OK, so Chad Johnson isn't really going to bunk with Carson Palmer and family. And we doubt it's because of Chris' shockingly good (yet disturbing as hell) photoshop of Brokeback Mountain.

"Unless he's picking up my mortgage for the months of July and August, he can't stay. He's not living for free," said Palmer, the father of five-month-old twins. "I don't need another kid around the house."

Even Palmer's wife freaked out (rightly so!):

Even if that optimism from Ochocinco included trying to move in for a week, which Palmer had to explain to his wife, Shaelyn.

“I think she got an e-mail and gave me that look,” Palmer said. “I told her don’t worry, I haven’t made any commitments. Don’t clear out the boxes in the room and make a bed for him. Don’t worry, it’s not going to happen.”

It would seem that Chad's return to Cincinnati is, well, complete. His attitude is fun again; yet, he's proving to teammates that he's here to win. I've said it before. When Chad Johnson is having fun, things seem to operate smoothly. Last year, he was pissed. Last year, we were pissed.

While Johnson's return has fans trotting around with a bounce in their optimistic step, the focus is still on Palmer's recovery. Without Palmer, we're in trouble. He's admitted to being 100%. He's made nice throws during OTAs and a 50-yard connection between Palmer and Laveranues Coles during Thursday mornings session.

However, the Bengals are still in protect Palmer's elbow mode, writes Geoff Hobson:

The infamous Carson Palmer Pitch Count came into play Thursday afternoon when he only threw a couple of passes in the second workout of mandatory minicamp at Paul Brown Stadium to protect the elbow he injured last season.

Joe Reedy writes that "Carson Palmer threw only one pass. He is on a pitch count of between 115-140 during two-a-days." Perhaps that's a good thing. Either way, the offseason theme continues. While the team is injecting new blood, things are coming together nicely.