32-year-old wide receiver Laveranues Coles becomes free agent again after failing to play as a pillar role in the passing game of the Cincinnati Bengals, who released Coles on the eve of March 5 deadline for free agency, along with three tight ends.

Coles signed a four-year deal with the Bengals last year to replace T.J. Houshmandzadeh but did not satisfy the team with only 43 catches for 514 yards last season. Houshmandzadeh was the Bengals’ most reliable receiver and top third-down target, making catches in a crowd but he left for the Seattle Seahawks and the Bengals had to move quickly to get receiver as good as him. They picked Coles just one week after he took off the New York Jets jersey because the Jets refused to offer him a long-term contract extension. However, he turned out a big disappointment in the Bengals’ passing game and never blended into an offense that became reliant on the run. Having two or fewer catches in nine regular-season games, he was still expected by the Bengals to become a bigger part of the offense after Chris Henry got hurt and later died in a fall from a truck, but he just continued disappointing the team with only 16 pass catches combined in the last seven regular-season games.

After releasing Coles, the Bengals now have only Chad Ochocinco the only proven wide receiver. They have three other reserves including Andre Caldwell, Jerome Simpson and Matt Jones, but Caldwell also struggled in his second season, Simpson appeared in only two games last season and Jones did not play at all. The Bengals can remain hopeful that they would do better in 2010 season but they can also acquire better help from the free-agent market and the draft.

Seahawks WR Houshmandzadeh missed practice to attend Henry’s funeral

As a former Cincinnati Bengals player and playing seven seasons in Bengals jersey, the currently Seattle Seahawks wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh though it was necessary to miss team practice and attend former teammate’s funeral instead.

According to Seattle Coach Jim Mora, Houshmandzadeh will not practice Tuesday. Actually he has been already on his way to, or perhaps already in Louisiana to attend the service for Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry, who died last Thursday after falling out of the back of the pickup the previous day because of a dispute with his fiancé. Houshmandzadeh will return Tuesday night and may attend Wednesday’s practice on time.

Mora says Houshmandzadeh “was almost like a big brother” to Henry. Indeed, Houshmandzadeh played with Henry in Cincinnati from 2005-08, so it is no doubt that the two must have got along well with each other. Houshmandzadeh said everyone liked Henry and called his friend’s death “unbelievable.”

Houshmandzadeh is shocked with fuss in Seattle

The Seattle Seahawks current wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh tried to express he was totally a different receiver from Steve Largent. He did not think it necessary for people in Seattle to fuss about his way of express his feelings.

Perhaps people in Seattle were just used to their star receivers being quiet yet ultra productive like Largent, but Largent has been the past, Houshmandzadeh is Houshmandzadeh himself and he obviously does not like to behave like another person.

“I like myself, man, I really do,” Houshmandzadeh said Friday. The receiver angrily gestured toward quarterback Matt Hasselbeck to throw the ball more loft in the first quarter last weekend in Dallas. And in the third quarter, Houshmandzadeh was seen angrily shouting on the sidelines following the end of another possession in Seattle’s eventual blowout loss. The NFL’s leading receiver the previous three seasons had only 35 receptions in seven games with Seahawks.

Houshmandzadeh simply did not think there is any problem in his gestures or comments, as he said, he has been doing that since he put on NFL jersey and his former teammates from the Cincinnati Bengals were even surprised to see him not doing that until Game 7.

There is no necessary link between productivity and mode of act, so Seattle fans should be getting used to their outspoken wide receiver from now on.