Much is being made with the possibility that Terrell Owens could be in a Bengals uniform in 2010, mostly thanks for Chad's unrelenting effort to bring his friend to Cincinnati. Adam Schefter tweet yesterday (is it proper to say Tweeted?) that Owens coming to Cincinnati "isn't happening". In one respect, I wouldn't mind. He could help this team offensively in the passing game. Draw backs? They're well known. In fact, they might be a bit suffocating for some to entertain the notion of signing Owens. And I wouldn't have a problem with those people either. He's a distraction and tends to break up locker rooms. Is that worth it? I think he brings positives and negatives and you have to work towards bringing out those positives.
One of the more interesting notes comes from Goffchile's FanPost, which brings up a recent Bob Glauber tweet that reads:
Source familiar with Bengals' situation tells me there are no plans to sign Terrell Owens. Team also regrets Laveanues Coles signing in '09
Bob Glauber is an NFL columnist for Newsday. If you remember, I was bombarded for observations regarding Marvin Lewis' usage of the English language when reflecting Coles. OK, so maybe I'm grasping at straws. I admit it. And I have nothing against Coles, other than his drops -- and maybe the fact he's making a lot of money and not producing. He's a hellva veteran presence that's good to have around, says Lewis. However, I'm more convinced than not -- maybe to the point of being blinded -- that the Bengals won't retain Coles in 2010.
Think of it this way. Coles had just come off a season in which he caught 43 passes for 514 yards receiving and is scheduled to make $4.65 million next season with $6.4 million earned in 2011 and 2012. Based on last year's production -- in a league that asks "what have you done for me lately" -- will the Bengals want to keep Coles around if they plan on retooling the position at that cost? Don't forget about Mike Brown, who will likely weigh this out heavily. Are the Bengals looking to integrate Jerome Simpson into a larger role? I hope they do, if anything, to get an idea of what Simpson can do during a regular season game. Are there other free agents out there, like good ol' Kevin Walter, that the Bengals will sign to build the team's depth? What about the draft?
I don't want it to appear that I want Coles out of Cincinnati. But it does appear that Coles has more going against him than for him. You know, like a Newsday writer saying, through sources, that the Bengals regret signing Coles. Yikes.