FanHouse ChadOchoCinco

Send your NFL questions (along with your name and location) to NFLFanHouse@gmail.com. Each Thursday, we'll answer the best -- or, if nothing else, most entertaining -- in our NFL Mailbag.

Excluding Brett Favre, which remaining free agent can play the biggest role in 2009?

The easy answer (INCLUDING Brett Favre!!) is Plaxico Burress. He's a high-ceiling, high-impact wide receiver. You saw the way the Giants' offense missed him at the end of 2008, and we've seen a handful of teams express interest in him -- even though nobody knows if he's going to play in 2009. If he is allowed to play, he's your answer. But it looks increasingly likely that he'll be suspended for at least part of the season, if not all. So in the non-Burress division, I have three veterans who could make an interesting impact in the right situation:

On Tuesday, Brinson posted the video of Polish model Joanna Krupa clowning Terrell Owens on Superstars, the original reality show (now you know who to blame).

Something about T.O. hurting the team's chance to win. It was all very made-for-teevee in that it was candid, awkward, and forced. Good times.

Anyway, a day later, Owens issued a blanket apology for, well, everything he has done, or might do in the future. The apology was tongue-in-cheek and funny. And, for me, that's what differentiates T.O. from, say, Chad Ochocinco. He'll wreck your team, sure, but he also has the self-awareness to know he's doing it, and will even make jokes about it in the process. Don't get me wrong: I don't want him on my team, but the sideshow is wholly enjoyable from afar.

(Video after the jump.)

I heard Michael Jackson died at approximately 5:30 PM ET. Hours later, I still don't think it's fully hit me. This was the man I idolized growing up as a kid ... I watched Moonwalker about 80 times on VHS (Joe Pesci was the villain). I once furiously outbid someone $159 for a replica Beat It jacket with 13 zippers. I actually have an 8x10 glossy of Billie Jean Michael taped next to my bedroom door.

Everyone -- from celebrities to sports stars to ordinary people -- had their way of trying to feel connected to the King of Pop. In his mere presence, fans have fainted and needed medical attention. So when news broke that Jackson had passed away, the reverberations on social media sites like Twitter were immense. Outspoken wide receiver Chad Ochocinco even went on to tweet "this is just as sad as 9/11" and then tried to play damage control after his offensive comment.

After the jump, read the emotional reactions from current and former athletes.

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On Second Thought is Matt Snyder's look back at the initial FanHouse staff rankings, which were compiled nearly a month ago. As we all know, fantasy players' value changes frequently, even when no games are being played.

Formerly a relatively unpredictable position with just a small handful of reliable WR1-types, wide receiver now sports a solid upper-echelon. With the overemphasis on the pass game in the NFL, you must have one elite wideout to compete in fantasy football.

There is also good depth. It seems to me most of the shaky players here in terms of good value are in the teens. Meaning after the elite wideout, you should let everyone fill out their WR2 while waiting to stockpile good value guys in the seven and eight round range.

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After saying that he and Carson Palmer "were like Brokeback Mountain," it only made sense that Chad Ochocinco would move in with the Bengals quarterback this summer. That was the plan (according to Mr. Ochocinco), anyway.

Palmer's wife -- and I'd assume Palmer, too -- had other ideas. The family just had twins, and even if they hadn't, I'm not sure they would be interested in introducing crazy into their home. Via the Dayton Daily News' Chick Ludwig:

Update: Mr. Ochocinco has indeed tweeted that the tats are fake because his grandma would have killed him otherwise. So, yeah, everything's back to normal in Cincinnati. Next stop: AFC North title. Obviously.

The term "jumping the shark" jumped the shark a few years ago, but dated references aside, it perfectly describes Chad Javon Ochocinco. When Chad first began acting out -- silly touchdown celebrations sandwiched between sillier sound bites uttered through gold fronts -- we all thought it was funny.

Like when a puppy nips at your hand in between tail-chasing sessions -- it's harmless and cute. Except that it becomes less so when, four months later, the dog is chewing through everything in the house and you end up putting him on doggy Prozac.

That's Mr. Ochocinco.

Here's a revelation that ought to help Chad Ochocinco shed the label of being a "Me First" kind of player.

During an interview on the NFL Network, Ochocinco was asked to explain his miserable 2008 season -- the worst, statistically, of his career aside from his 2001 rookie campaign. His answer not only explained Ochocinco's struggles, but also went a long way to providing some reasoning for his sudden and lingering injury issues last year.

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!)

The Cincinnati Bengals pick sixth in the NFL Draft this weekend. While there is a lot of talk about the Bengals drafting a lineman (either offensive or defensive), one has to look at the future of wide receiver Chad Ocho Cinco and think that it has a lot to do with the team's draft plans.

After rolling out the tears to former teammate T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Ocho Cinco may have thought he was closer to the trade out of Cincinnati that he seems to desire. Unfortunately for the receiver, his head coach doesn't see it that way.

There have been some big trades in the NFL lately, mainly involving guys who wanted to get away from the team they had been playing for.

Quarterback Jay Cutler was dealt from Denver to Chicago, netting the Broncos a nice haul of draft picks and Kyle Orton. Over the weekend, the Buffalo Bills got a couple of picks from Philadelphia for disgruntled left tackle Jason Peters. Wide receivers Braylon Edwards and Anquan Boldin are currently on the block, and now it looks as though Chad Ocho Cinco would apparently love to be, too.