Chris Henry and Chad Ochocinco's rededication to the Bengals could be the difference

If I were to create a list right now of the stories that I'm most interested in heading into training camp, and the regular season, Chris Henry's return (and maturation) would be high on that list. Let me take you back to January for a moment.

We just weren't sure about Chad Ochocinco (god, I'm calling them that now?). Was he going to rebound? Was he even going to be in Cincinnati? If he did stick in Cincinnati, could he and his teammates get back on the same page? Then there was T.J. Houshmandzadeh. He was leaving. We knew that; there was no illusions about that -- even though a reported 11th hour offer came to light to make us think "we have a chance?". Two receivers just completed their rookie seasons -- one showed promise (Andre Caldwell) and another showed he has a long way to go to be effective on this team (Jerome Simpson). Chris Henry played, made a few nice grabs. However, he also dropped passes and with his history, he could make fools of anyone that trusts him to be here every week.

In truth, along with the offensive line, we believed that the wide receiver position was another vulnerable position heading into the offseason.

Then Chad Ochocinco came back -- spirit, work ethic, attitude. Houshmandzadeh still left, but the team successfully signed Laveranues Coles. Depending on who you talk to, Coles could have more big-time production than Houshmandzadeh. Chris Henry worked out with Carson Palmer in the offseason, kept us focusing on his rededications. We figured Henry wouldn't last long in the NFL, and at his current pace, life. And maybe nothing has changed. But he's saying all of the right things. He's making all of the right moves. And save for cynics, we have no choice than to believe Henry has made his change.

Now he's focusing on football and his place with this team, that would have one of the best rebounds in terms of rankings in NFL history. Provided the offensive line stabilizes and Cedric Benson improves off last season, the Bengals could go from dead last offensively to Top Ten in 2009. There's a lot that has to come together for that to happen, but you get the feeling that they're on their way to making that happen. Ironically enough, all because of a rededication towards life, the sport and the team.