Do the Cincinnati Bengals Owe Chad Ochocinco an Apology for the 2008 Season?

As we all know, the Cincinnati Bengals finished with a disappointing 4-11-1 record during the 2008 season.

To make matters worse, they lost their franchise quarterback Carson Parlmer for 12 games of the year and they saw the franchise's most productive player essentially fall off the radar.

We all know that Chad Ochocinco did not perform to his standards in 2008, but is he the only person there is to blame?

Before the 2008 season began, Ochocinco did everything within his power to attempt to get traded.

After some within the organization began to refer to him as a "cancer" who served as a distraction to the team, Ochocinco decided that he was going to allow the Bengals to own up to their claims.

The Washington Redskins even went as far as to offer the team two first-round draft picks for the disgruntled wide receiver.

The Bengals, however, declined the offer.

It's strange that a team consisting of a number of people who wanted Ochocinco out decided that it was in its better interest to keep him.

That comes as little surprise to me as I know that it is much easier to insult and label someone than it is to back up those claims.

It was easy to blame the "loudmouth" when things did not turn out as well as they had expected in 2007.

After all, we are all taught to believe that wide receivers who love to talk are destined to rip apart the fabric of a team's chemistry and in the process, harm their chances of winning.

Nevermind the production they bring to the table, their impact must be more than enough to compensate to the point in which the production and the package are more harmful than the lack of production that bears no package.

In Ochocinco's case, I have yet to hear a credible defense as to how his presence created a detrimental atmosphere or damaged the team in any way, shape, or form.

But when you begin to lose more games than you win, a scapegoat often becomes the most logical option.

Is it not easier to throw the blame on the shoulders of an individual than it would be to throw the blame on the shoulders of an entire defensive unit?

We are talking about a Bengals defensive unit that averaged a ranking of 23rd from 2001 to 2007.

Now can anyone tell me how many teams have achieved great postseason success with a defensive squad ranked 23rd?

No, Ochocinco never seemed to offer criticism in that direction.

As a matter of fact, I recall Ochocinco blaming himself after a 51-45 loss to the Cleveland Browns during week two of the 2007 season.

As he reflected, "if they score 51, then it is our job to go out there and score 52."

Without a single ill-word directed toward the defensive unit that gave up 51 points, he blamed himself for the loss despite catching 11 passes for 209 yards and two touchdowns (becoming the franchise's all-time leading receiver in the process).

The way I see it, Ochocinco played like a Hall of Famer for six years straight prior to the beginning of the 2008 season.

If the rest of his teammates performed as well as he did, the Bengals would have been a dynasty, but the reality was they didn't.

I never seem to recall any of the defensive players being called out.

So what many people did was take the Bengals’ most productive player and find a way to blame him for their misery.

That seems to be in great contrast to what Ochocinco gave to the Cincinnati Bengals.

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