuff being installed for the passing game, it would lessen the chances of him hearing those boos from the homecrowd. Well, that and actually helping the team win more than an AFCN crown.

I would be very happy if Chad were in Cincy working his a$$ off with the team.

I also hope he understands that he isnt what he used to be. He will have to fight for his spot and his catches. He is behind right now and I fully expect him to work hard to catch up.

And if he somehow loses his number 1 spot to Bryant or starts getting less balls thrown to him and starts complaining....I will in the front of the mob with my pitch fork.

[ArmyBengal]

I would be very happy if Chad were in Cincy working his a$$ off with the team.

I also hope he understands that he isnt what he used to be. He will have to fight for his spot and his catches. He is behind right now and I fully expect him to work hard to catch up.

And if he somehow loses his number 1 spot to Bryant or starts getting less balls thrown to him and starts complaining....I will in the front of the mob with my pitch fork.