Set aside the fact that Ben Roethlisberger is currently in the middle of a legal mess where he may or may not have sexually assaulted a girl in a bar in Georgia.  Following some of my favorite sports blogs out there I am intrigued by the numerous first and second hand accounts of Big Ben, the face of the Steelers, being an asshole.  It is no secret that as Bengal fans we don't like anything related to the black and gold. This goes beyond that however. Steeler fans have ridden the Bengals fans for the players unscrupulous behavior for years.  This holier than thou attitude was annoying and frustrating.  You could counter that Hines Ward is the dirtiest player in the NFL. Or that a Steelers running back took a dump in someones laundry, or another wide receiver has as many kids as he has drug infractions.

This Ben Roethlisberger story goes beyond that.  I have crossed paths with many people from up the road at Miami University that told stories of Ben being an asshole while in college. It now appears this followed him in his professional career into Pittsburgh. There is a lot of buzz around a long time sports reporter named John Steigerwald and a blog post he wrote about this topic. In it he explains:

"First of all, none of this surprises me.  Ben is a bad citizen.  He doesn't know how to treat people and he definitely doesn't know how to handle being the quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers.  In my more than 30 years of working in the Pittsburgh sports media, I have never had any player come close to generating as many unsolicited questions from fans as Roethlisberger has.  They want to know why he's such a jackass.  And these aren't just Steelers fans who got turned down for an autograph.  It's men and women from all walks of life."

He even details how Ben blew off a make a wish foundation kid at one time. WhoDeyFans reached out to John to ask a couple of questions of our own, below are his answers.

I don't know that there is a more loyal fan base in the NFL than the fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers. However, after the most recent allegations on Ben Roethlisberger I have seen many popular websites filled with the Steelers faithful screaming for his head. In your opinion do you think Ben has worn out his welcome in Pitt or will this pass?
 - I've never had a player generate so many unsolicited  "Why is he such an asshole?" questions.
It's pretty well known around here that he is not a good guy.
A guy who works the Steelers beat every day and is one of the most well respected NFL writers in the country, emailed me before the 2008 season and said "His (Ben's) teammates DESPISE him."  They went on to win the Super Bowl so maybe he's made some friends since then.

With your background with the Steelers (covering them for decades) how do you think the Rooneys feel and how do you think they will react to this mess?
 - This has to make Dan Rooney want to puke. He hates this kind of stuff. This is a guy who goes to Mass every morning.

Living in Cincinnati I have crossed paths with many people that know, have known, Ben.  The common theme is that he may be an asshole.  Is this something that has been known and was dismissed? Has it been reported in Pitt? Is it just coming to light now due to the most recent allegations?
 - The fans are turning on him in big numbers but they'll forget about it the first time he pulls off another one of his 4th quarter comebacks. If he's in prison, that's a much different story. His image has taken a huge hit but not enough to get huge numbers of fans to demand his release. At least not yet.

As Bengal fans, we know about our players getting into trouble.  However, I am surprised by the reaction online to these allegations.  What is the difference with this situation?
 - Imagine this happening to Ken Anderson or Carson Palmer and you'll understand why it's different. He's the face of the franchise.

It is refreshing to have someone from the mainstream media tell it like it is. John is releasing a book soon called 'Just Watch the Game'.  You can find an excerpt of the book on his site http://www.justwatchthegame.com.

I tell it like it is.

According to Pro-Football talk, according to Jocklife, according to some dude name Maurice the Bengals have signed Antonio Bryant.

What does this mean?  The Bengals have a younger wide reciever who is proven and is a deep threat.  The Bengals have upgraded the position from Coles plain and simple.

I still think the Bengals should make an attempt to sign TO.  I would love to have all 3, but I am more than happy that some progress was made.

WhoDay

Update:

Bengals say they are close to a deal, but Chad starts tweeting his congrats.

Terrell Owens is the other receiver who is coming to town tomorrow. This is the big bodied wide out that can create mis-match problems for the opposing defense.  Yes, I know he is older, I know he has issues, I also know the dude can flat out play football.  He is 36 years old, and 6'3'' and 224lbs.  There has only been a few times in his career that he has not gained over 1000yds in a season.

So which guy do I want? I can see the upside to both. Bryant stretches the field, he has proven to be a deep threat. Owens also can fill the roll of a deep threat while introducing a size problem for the opposing defense. On paper I think I prefer Bryant.  However, my vote would be for Owens. He is older, but his upside just excites me and his physicality when blocking for the run is something that only improves the Bengals run game.

What should the Bengals do? Sign both. Why not? I think there is opportunity to have these guys in camp for reasonable contracts. Neither one is going to cost you a draft pick and with that kind of depth at wide receiver I think the Bengals can regain a balance on offense and be downright scary.  I know, this is borderline fantasy land, having 3 top wide receivers on one team is a stretch in the NFL.  There are also the ego's to worry about. However, if the cardinals could make it work with the receivers they had, I think the Bengals could be an exciting team to watch with these guys.

Lets just hope one of them signs a deal and the Bengals can focus on improving other areas of their football team.

WhoDey

The debate between Steeler fans and Bengal fans about which QB is better continues to be raged in the forums of the internet and sports bars.  In an attempt to distance himself in yet another category from Carson Palmer, Big Ben has once again been accused of sexual assault.  This time by a woman in Georgia.  There are not many details but here is the link to the article at TMZ.

Apparently Ben wanted to join in the free agent malay and decided to "tender" his offer on a lady in Georgia.

Well, not the actual hall of fame.  They will however play in the hall of fame game this year.  This is the game that kicks off the preseason and is a relief to those who clamor for some real NFL action.  While this is only preseason and does not mean much other than it is the first nationally televised preseason game. It may be a sign that the NFL likes the Bengals for some prime time action this season.  Maybe some night games come back to Paul Brown Stadium.

Thanks to reader Mike for the heads up.

We here at WhoDeyFans have been screaming (or typing loudly) that the Bengals go out and find a big body reciever to help the passing game.

Something like a guy that is 6 feet 6 inches tall, 242 pounds, has a 4.4 timed 40 yard dash and a 39.5 inch vert. Maybe a VET that has averaged over 13 yds per catch in his career.  The problem is these guys are hard to find and can be expensive.

Enter Matt Jones.  A former first round pick(number 21 overall). The stats listed above are his and today he chose to become a Cincinnati Bengal.

Sure, the guy has had his fair share of trouble.  So the Bengals offer a smaller contract to a guy with huge upside potential. Some people will bitch about this signing because that is what they do, bitch.  I however love this aggressive move and once again will add it to the list of things the Bengals are doing right lately.  Anyone with a stache like that in the picture instantly brings class to a locker room. Welcome Matt.

WhoDey

For me, football Sunday's are like Christmas for children.  I get up early in a day filled with anticipation.  I pack my things, head to to the tailgate and talk about how the Bengals are going to perform while enjoying my favorite beverages.  To be honest, I spend very little time wondering how others are enjoying the game and what their rituals are. Usually I think they are not doing anything near as cool or fun as me.

I just read a post on CincyJungle from a Bengal fan who is in the military.  He details how he spends his NFL Sunday's overseas.  Great read, take a second and check it out.

WhoDey

Chad OchoCinco is the subject of much debate for fans of the Bengals and for pretty much everyone else.  It seems people either love him or hate him. A lot of people love to blame him for the problems the Bengals have, but we at WhoDeyFans are Chad fans. People that claim he only cares about himself have forgotten what he has done for the fans of the Bengals. The video above was from the Super Bowl fan zone last Friday at the McDonalds tent. He also gave away 85 of the snack wraps to the fans in attendance.

Chad also took the time to list  “Top Ten Reasons the NFL Changed Its Mind and Invited Me to the Pro Bowl.”.

#10: After all of my fines this year, it’s the least they could do!

#9: With the Pro Bowl back in Miami, they needed the hometown boy to Tweet about it.

#8: Did you really think I wouldn’t show up anyway? I mean, it’s South Beach.

#7: McDonald’s knows that I alone can give them a sales boost in the Miami area – morning, noon and night, baby!

#6: I offered to pay for my own travel… I mean, I took a bus down here. I’m not joking.

#5: You think Revis shut me down? Child Please. I had Mac Snack Wraps on my mind…

#4: Let’s face it, there’s really no game without me in it.

#3: If I wasn’t invited, I would’ve changed my name to Matt Schaub so I was on the roster. I mean it’s not the first time…

#2: They wanted to see Esteban OchoCinco again. Although he didn’t take the field, our team was still victorioso!

#1: If I wasn’t here, who’d hand-out the free Mac Snack Wraps? McDonald’s needs me just like the NFL needs me – You better kiss da baby!

So Chad again makes a bunch of fans happy and I hope he made a couple bucks for it.

I checked out the Dayton Daily news and read that Boomer Esiason decided to open his mouth and join the "Let's hate on Chad" crowd.

"Boomer said that he’s “not a fan of Ochocinco” and that Chad is all about Chad — not the team. He went on to say how he believes Chad’s antics leading up to games each week — like trash-talking defensive backs — get other teams focused because they don’t want to be shown up.

He said the Bengals should part ways with Ochocinco now, but pointed out that head coach Marvin Lewis probably doesn’t have the authority to cut or even properly discipline Chad because of heavy handed owner Mike Brown.

Boomer talked about how teams like the Cowboys and Eagles got better after they got rid of a wide receiver with a similar personality, Terrell Owens."

Let me start by saying I used to have a Boomer Esiason poster on my wall.  I still have a ratty old t-shirt from the early 90's with his face on it. That Boomer Esiason will always have a special place in my heart.

The Boomer Esiason that continues to run his mouth about the Bengals is a tool. I hate how Boomer has become the media voice of the Bengals on the pregame shows. This guy has not been a part of the Bengals for a long time and to think he still has some insight on the operations of this current team is a joke. Boomer has not been a fan of Chad Ochocinco for some time. He thinks Chad is a guy that is all about himself and not the team. This is a popular opinion of people that DO NOT FOLLOW THE BENGALS.

Does Chad do some crazy things and does he like media attention?  Absolutely. Does he also work harder than most wide outs in the NFL and does he produce year in and year out? Yep. Chad wants to win as much as anyone. Does he want to win for himself? Of course. In order for Chad to win, the team has to win, pretty simple concept.

So what is going on with Boomer? Is he a Bengal fan? I have a few theories based off some popular movies of the 80's.

1. The Pretty Woman version:

          Scenario: Boomer is the character of Richard Gere and Chad is Julia Roberts. Chad is a flamboyant guy just trying to make a few dollars and Boomer gets close to him because he needs what Chad has. (In this case it is being close to one of the most popular sports media topics, the Cincinnati Bengals. However, lumping Chad in with the other street walkers (NFL diva receivers) and listening to some of his friends and business partners (other media a-holes), he lashes out at Chad.

          Resolution: Boomer will learn the error of his ways and woo Chad with a limo ride and some roses. he probably will make a public statement claiming to care about the wide out and only want the best for the Cincinnati Bengals.

2. The Footloose version:

         Scenario: Boomer is the character of Jon Lithgow and Chad is Kevin Bacon. Chad is an individual that just doesn't quite fit in. He wants to have some fun in a place where his kind of fun is frowned upon. Even though what he does is harmless, Boomer leads the charge to get him to change his ways.

         Resolution: Boomer decides to let Chad do it his way and the Bengals end up having a successful dance (Super Bowl).

3. The Iron Eagle Version:

      Scenario: Boomer is Louis Gossett Jr and Chad is Jason Gedrick. Chad has a goal of saving his father (winning the big game) and Boomer begins by telling him he is not good enough, it can't be done. Chad continues to do it his way and even has his closest friends (the other wide outs) help him to prove to Boomer that his way can work.

      Resolution: This motivates Chad and Boomer, so together they do what is necessary to bring dear old dad (the ring) home.

Personally I like the Iron Eagle version, I still tear up a little when Doug finally gets to hug his dad at the end, and smile when we find out Chappy really didn't die.

Boomer needs to focus on his NY radio show and whatever he still does for the pre-game shows. To give this guy more credit when he says something about the Bengals just because he used to be number 7 is pretty dumb. Now, he is just another mouth on TV and radio.