One of the most polarizing players to Bengals fans -- and even his own damned last name -- is wide receiver Chad Johnson. He's probably the most written about player on this blog, with his own section dedicated to him when he became whiny-baby-poopy-pants. We kid, because we care. Somewhat. More before; now, maybe not so much.

And apparently if you talk to four people close to Bengals owner Mike Brown, you'll get half the story -- or perhaps the whims of an owner with one winning regular season under his belt since President Bush was in office. No, the one before W (I wasn't even close to reaching high school yet). Yahoo's Jason Cole writes:

The Bengals have reportedly had highly regarded Missouri wide receiver Jeremy Maclin in for a workout recently. That said, two sources who have spoken to Brown said he would be willing to deal Ochocinco – and two others said he won’t.

Indecisive. Waffling. Hesitation. Wavering. Vacillation. Astraddle. Tentative. Words that scream qualities of leadership. Right?

So the problem is ownership that's just not sure what they should do, right? Sorry, we're not letting Chad off that easily.

Throw in the fact that at least two people who know Ochocinco have told the team that his competitive spirit to play for the Bengals has basically burned out, and you get the picture.

You mean to tell me that he sabotaged his 2008 because he's burnt out? No. Freaking. Way. And who on the team did "two people" talk to. If I were Carson's friend, went to visit him in the lockerroom and told the laundry guy, "hey man, I think Carson should throw more", does that mean I told the team that Palmer feels under-appreciated?

One source even told quarterback Carson Palmer in March that a deal of Ochocinco could be coming before the draft.

We're back to that.

Don't mistake me. I'm not dissecting what Cole is saying. He's doing what most journalists should be doing -- providing you with information. It's up to us on how we want to assimilate that information. And sometimes we get hit with the hard reality that this team still lacks leadership from the top and that communication is over-rated and a waste of time.

Maybe I'm still drinking the Kool-aid. But I'm spiking that sonofabitch with Jack Daniels.