Ochocinco upset he’s overlooked

Associated Press

CINCINNATI

Chad Ochocinco is tired of being a sidekick.

When the Bengals signed receiver Terrell Owens at the start of training camp, Ochocinco was content playing “Robin” to T.O’s “Batman,” saying he was glad to stay in the background to help the team.

Not any longer.

Ochocinco went out of his way to call attention to himself during a 27-21 loss to Pittsburgh on Monday night, wearing bright gold cleats in a look-at-me gesture that caught everyone’s eye. He also vented his frustration as the game went along and he got shut down, exchanging words with quarterback Carson Palmer and coach Marvin Lewis.

Lewis yanked him from the game briefly to help him cool down. Ochocinco finished with only one catch, while Owens had 10 catches and two more touchdowns.

“Yeah, he was upset,” Lewis said. “But we’ve got to play football. If he’s not going to get it done right, he’s got to come take an opportunity to freshen up his mind and get right back in the game.”

Right now, Ochocinco’s mind seems to be about as out of sorts as his team’s season. The loss dropped the defending AFC North champions to 2-6, essentially scuttling their season at the midpoint. They’ve got two more months of playing it out, eight more chances for everyone to see how Ochocinco handles his season of being a non-factor.

“It’s been like that all year,” Ochocinco said. “Teams are taking me away. It’s very frustrating. They’re not allowing me to be available to help this team out. I was emotional, but in no way did it affect what we were doing out there on the field.”

Owens finished with 10 catches for 141 yards. Ochocinco had his only catch — for 15 yards — on the Bengals’ last drive.

At age 36, Owens is having a career year. His 55 catches for 770 yards and seven touchdowns put him among the league’s elite and on pace to top his career highs for catches (100) and yards (1,451). He’s also on pace to break Ochocinco’s club record for yards receiving in a season.

Ochocinco has only 40 catches for 473 yards and two touchdowns.