Adios Ocho

November 9th, 2003. The Cincinnati Bengals were nothing more than the Bungles, a horrible team with no upside, no excitement, and no hope. But they had just beaten the Houston Texans to pull to a respectable 4-5 record, one of their best marks halfway through the season. Things were quietly going pretty well for the worst pro football since 1991, maybe there was hope after all.

Then Chad Johnson spoke up.

The Kansas City Chiefs were the best team in football in 2003. By far. While they may not have had a defense that could compete with the '85 Bears, the Chiefs offense was untouchable. Trent Green was slinging, Priest Holmes was scoring, and Dante Hall was doing a little bit of everything in the return game as the league's Devin Hester before there was a Devin Hester. Kansas City was unchallenged, unbeaten, untouchable. And that was exactly why Chad Johnson guaranteed the Bengals would defeat them.

This cocky third year wide receiver from Oregon State was as flashy as he was fast, as arrogant as he was athletic; as gaudy as he was good. But dang, was he good.

It wasn't really new for him to promise a Bengal's victory (he had done so twice the season before). But a young player on an annually bad team guaranteeing a win over the 9-0 Chiefs? That took guts. Or stupidity. I guess we'll never know which.

You remember what happened. The Bengals beat the Texans, Chad made the prediction immediately following the game, a crazy week of speculation followed, and when the two polar opposite teams took the field in Paul Brown Stadium that Sunday, Peter Warrick made like Dante Hall and took a punt back 68 yards for a touchdown. Bengals win 24-19.

You can say what you want about the person Chad was before that game. Yeah, he was loud and talked a lot prior to his Joe Namath-esque guarantee. But he was never the same undersized receiver after that day. The Bengals finished that year 8-8, missing the playoffs but proving that they were a legitimate team for the first time in my life.

Chad Johnson was one of the biggest factors in the new age of the Bengals where they don't suck... as much. If you made a Mount Rushmore honoring those brave souls, his face would be the first on it, along with Jon Kitna, Marvin Lewis, Carson Palmer, and Rudi Johnson.

While I firmly believe that specific guarantee was a pivotal point in the history of the Bengals, it was far from the last thing Chad did to entertain this city and put it on the map.

He talked.

He joked.

He celebrated.

He putted.

He proposed.

He Pepto bismoled.

He Fiesta'd.

He changed his name to Ochocinco.

He resuscitated.

He Riverdanced.

He Lambeau-leaped (even in Cleveland).

He played camera man.

He played Santa.

He played soccer.

He raced a horse.

He raced a car.

He kicked an extra point.

He inducted himself into the Hall of Fame.

And all he wanted was to not get fined.

Cincinnati is the legitimate football town it is because of Chad, and that will never change. There are many hard feelings towards the man who just wanted to have fun and win, and some are valid. But you cannot discredit the amazing things he did for this team and this city. As Chad Ochocinco heads off to suit up for the New England Patriots in this post-lockout, apocalyptic world, we should be thankful for his contributions to the Bengals and wish him the best. I guarantee he will fare well in his new home.

Thanks for the memories Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson, we'll never forget you.