Trio well past prime
Chicago Tribune
Signing Terrell Owens gives the Bengals a very good group of wide receivers.
But best in the NFL? Maybe Owens, Chad Ochocinco and Antonio Bryant would have formed the best receiving corps two or three years ago, when each was really humming.
But T.O. is 36 now, Ochocinco is 32 and Bryant was allowed to leave the Bucs because his knee was in bad shape, and there are indications it still might be a problem.
None of the Bengals' top three receivers is at the top of his game.
No team has more talent at wide receiver than T.O.'s old team in Dallas, with Miles Austin, Roy Williams, Dez Bryant and Patrick Crayton leading the way.
dpompei@tribune.com
Team not even in top 10
Mike Berardino
Sun Sentinel
Congratulations, Bengals. You have successfully paired Ochocinco (Chad Johnson) with Ochouno (Terrell Owens). Now it might be time to get Carson Palmer some earplugs. He's going to need them when he comes back to the sideline and his two diva receivers are upset about some silly thing or another. Which is only going to happen, oh, every third series or so.
Best receiving corps in the NFL? Maybe if T.O. weren't 36 and coming off a quiet season in Buffalo, where his five touchdown catches marked his lowest output in any full season since his rookie year. No, the Cowboys, Colts, Cardinals, Vikings, Patriots, Saints, Packers, Giants, Jets or Chargers — just to name 10 teams with better overall receiving corps — are not sweating this development.
mberardino@tribune.com
Divas into TV, not TDs
Ron Fritz
Baltimore Sun
Nope — and it's not even close. Maybe five years ago, when Ochocinco was Chad Johnson and catching 90-plus passes a season and T.O. was known more as Terrell Owens and helping the Eagles reach the Super Bowl. Now they are more interested in being reality TV stars than star wide receivers.
The Bengals don't even have the best receiving corps in the AFC. I'd take the Patriots, Colts, Texans (because of Andre Johnson) and Chargers over the Bengals. The Ravens might even have a case with Anquan Boldin, Derrick Mason and Donte' Stallworth, depending on how he rebounds from sitting out. In the NFC, you have to like the Cowboys, Eagles, Saints, Cardinals (even without Boldin) and Vikings over the Bengals.
Now when it comes to posing after touchdowns, Ochocinco and T.O. might have the best act — if the fading stars ever reach the end zone.
rtfritz@tribune.com
Bengals No. 1 in egos
Sam Farmer
Los Angeles Times
The Bengals now have the NFL's most bombastic group of receivers, but far from its best. Maybe adding Terrell Owens in his prime would tip the scales, but this is a 36-year-old coming off his least productive 16-game season since he was a rookie.
The Bengals were 26th in passing last year and didn't have a receiver crack the top 25 (Chad Ochocinco was 26th). Owens almost missed the top 50, finishing 48th. It will help that the Bengals drafted Jermaine Gresham, the best receiving tight end in this class, but does that boost them into the elite? No.
If you're looking for the NFL's best receiving corps, look to Philadelphia, Baltimore, Indianapolis, or Green Bay. And I haven't even mentioned the Super Bowl champion Saints, who are loaded.
sfarmer@tribune.com