Ochocinco Says He'll Be Better Than Ever

Like his Cincinnati Bengals teammates, Chad Ochocinco is hard at work these days in preparation for the 2009 season. He's working on drills to improve his footwork and his hand-eye coordination, and is hitting the weight room harder than he ever has before.

But unlike his teammates, Ochocinco is doing it far from the Paul Brown Stadium practice fields. In between hitting the clubs of Wilshire Boulevard and attending Lakers games, the receiver formerly known as Chad Johnson is working in the boxing ring with famed trainer Freddie Roach.

The boxing ring?

In an exclusive interview with the NFL Network Tuesday, Ochocinco came out of his publicity cave to show the world exactly what he has been doing since the end of the 2008 season. And from what the camera showed, it appears that his working out more resembles Sugar Ray Leonard than Ray Lewis.

"I not only owe Cincinnati, but my coaches, my players, my team, and my fans to get myself back in rare form before I even hit the field again," Ochocinco said. "Because last year was very humbling to me. It was an embarrassment. Not only to myself, but to the city and team. Before I even go back I just want to be in unbelievable form before I touch the green grass."

While it may seem odd to fans that a player, who confesses to be "embarrassed" by his 2008 season, would rather work on his skills in the ring rather than on the field, Ochocinco doesn't see it that way.

"I'm loving it," he said of boxing's relationship to football. "Hand-eye coordination. Quickness. Lateral movement. No false-stepping in boxing. I can't wait to use it on the field."

In a way, Ochocinco may be right about his training regimen. This past season was a major disappointment for a player who led the conference in receiving in each of the previous four seasons. While playing with backup quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, a porous offensive line, and a weak running game certainly shared in the blame, Ochocinco also had several serious faults of his own.

He has always dropped too many passes and has never been known as a receiver that is willing to live in the middle of the field. And while he has always been explosive off the line of scrimmage, he has struggled breaking away from aggressive pressing cornerbacks.

So, the boxing skills could help. And any extra conditioning is always a plus in a sport as grueling as football. But what about the locker-room presence? Or the fact that all of his teammates are toiling in the 90-degree weather while he is cheering on Kobe?

Ochocinco admitted in the NFL Network piece that he hasn't spoken to coach Marvin Lewis: "There's no need to talk to anyone; I'm in isolation," he said. And quarterback Carson Palmer has decided not to discuss his star receiver while he is not in camp. But Lewis did talk and said that he wasn't worried that Ochocinco's absence would hinder the team's chemistry.

"I think their relationship has been a good, strong relationship," Lewis said of Palmer and Ochocinco. "Right now, Chad doesn't have a relationship with Carson because he's not here right now. Their relationship on the field is the most important thing, off the field they're two different guys. They probably couldn't be any further away and I think they both recognize that and that's why they've meshed so well on the field."

In the meantime, the Bengals young group of receivers continue to get a bulk of the time with Palmer, still one of the best quarterbacks in the league. Newcomer Laveranues Coles is a lock to be one of the clubs' starting wideouts in September with holdovers Chris Henry, Andre Caldwell and Jerome Simpson trying to impress their coaches and quarterback alike.

Of course, if Ochocinco is as committed as he says he is, all of the offseason talk will be just that: talk. He says he is recapturing the spirit of the hungry junior college player who is trying to get noticed.

"Remember those days when you were young and it was the night before Christmas and you knew there was something good under the tree and you couldn't wait to open it?", Ochocinco said when asked if he had a message for Palmer, "That's what you should expect when you see the new 85."

Only time will tell.