Even Carson Palmer, the unassuming Opie Taylor-looking Bengals quarterback, has his limits. After spending most of the 2008 season on the sidelines with a bum elbow, the 2003 first-overall pick is healthy and participating in voluntary workouts. Which, like previous offseasons, isn't the case with Chad Javon Ochocinco.
He's reportedly working out in Los Angeles, and I don't doubt that -- Chad always seems prepared, at least physically, for the start of the NFL season -- but that's not really the point. Cincinnati won just four times last year, and hasn't had a winning record since 2005, also the last time they advanced to the playoffs. (Coincidentally, that was the other time Palmer suffered a significant injury. Thanks Kim von Oelhoeffen!)
Last September, Chad Johnson, who sports No. 85 for his day job, legally changed his name to "Ochocinco." Never mind that "Ocho Cinco" translated from Spanish means "Eight Five," or that Johnson wrote it as one word -- "Ochocinco" -- which translates to, well, "Ochocinco." What's important is that, according to the final judgment awarding him the name change, Johnson had no "ulterior purpose" for going with "Ochocinco."
Everyone makes mistakes. But when those mistakes are magnified by intense scrutiny of the NFL draft, well, they become much more embarrassing than, say, my typical Friday morning, mustard-stain-on-khakis incident.
Which is why the NFL FanHouse braintrust got together to determine who is the biggest bust for each NFL team. They're not listed in terms of stupidity -- they're all stupid relative to a team's total draft performance. Meaning, of course, some teams "bust" is much different than another organization's; we did it this way to avoid just linking you to DetroitLions.com.
Instead, we're putting it in current draft order, sans trades, and allowing this list to serve as a reminder of each's team's ability to properly execute a fail. The "bust factor" was based primarily on three things: statistical production (or lack thereof), position in the draft and other available options during that year's draft.
With the draft approaching, we ignore projections and identify the dream scenario for each team in a series we call The Perfect Draft.
Any potential turnaround in Cincinnati is going to be keyed by a healthy Carson Palmer. The quarterback missed most of last season with a bad elbow, and both he and replacement Ryan Fitzpatrick took too many hits to be truly effective. In order for the Bengals to improve, they have to find a way to shore up the leaky offensive line, while also continuing to build the groundwork for an effective, consistent defense.
Donald Driver has carved out a pretty good career for himself. The former seventh-round draft pick developed into a top wide receiver for the Packers, with whom he's spent his whole NFL career.
While you hear stories of certainreceivers acting like spoiled little children when they don't get the ball, Driver hasn't; when Greg Jennings became a more prolific receiver in 2008, Driver didn't say anything negative.
With the way Driver has always carried himself off the field, it wasn't surprising to hear him have some not-so-kind things to say about Terrell Owens.
Each Friday throughout the season, I'll provide you with my predictions on whose stock is on the rise and whose is failing miserably like the American job market pretty much everything these days. It's a neat little segment entitled Buys and Sells. There are a few teams/players/issues to buy and a few to sell.
Alex Ovechkin is arguably the biggest star in the NHL today and, like anyone on top, he takes his fair share of criticism along with his fair share of praise. Last night, Ovechkin scored his 50th goal of the season. There's the distinct possibility that Ovechkin may be the only NHLer to reach that mark this year, as New Jersey's Zach Parise is the next closest at 41 goals with 12 games to go. So, for someone who scores so much more than his competition, is it right that Alex Ovechkin celebrates every goal like it is his last?
For a four-year span, the Cincinnati Bengals were an offensive juggernaut, a fantasy player's delight. In 2009, though, that all came unraveled in almost exaggerated fashion. It's true we warned you to be afraid of the Bengals, but even the FanHouse geniuses couldn't have predicted this. The Bengals finished dead last in football in total offense. They checked in, again, at number 32 with only a paltry 12.8 points per game.
That's embarrassing territory for a team who had grown accustomed to lighting up the scoreboard. Can we expect a bounce-back from the once dominant offense?
Even in the internet age of fantasy sports, I still think many players only partake in the games against groups of friends. Many of these leagues have live drafts in person, and the stories that come from these drafts are always great -- especially when alcohol is prominently involved. In fact, if you play fantasy sports and you don't have at least one of these a year, you are really missing out.
Anyway, we here at FanHouse -- being the house of true sports fans, after all -- decided to give fantasy sports fans an avenue to tell their favorite draft day stories. It can involve mocking a friend, someone making a fool of him or herself, or just a really bad pick. Here are a few to get the chain started.
T.J. Houshmandzadeh finally made his free agency choice today, taking the Seattle Seahawks up on their offer to pay him $40 million ($15 million guaranteed) over five years.
From a football perspective, Housh's decision is huge: the Seahawks are immediately made better while the Bengals, well, hey, at least they're the Bengals. From a fantasy perspective though, this makes things extremely interesting.
Because the NFL season never ends, we present our 2009 Offseason Roadmaps for front offices to navigate through the summer.
It could be argued that the Cincinnati Bengals did well to win four games in 2008. They were missing their star quarterback, Carson Palmer, for the majority of the season. That left the job to an overmatched Ryan Fitzpatrick, who did his best, but was saddled with a bad running game, worse offensive line and not much defense. The Bengals found a way to win three straight at the end of the season, finishing 4-11-1.
Even Carson Palmer, the unassuming Opie Taylor-looking Bengals quarterback, has his limits. After spending most of the 2008 season on the sidelines with a bum elbow, the 2003 first-overall pick is healthy and participating in voluntary workouts. Which, like previous offseasons, isn't the case with Chad Javon Ochocinco. 
First the 
With the draft approaching, we ignore projections and identify the dream scenario for each team in a series we call 
Each Friday throughout the season, I'll provide you with my predictions on whose stock is on the rise and whose is failing miserably like 
For a four-year span, the Cincinnati Bengals were an offensive juggernaut, a fantasy player's delight. In 2009, though, that all came unraveled in almost exaggerated fashion. It's true we 
Even in the internet age of fantasy sports, I still think many players only partake in the games against groups of friends. Many of these leagues have live drafts in person, and the stories that come from these drafts are always great -- especially when alcohol is prominently involved. In fact, if you play fantasy sports and you don't have at least one of these a year, you are 
T.J. Houshmandzadeh
Because the NFL season never ends, we present our 
