They cheered, and cheered, and cheered. After arriving in a white Chevy driven by Brett Lainhart, Bengals wide receiver Terrell Owens ran into his dorm, signed his contract and made his way onto the field with sidekick Chad Ochocinco to the chorus of cheers. That, my friends, along with fans greeting Owens at the airport, is the pulse of Cincinnati in regards to Owens signing with the Bengals.
Lining up opposite of Chad, Owens has already claimed first team status, drawing cheers from fans after making basic receptions. And as Peter King writes that 20 Bengal veterans lobbied to sign Owens, the one that's most known for lobbying for the receiver, Carson Palmer, practiced with T.O. on one side of the field while the rest of the team practiced on the other.
If there's a way for Owens to feel appreciated and overwhelmed with city-wide cheers, this would be that script. The team and their fans have accepted him. And despite a Newsday report that Marvin Lewis held reservations, Peter King, having chatted with Lewis, said that's not the case.
So a day that started with a missed flight, ends with a cheers from fans and the general feeling of acceptance among the entire organization, one could feel that the start of the T.O./Bengals marriage has began as well as it could. And those clowns like Gregg Doyel, Jay Mariotti and Skip Bayless will have nothing to complain about other than the fact that there's nothing to complain about.