Terrell Owens: "Underachieving" Starts At The Top

Bengals management had to be worried that wide receivers Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens had an open forum on their own weekly television show on Versus. As the season gradually got worse with the decline of play, the fans venomous disdain for the front office sharply grew, which was craving to be fueled by a player. Any player. Fans wanted some vindication from a player that things are really that bad.

And that vindication may have come from, you guessed it, Terrell Owens.

During Tuesday night's episode of the T.Ocho Show, Owens talked about the season and how the level of blame starts at the very top.

"I think there is underachieving you know from the top down," Owens said. "You start off with the owner, you start off with the coaches and obviously we as players. We are a product of what the coaches are doing, are coaching us throughout the course of the week. Of course we have to go out there and play the game but in order for us to do what we’re allowed to do at the best of our ability the coaches have to put the players in the best position."

Ochocinco was far more diplomatic on his response when prompted by Owens.

Said Ochocinco: “Well from my standpoint I’m not sure why we’re 2-11 this year but the thing with me is I’ve become numb to the situations of losing. Being as though I’ve lost for such a long time that I have not been able to point the finger on what it really is. I’ve only had two winning seasons in a 10-year span. I don’t know what it is. All I know what to do is go out and play the game of football. The ins and outs of why things are not successful, I think I’ve missed that bus.”

Players aren't executing. Check. Coaches aren't doing a good job coaching. Double check. Ownership is the first to blame on the pyramid of blame. Triple check. The truth his, Owens mostly confirmed what we had believed, but provided no specifics for that fuel to explode a gradually building super volcano from fans.

Considering that the Bengals are perhaps the most unfriendly team in the NFL, it's at least good to know that we're not completely alone in all of this. And the most that Bengals management will get out of all of this? "Time for the Carl Pickens clause!"

(h/t to Joe Reedy for transcribing the show)