There are so many reasons why Terrell Owens might not be worth it to add to an NFL roster. He’s 36 years old, coming off a season with the Buffalo Bills where he had sub-par numbers. He sometimes seems more focused on his reality TV career than his NFL career. And of course, his repeated blow-ups with quarterbacks like Tony Romo, Jeff Garcia, Donovan McNabb, etc. have labelled him a cancer to most NFL locker rooms. But what a lot of people fail to realize is that he’s still a damn-good football player.
I love the signing by Cincinnati because he adds even more to an offense that is set-up to be one of the most dynamic in all of football. When I look at this Bengals roster, this may be the one move that gets them over the top and makes them a major threat in the AFC this season. It’s weird to say that a 36 year-old would have that kind of impact, but he could be that good for them.
It’s also a big plus that everyone within the organization seems to be on board with Owens coming in. It’s good that the owner wants him, but the thing I’m more excited about is that both Carson Palmer and Chad Ochocinco wanted him. If your two best offensive players want to share the field with a certain player, it can never be a bad thing.
We all know that the one-two punch of the Bengals will still be Carson Palmer to Chad Ochocinco, but Owens now lined up on the opposite end offers up a great secondary option for Palmer if Ocho is covered. At 36, Owens doesn’t have the ability to get behind the secondary too often, but he’s still a threat every time he’s on the field.
The Bengals also picked up Antonio Bryant in the off-season and he was supposed to be in the 2 spot, but from all accounts, he has struggled. However, a trio of Ocho, Owens and Bryant combined with the re-established running game of Cedric Benson will give defences fit when it comes to coming up with a game-plan for a Sunday match-up.
So, the offense looks set and the defence looks strong from front to back as they bring back the same group of guys that allowed them to have the 6th best overall defence in the NFL. You look at every major statistical category for the Bengals last season and they are in the top 10 in every single category.
This is not the same Bengals team that would try and beat opponents 50-49 every single week. They play some smash-mouth defence now to go along with an offense that’s capable of putting up big numbers every single week.
With the Ravens looking better with the addition of Anquan Boldin and the loss of Ben Roethlisberger to start the year for the Steelers, we could be seeing a changing of the guard in the AFC North. The team I suspect will be at the top when it’s all over will be the Cincinnati Bengals.