Put Up or Shut Up for Big Mouth OchoCinco

  As an avid football fan, allow me to say that I truly do appreciate the theatrical aspects of the game.  Who can forget the Icky Shuffle?  Who doesn't enjoy watching a Lambeau Leap?  However, Chad Johnson, who recently legally changed his name to Chad Ocho Cinco, has put himself in a put up or shut up situation in 2008.

  For those of you less familiar with Ocho Cinco's off-season behavior, please allow me to fill you in with the "Reader's Digest" version.  Ocho Cinco (and yes, it does get a little tiresome to refer to him as such, but I feel obligated since it was a legal name change) began the off-season by making noise and attempting to coax the Bengals into a trade.  As training camp and the pre-season rolled around, Chad seemed to cool his jets a bit and focus on playing football while on the tail end of recovery from an ankle injury.  In game two of the pre-season against Detroit, Ocho Cinco suffered a partially torn labrum (in Layman's - a busted up shoulder).

  All of this leads us to the hay-maker of NFL drama.  Ocho Cinco is no stranger to the theatrical side of sports, having created and performed some of the most antagonistic, cheeky, and often flagrant touchdown celebrations the league has seen recently.  Consider as an illustration his leap into the dog-pound of Cleveland, where he was received with a beer bath and, I suppose, a few obscenities by some angry dogs.  Remember when he used the cherished Pittsburgh Terrible Towel to wipe his feet?  In fact, Chad even appeared in a jersey reading "Ocho Cinco" where his last name should have been, prompting the NFL to fine him $5,000 for the trouble.  Well, I guess Chad can put away his check book because the outlandish act of changing his last name means it would not be so outlandish of him to request that his jersey now officially read "Ocho Cinco" and the NFL would have no grounds for punishment.

  For better or for worse, Ocho Cinco has left himself with quite a reputation for being the new king of NFL antics, officially stealing the crown from Terrell Owens with the name change.  However, he has also left himself with some proving to do.  One must always remember that shameless shenanigans in professional sports are only all in fun if the perpetrator backs it up with some athletic mustard. Drama and theatrics in the NFL are only well received if fans see a winning record and a touchdown statistic worthy of a superstar wide-out (get yourself at least 8+5, Ocho). It may be time for Ocho Cinco to tone down the drama and prove to the football faithful why he deserves that gold jacket he wore last season claiming him to be a future Hall of Famer. 

  It will not be a cakewalk for Ocho Cinco to prove himself worth the hype, given the amount of work his mouth has done the past couple years, but if anyone can do it he can.  He is a great receiver who, last year, racked up 93 receptions, 1440 receiving yards, and 8 touchdowns (one every two games for those who love averages).   Sure, he has some challenges in his way.  For one, that shoulder will be harnessed for at least a little while and that is if it stays healthy enough for Chad to stay on the field.  After all, he opted out of season ending corrective surgery after talking with a couple of his peers who have suffered the same injury.  Also, he has to share the ball with another fantastic receiver by the name of T.J. Houshmandzadeh.  On the plus side, he has has a great quarterback in Carson Palmer to chuck him the ball provided Palmer's line can keep him safer than they did in the pre-season.  All things considered, Ocho Cinco better be as great athletically as he promises to be dramatically this NFL season.  If not, there may be a lot of people in the Queen City ready to dethrone the King of Antics.