Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco addresses the media during his conference call on Wednesday, September 8, 2010.
Q: Hey Chad...
CO: What's up, Boston? What the beep is up?
Q: So you can curse on Twitter, but not on a conference call?
CO: Yeah, I can't curse on a conference call, man.
Q: It's down to three women on your reality show. Who wins?
CO: You have to keep watching, no hints.
Q: (On how his relationship with Bill Belichick came about...)
CO: Bill and I got very well acquainted once we got to the Pro Bowl and got to know each other. It became a relationship beyond just a football player and a coach. He became a friend of mine. He has a lot of respect for me in my game and I have a lot of respect for him in everything he's done as a coach. We just became really close and fond of each other's work. He's one that I look up to tremendously, one that I've never played for, but I show the same respect as if he was my own head coach.
Q: Do you have a message for Darius Butler?
CO: No, no. I talked to him already through Twitter. That was all I needed.
Q: Is he good at Tweeting back and forth with you?
CO: Yeah, he's pretty good. Not only is he good at Tweeting, but he's good on the field also. I watched film on him. He looked extremely well. He looked to be as young as he is, so... I'm looking forward to the matchup against him and the rest of the defense.
Q: You're not licking your chops at this young secondary?
CO: No, not at all. They play football just like I play football. They look good on film. I'm sure their coaches will put them in a position to be able to make plays, so I'm going to approach this game very humbly. There's not too many times I play against the Patriots and have enormous games. They game plan very well. They're very smart. I have to play sound football myself in order to be successful.
Q: Sounds like you have a filter on compared to the last time we talked to you...
CO: It's Week 1. You can't let loose in Week 1. You have to enjoy it, man. Enjoy the show.
Q: What led to you embracing Twitter the way you did?
CO: I actually just started Tweeting last year. It was just fun. It's something I like to do for my fans. I like to interact with my fans. It gives people the chance to see who I really am, because Twitter basically tells you a lot about a person and what they do – their daily activities, how they are. You can kind of get a sense of who they are. I've been able to draft my image back. You don't have to read articles in the paper or anything of that nature. You actually know how I am based on just following me on Twitter. That's all, and I enjoy it.
Q: Are you giving Kurt Warner any tips for Dancing With the Stars?
CO: No, not at all. He'll be fine. He's a quarterback. He'll be fine.
Q: What's it been like working with Terrell Owens?
CO: Oh man, beautiful man, beautiful. It's going to be a freaking symphony out there. We're going to go hand in hand... a lot of people are waiting on us not to work and all this other hoopla or whatever. We're making each other better, pushing one another. It's going to be wonderful, to be able to have two athletes of this caliber on the field at the same time, on the same team. A lot of people say, 'How do they work together.' What we're going to do is, we're going to prove and show you how we work.
Q: Do you have a sense that this passing attack is a lot more potent based on the Bengals' offseason moves?
CO: Yeah, most definitely. We have the players that we believe can go out there and play. But unless we execute the offense, we're just people on paper.
Q: So you're Robin in the Batman and Robin duo?
CO: Yeah.
Q: How did that come about?
CO: I made it up.
Q: OK, because Robin is the sidekick...
CO: What's wrong with that?
Q: Do you expect Belichick to double-team you for most of the game?
CO: Of course, nothing is going to change. He's done the same thing every time I've played the Patriots since I've been in the NFL. I don't think it's going to change this time, either. I'm going to wait for my opportunities to come and, when they do, I'm going to make the most of them.
Q: Is there any way Carson Palmer can keep all you guys satisfied with all the talent he has on the offense?
CO: Yup, I think we'll be fine. We'll be fine.
Q: Do you notice any difference in Palmer with Terrell Owens and Jermaine Gresham there?
CO: No, no difference. No difference at all. But he should be happy. I'd be happy too with this many people to throw to.
Q: I think the perception might be that he's not an elite quarterback...
CO: No, I've never heard that perception before.
Q: So you'd put him in the elite category?
CO: He is an elite quarterback. I've never heard that perception ever.
Q: How much of a window do you think this team has and are you going to come out and play with a sense of urgency?
CO: We play with a sense of urgency every year. I don't want to talk about last year. Last year's over. We have a new focus. We want to strike fast and start early and make it easy for us on the back end. That's where my mindset is. This week, we have New England and we'll take it one game at a time and not look too far ahead.
Q: What did you take from the 2006 season, not following up on a successful 2005 season that you can use this year?
CO: I can't remember way back then, man. It's 2010 right now.
Q: Is this the best team you've been a part of?
CO: Yeah, the most talent, most definitely.
Q: Do you think you'll move the ball differently than you did a year ago?
CO: We'll have to wait and see.
