They may not be participating in Super Bowl XLIV, but the Cincinnati Bengals have made quite the headlines during the week leading up to Sunday's big game between the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints.

It's been almost four weeks since the Bengals' season ended after a 34-14 home loss to the New York Jets in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. With a busy offseason ahead, Cincinnati has already emerged with plenty of offseason stories before the Super Bowl. Here are some of the headlines for the Bengals this week.

Boomer Esiason suggests Bengals part ways with Ochocinco

During the Westwood One Pro Bowl broadcast, former Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Boomer Esiason took a shot at wide receiver Chad Ochocinco. He claimed that Ochocinco is all about himself, and his actions leading up to games—such as trash-talking opposing defenders—provide opponents with an advantage of becoming more focused to prove him wrong.

So should Cincinnati actually consider parting ways with No. 85?

Of course not.

The Bengals already need to figure out a way to improve their 26th-ranked passing game from last season. By cutting ties with their six-time Pro Bowler who just finished with his seventh 1,000-yard season in nine years, they would only be making the wide receiver situation worse.

Without question, a move like that would most certainly deserve a "child, please."

Rumors of Terrell Owens to the Bengals continue to emerge, but not likely

On Thursday, Jay Glazer of Fox Sports made a post on his Twitter page that has stirred up debate in the headlines this week.

"Chad Ochocinco just told me on The Jay Glazer Pre-Party on FSN that he thinks T.O. will be a Bengal next year. He said he's sure of it."

Sure, the odds of this actually happening may seem slim. Of course, now the question that comes into play is whether or not the Bengals should actually consider signing Owens.

Nobody's questioning how much the passing game would improve if Cincinnati were to sign Owens once he is no longer under the Bills' control come March 5. The only thing people are questioning is whether a No. 1 wideout like Owens can play alongside Ochocinco without stirring up controversy.

Even if this deal seems highly unlikely, it's still fun for the city of Cincinnati to hope for. By adding a player with the type of work ethic and talent as Owens, the Bengals would immediately become one of the most dangerous offenses in the NFL entering 2010.

Ochocinco throws party to benefit Haiti relief fund

Alright, so this headline doesn't have the type of debate or controversy as the others. Instead, it's a chance to recognize Ochocinco for the type of man he really is.

On Friday night, Ochocinco hosted a Super Bowl party at his mansion in Miami with appearances by Owens and LPGA Golfer Anna Rawson. Tickets sold for $500 apiece with all proceeds going to the Haiti relief fund.

Whether your a fan of his antics or not, everyone should have the same opinion regarding Ochocinco's work in the community. His party to help with the recent events in Haiti is only a small part of the type of service he provides to those in need off the field.

Recently, Ochocinco finished his "Tour of Giving," in which he traveled with 10 fans on a bus to Miami, making stops along the way to serve food to those in need. The fans were selected at random who purchased one of the tour shirts from his Web site.

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Numerous reports have emerged this week regarding former Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Boomer Esiason and how he suggests the team should part ways with Chad Ochocinco. He claims the Pro Bowl wide receiver only cares about himself, and not what's important for team.

Esiason criticized Ochocinco for his acts leading up to games throughout the season during the Westwood One Pro Bowl broadcast last Sunday. He claimed all of the trash talking provided to opposing defenses worked as a disadvantage to the Bengals since opposing teams would become more focused and motivated to prove him wrong.

While Esiason may see Ochocinco as a distraction, it would be difficult for owner Mike Brown and head coach Marvin Lewis to part ways with the six-time Pro Bowl receiver. In eight seasons with the Bengals, Ochocinco has recorded just two seasons with fewer than 1,000 receiving yards—including six straight seasons from 2002-07 with at least 1,100 yards. His antics off the field may be questioned at times, but he’s backed up all of the talk on the football field.

There’s nothing wrong with Ochocinco having a little fun playing the game he love. There are times where he may fall short of living up to his talk—such as New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis.

However, that’s just part of the game of football. Ochocinco can’t be expected to come through each time he calls out opposing defenders or plans a special touchdown celebration.

As far as Esiason’s comments are concerned, the Bengals’ passing game is already in need of improvements for next season. By releasing Ochocinco, the team would only be digging themselves a deeper hole in an area they finished 26th in last season.

Therefore, it’s safe to say Ochocinco’s not going anywhere next season. Expect No. 85 to be back looking to help Cincinnati to a second-straight AFC North title and cross the 1,000 yard mark for the eighth time in his career.

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On Tuesday, Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Rey Maualuga pleaded guilty to drunk driving after he was arrested early Friday morning after hitting a parking meter and two parked cars. The former USC linebacker received a suspended jail sentence that will last seven days along with two years of probation. His driver's license has been suspended for 90 days and was fined $350 for the incident.

Maualuga was held in Kenton County jail for seven hours after his arrest last Friday, with reports indicating he had drank six drinks of Captain Morgan and Coca Cola. At the time of arrest, his blood-alcohol level was .157, which was well above the .08 legal limit in Kentucky.

Despite the incident, Maualuga has realized his wrong doing and apologized for his actions to everyone affected by the incident.

"I apologize to my family, Mike Brown, and the Bengals organization. My coaches, my teammates, the fans, the city of Cincinnati, and Kentucky for bringing humiliation and embarrassment to the team. Secondly, I would like to thank everybody-the Bengals organization, family and friends for being by my side and supporting me in all of this. I will learn from this and will become a better person and a better man because of this. I assure you this will never happen again."

The Bengals selected Maualuga with the 38th pick in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft after a stellar career at the University of Southern California. He started 15 games for Cincinnati during his rookie season before being placed on injured reserve for a broken ankle. His rookie campaign consisted of 63 tackles, one sack, and three forced fumbles.

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The Cincinnati Bengals seemed to be turning a new leaf as the laughing stock of the NFL who never seemed to be able to keep their players out of trouble. After the recent arrest of Rey Maualuga for reckless driving while under the influence, the team's reputation has taken a step back for keeping their players out of trouble.

It's unfair to label the Bengals as a team who can never seem to stay out of trouble with the law when it's only the inappropriate actions of certain individuals. At one point in 2007, 10 members of the team had been arrested in just a 14-month span.

With all of the arrests that have taken place since 2006, there is only one question these certain individuals should be asking themselves

Why does this keep happening?

Most people would kill to live the type of lives professional players. The NFL is made up of some players who make millions of dollars each season for playing a game they love, which allows them to live a life most of us can only dream of.

Maualuga, Leon Hall, and Chris Henry are some of the most recent names of Bengals who have run into trouble with the law. Hall—was stopped for the same DUI charge Maualuga just received.

If you're a NFL player who makes millions of dollars each season, how hard is it to call a cab or a ride home after a night of fun with friends? If you know you're going to have a few drinks after a night out on the town, be responsible and plan ahead of time.

Otherwise, you're going to end up embarrassing yourself—just like Maualuga did. Not only did he give himself a bad reputation, but the entire Bengals organization, which is unfair for the handful of players who do promote good behavior.

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Cincinnati Bengals defensive lineman Jonathan Fanene was named an honorary captain for Saturday’s Team USA vs. The World game, which will take place at Lockhart Stadium in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Fanene joins former Miami Dolphins center Dwight Stephenson and former New England Patriots running back Mosi Tatupu as honorary captains for the game consisting of some of the best high school football players from around the world.

Team USA—which is made up of USA Football’s 2010 Junior National team—will display 45 of the top high school seniors in the country. They will face off against a World team consisting of some of the best players from eight different countries from around the world. The event

Fanene was born in Pago Pago, American Samoas where three players from the World team are from—including his younger brother Aiulua. He was drafted out of Utah and has spent his entire five-year career with the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Bengals selected Fanene in the seventh round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He arguably had the best season of his career in 2009, finishing with a career high 36 tackles and six sacks. He also recorded one interception that was returned 45 yards for a touchdown in Week 13 against the Detroit Lions.

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Cincinnati Bengals quarterbacks coach Ken Zampese will remain with the team after he was listed as one of the possible candidates to take over the offensive coordinator position with the Chicago Bears. He will return along with defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer and offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski—two other members of the coaching staff that were questionable to return next season.

According to Bears beat writer Vaughn McClure of the Chicago Tribune, Zampese was never offered a contract to become offensive coordinator for the team. He received permission to interview with the team January 12-13, but was given a deadline by Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis, who gave his quarterbacks coach one week to make a decision on whether he would return to Cincinnati next season.

Now, he will join the Bengals for his seventh season as quarterbacks coach and look to help improve the play of Carson Palmer, who struggled for most of the 2009 season.

Zampese joined the Bengals in 2003 after spending three years with the St. Louis Rams. He has been a major reason behind the success of Palmer—who also joined Cincinnati the same year after being selected the No. 1 overall pick in the 2003 NFL Draft.

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After finishing 26th among NFL teams in the passing game, the Cincinnati Bengals realize how important it is to address the wide receiver position during the offseason.

In a season which the running game and defense carried the way to a 10-6 record and the first 6-0 sweep of the AFC North in franchise history, the Bengals failed to stay consistent moving the ball down the field through the air—despite the amount of talent in the passing game.

A quarterback in Carson Palmer, who has proven at times in his career he can be one of the top players in the NFL at his position. One of the most dangerous wide receivers in Chad Ochocinco and the addition of Laveranues Coles—who signed with the team last March after T.J. Houshmandzadeh and the Bengals decided to part ways.

So what went wrong for the Bengals’ passing game this season?

There seemed to be a number of factors behind Cincinnati’s inability to stay consistent in the passing game. The absence of Chris Henry—who passed away in December—took away the deep threat down the field. An unacceptable high number of dropped passes by the Bengals’ wide receivers. Even Palmer can be blamed for numerous passes that were over or under thrown to his targets.

Whatever the reasons behind the struggles, the main factor is the No. 1 task in the offseason for the Bengals should be figuring out a way to improve their wide-receiving core.

With the 2010 NFL Draft quickly approaching on April 22, there are a handful of wide receivers that could become a valuable target for Carson Palmer—including Oklahoma State’s Dez Bryant and Notre Dame’s Golden Tate. Both players seem like a good fit for a Cincinnati team desperate for help in the passing game.

The only question now is when the Bengals are on the clock with the 21st pick, will they select a wide receiver right away or wait until a later round?

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