Palmer, Wife, Not Interested in Hosting Ochocinco in Their Home

After saying that he and Carson Palmer "were like Brokeback Mountain," it only made sense that Chad Ochocinco would move in with the Bengals quarterback this summer. That was the plan (according to Mr. Ochocinco), anyway.

Palmer's wife -- and I'd assume Palmer, too -- had other ideas. The family just had twins, and even if they hadn't, I'm not sure they would be interested in introducing crazy into their home. Via the Dayton Daily News' Chick Ludwig:

Carson said Shaelyn got either a text message or e-mail from a friend, saying Ochocinco planned to stay with the Palmers in the days leading up to training camp. Shaelyn gave birth to twins - a boy and a girl - on Jan. 20.

"As soon as I walked in the door from work the other day, she just gave me that look," Palmer said. "I'm like, 'Whoa, calm down. It's media stuff. It's Chad being Chad.'

"I told her, 'Don't worry. I haven't made any commitments to having to clear out the boxes in the (spare) room to make a bed for him. Don't worry about that. It's not going to happen.' "

If it's any consolation, Shaelyn, the tats are fake.

As for Laveranues Coles, the guy the Bengals signed to replace T.J. Houshmandzadeh, he's less interested in the media glare than Chad. Mush less interested.

"I came here to get away from (the media)," Coles said over his shoulder, when asked for an interview during Friday's minicamp. "You've got Ocho."

If you're willing to accept Palmer's point -- that Chad's just being Chad -- then you can overlook the off-field silliness (and occasionally on-field headaches) because you know he'll put up Pro Bowl type numbers. Of course, at some point, no matter how productive he is, it becomes a huge distraction.

Interestingly, Jerome Simpson, drafted by the Bengals in the second round last year as insurance against an Ochocinco holdout, isn't progressing as quickly as Andre Caldwell, a 2008 third-round pick. ESPN's James Walker writes that "Caldwell looks more polished and confident in what he's doing in his second year during this minicamp, while Simpson still looks rough around the edges."

Assuming Ochocinco shows up, and Chris Henry can stay out of trouble, the Bengals' offense could recapture its pre-2008 form. But like the previous six seasons under Marvin Lewis, the team's biggest concern is its defense. Maybe this is the year that changes.