There is a new name and new role for Chad Ochocinco.

International soccer fan and emergency kicker for Cincinnati kicked the extra point, and what proved to be the decisive point, late in the second quarter of the Bengals’ 7-6 victory over the Patriots on Thursday night.

Ochocinco said that “Estaban” Ochocinco, the most interesting soccer player in the world, was back. He said that everyone needed to remember that he had always said that his number one sport was soccer. He added that he thought Ronaldinho would be proud of him right now.

Ochocinco does practice kicking, but had never done so in any preseason or regular season games in his eight year career with the Bengals, with the first seven years being under the name of Chad Johnson. However with Shayne Graham suffering from a sore groin during the pre-game warm ups, Marvin Lewis, Bengals coach, decided to rest one of the team’s franchise players and let Ochocinco show what he could do.

He did it very well.

After the game was over, Ochocinco pulled his PDA out and showed off a photo of him with David Beckham, the soccer star.

He said that soccer was his first love and that kicking was easy for him, like riding a bike. He said he could kick from 50 to 60 yards from either the right or left hash mark and that he kicked all during high school.

The receiver, who is the team’s career leader in yards receiving and catches, was able to power the football through the uprights, which can be a tough task if it is not done on a regular basis.

Wes Welker, wide receiver for the Patriots who kicked an extra point and field goal for Miami on the same field in a 27-10 loss to the Patriots in October 2004, said it wasn’t easy. To kick the extra point was really something and he got some good height on the kick.

By the time the extra point was made, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was finished for the night and his backups Brain Hoyer and Kevin O’Connell were unable to bring the Patriots team back during the scoreless second half. However, Brady had already shown in the game that he could take a hit, coming back from his left knee injury which ended his season after suffering the injury during last year’s opening game.

He got knocked down twice during the 13 snaps that he took, following the game the week before when he stayed upright on all of the 24 snaps that he took in the Patriots’ 27-25 win in Philadelphia. Brady got up quickly each time he got knocked down.

Keith Rivers softly tossed Brady after the 2007 NFL MPV threw an incomplete pass during his third snap, with Brady landing on his back.

Rivers said he didn’t notice whether it bothered Brady, and that it felt just like a regular hit.

On the first play of Brady’s second and final series, Robert Geathers, left end, flattened him after easily getting around Nick Kaczur, the Patriots right tackle. Brady landed on his left side.

Fred Taylor, running back, said the good thing was that he got up after being hit good. He is tough.

New England scored twice on 32 and 41 yard field goals from Stephen Gostkowski. With 1:55 remaining in the half, the Bengals scored on a 24 yard pass from J.T. O’Sullivan to Chris Henry. Then Ochocinco trotted out onto the football field, lining up behind Kevin Huber, the holder. Everything worked as planned- snap, hold, kick.

O’Sullivan said that nothing surprises him, but that all the jokes aside, he was able to kick the ball through those uprights and won the game for us. He added that some people might find it funny but that it was important.

The Patriots later in the game drove all the way down to the Bengals 12 with a first down, but the Bengals’ Marvin White was able to recover a fumble from Ben Jarvus Green-Ellis with just 3:43 minutes remaining in the game. Bill Belichick, Patriots coach, said that in just about every aspect of the game that they were pretty sloppy.

O’Sullivan started for Cincinnati, with Carson Palmer sitting the game out due to a injury to his right ankle that was suffered in the team’s 17-7 loss against New Orleans in the exhibition opener for the Bengals. Palmer does not expect that he will miss the team’s regular season opening game and may return to playing before then.

Lewis said that they played a finesse team last week and that this week showed that they were capable of competing against a power team. He added that he thought they had a good response and were mature.

For the second week in a row, Brady proved that he has put his knee injury behind him. However, some of the passes he threw were off target, which included overthrowing an end zone pass to Welker. Brady was 4 for 8 with 57 yards, which included a 32 yard gain from Welker, who gained most of the yards running. Brady was more productive in the teams opening 27-25 win in Philadelphia where he passed for two touchdowns to Chris Baker.

However Brady could do nothing to overcome Ochocinco’s winning kick but watch from the sideline.

Lewis, smiling, said that he reminded him of that.

Be prepared for the holdout that could very well spill over into the regular season.

On Sunday Alvin Keels came and left Cincinnati without sealing a deal for Andre Smith, first round draft pick.

Keels met with Mike Brown and Katie Blackburn for four hours without making any progress. Judging by Keels posts on Twitter, it sounds as though both sides are still entrenched in their respective positions. He wrote leaving Cinci and not any closer on an Andre Smith deal.

Sunday was the 24th day that Andre Smith, Cincinnati’s number 6 pick, has been unsigned. He along with San Francisco’s 10th pick Michael Crabtree are the two first rounders who still are unsigned.

Cincinnati’s last offer to Andre Smith was a base of $28 million for five years and a $33 million maximum. That amount is lower than a contract that was offered to Vernon Gholston of the Jets, last year’s sixth pick, who had a base of $32.5 million as well as the seventh pick this year, Darrius Heyward-Bey with Oakland with a base of $38.25 million.

Cincinnati’s 2001 first round pick, Justin Smith, went unsigned for 51 days and in 1984 Ricky Hunley went unsigned until his rights got traded mid season to Denver.

Mark Brunell and Drew Brees each threw touchdown passes in the New Orleans Saints 17-7 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in the preseason opening game for both teams.

Brees played in three series, which went into the second quarter, completing 6 out of 9 passes that included a 22-yard touchdown pass to Jeremy Shockey. Brunell was 9 for 13 and passed for 128 yards, which included a 64 yard strike scoring Robert Meachem. Neither Brees or Brunell threw an interception in the game.

Meachem had three receptions totaling 77 yards, and Shockey caught three passes as well for a total of 61 yards. Reggie Bush, coming back from microfacture knee surgery, rushed for five yards on three attempts.

The Saints new look defense, which is under Gregg Williams, the new defensive coordinator, gave up 379 total yards to the Bengals but were able to hold them to just seven points and forced three turnovers. The game saw the return of Carson Palmer, after missing 12 out of the last 13 games for the Bengals last season when he decided against surgery to repair the injured elbow on his throwing arm. Palmer went 7 for 11 with 133 passing yards and 1 interception in his playing time during the first quarter.

Chris Henry scored the only Bengals touchdown when he caught a 14 yard pass in the second quarter from J.T. O’Sullivan. O’Sullivan went 9 for 11 with 100 passing yards and did not throw an interception.

At halftime the game was tied at 7-7. Shockey’s touchdown put the Bengals on the board first at the beginning of the second quarter, and then the Bengals evened the score on Henry’s touchdown seconds before half time. Midway through the third quarter the Saints took the lead in the game for good when Brunell connected with Meachem on a 64 yard touch down pass. A field goal of 54 yards was added by Garrett Hartley at the beginning of the fourth quarter for the game’s final score.

Game Notes
The Saints defense last year ranked 26th in points allowed and 23rd against the pass. The Bengals, who finished the games with 289 passing yards, ranked 30th in passing and were last in scoring. Chad Ochocinco, Bengals wide receiver, caught two passes for 73 yards and Marques Colston, Saints wide receiver, caught one pass for 14 yards.

When earlier in the week Tony Dungy said that Michael Vick would be signed within the week, there was as a lot of speculating going on about what team Vick would wind up on. There were quite a few rumors of him ending up in either New England or Pittsburgh. That was probably due to the fact that these franchises are strong and have excellent coaching staffs, which is after all what Vick really needs.

When the announcement came that Vick and the Philadelphia Eagles had come to a two-year agreement, it sounded like a good fit.

They have a very good head coach in Andy Reid, and the organization is very strong. Starter Donovan McNabb is solid, which will give Vick the opportunity to get his game up to speed.

There was another rumor coming out of profootballtalk.com that there was another team that had also been interested in signing Vick.

In turns out, according to Jay Glazer, that the team was none other than the Cincinnati Bengals.

Who could not see that coming.

Mike Brown, the Bengals owner and notorious for being cheap, offered a two-year $2.3 million dollar contract to Vick.

The Bengals have reportedly been trying to get their organization cleaned up. Sure Vick might deserve another chance of playing in the NFL. However, the last team in the league that should sign Vick would be Cincinnati.

The Bengals team seems to target players with problems and then breeds even more problems. Just ask Chris Henry.

If Vick had ended up in Cincinnati, he might not have ever gotten into trouble. However, alcoholics shouldn’t get a job in a bar. You wouldn’t be forced drink, but that temptations would always be there.

The very best thing that Vick could have done for himself was sign with Philadelphia.

The Eagles fans are to be congratulated. This season will be exciting. Congratulations to Michael Vick as well, who is already showing signs of making better decisions.

On Wednesday Reggie Kelly was placed on injured reserve after he underwent surgery on his left leg to treat his ruptured Achilles tendon.

The injury for the Bengals starting tight end occurred two days prior during one of the team’s non-contact drills. A full recovery is expected for the 11-year veteran by the beginning of next season.

Kelly’s injury was Cincinnati’s first significant one of training camp. Last year he caught 31 passes on 207 receiving yard, and was the Bengals’ third leading receiver.

Two other Bengals tight ends were injured on Wednesday. Ben Utecht, a reserve, suffered a concussion during Wednesday’s evening practice. As a precaution he was sent to the hospital. The injury occurred during one of the team’s full speed drills. It appeared that Utecht hit head to head with Darryl Blackstone, a linebacker. Utecht crumpled to the ground and was unconscious temporarily.

Utecht’s teammates knelt beside him as he was being strapped onto a stretcher and placed into an ambulance to be taken to the hospital. He was kept overnight for observation. Jack Brennan, Cincinnati spokesman, said that Utecht had full movement in his legs and arms.

Another reserve tight end, Daniel Coats, wound up with a sprained ankle, suffered in the morning workout and showed up at the evening session on crutches. After these injuries there are only two tight ends remaining- rookies Chase Coffman, a third round pick and Dairus Hill, a free agent.