Cincinnati Bengals

How good is Joe Burrow? According to former Bengals star T.J. Houshmandzadeh -- he's, right now, better than Tom Brady!!!

The ex-Cincinnati wideout made the claim to TMZ Sports just ahead of the Bengals' season-opener ... saying the team's star quarterback is simply that good at the moment.

"He's top five," T.J. said of the 25-year-old signal-caller. "I don't know who comes out of the top five, but in no particular order, when you ask me who are the top five quarterbacks, I'm going to say Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers, Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert, Josh Allen."

It's a bold statement, considering Burrow's only played in 26 regular season games in his career ... but T.J. tells us he's seen enough already to put him ahead of the G.O.A.T.

In fact, Houshmandzadeh said there's a chance Burrow could be as high as No. 3 on his QB list -- ahead of Allen and Herbert.

That all being said, T.J. is entering this season with cautious optimism for his former squad -- saying anything can happen in the NFL.

"I remember playing 2006 we had a really good year and we were all extremely young and then 2007, we were ass," the 44-year-old said. "And so, I would assume they're not going to do what we did. I'd expect the Bengals for the next six, seven years to always be in contention -- but it's not going to be easy."

Even at 48 years old, Terrell Owens could STILL catch touchdowns for your favorite NFL team ... so says T.J. Houshmandzadeh, who tells TMZ Sports the Hall of Famer "would be successful" if he signed somewhere in the league today.

"I would say if a team gave him 15-20 snaps [per game], give him all the third downs and the redzone," the former Bengals superstar said, "he could do it."

Owens has been asking for a second chance in the NFL for years -- and showed last month he's still got the wheels to play.

In a 40-yard race with two Fan Controlled Football league receivers, Owens dusted the competition and posted an incredible sub-4.5-second run time. And, Houshmandzadeh says that's why he thinks T.O. would still work in the league.

"If you're able to run," the ex-Cincinnati wideout said, "you're able to keep and create separation."

Owens hasn't gotten any looks from NFL GMs since he last played in the 2010 season -- but he has hit the field for the FCF and done well there.

Houshmandzadeh says he's "interested" in seeing some team give the guy the opportunity to show he still belongs.

"I don't know why anyone hasn't," he said. "I don't think they will. But if they were, I believe he'd be successful."

Ex-NFL player Stanley Wilson Jr. has been arrested once again for breaking into a home -- this time, he is accused of taking a bath in an outdoor fountain after ransacking the place.

LAPD sources tell TMZ Sports the former Detroit Lions cornerback broke into a $30 million Hollywood Hills property on two separate occasions -- most recently on August 24, when he is accused of moving and damaging items.

During his second alleged break-in at the residence, we're told Wilson took a bath in the outside fountain with soap he found from inside ... causing $5,000 worth of damage.

LAPD arrested Wilson both times -- he was charged with two felony counts of vandalism and one count of second-degree burglary

We're told there are no ties between Wilson, the property, or the homeowners.

This isn't the first time Wilson broke into someone's home ... in June of 2016, he was shot in the abdomen while trying to break into a Southwest Portland residence while naked. He was also arrested again in Portland in January 2017 for allegedly walking around a neighborhood naked.

One month later, Wilson was sentenced to 10 days in jail for the 2016 incident ... plus three years probation and mandatory drug treatment. He also had to pay restitution for damages to the home and write an apology letter.

Just five days after his sentencing, he was arrested again in February of 2017 for breaking into another home while naked.

Wilson Jr. -- the son of former Bengals RB Stanley Sr. -- was a 3rd-round draft pick by the Lions and played two seasons before tearing his Achilles in 2008, ending his NFL career.

Aaron Donald temporarily lost his mind during a wild, joint-practice brawl with the Bengals on Thursday -- ripping off a Cincinnati player's helmet and then appearing to attack his opponents with it.

The crazy scene just went down minutes ago in Cincy -- at the end of a heated practice between the L.A. Rams and the Bengals.

Video from the scene shows both teams got involved in a big scuffle at midfield -- when, suddenly, Donald grabbed one of his opponents' headgear and flew off the handle.

The 3-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year can be seen in the footage swinging the helmet repeatedly, and at points, seeming to make contact with some of the Bengals' players.

Eventually, Donald was corralled by his teammates, and he dropped the helmet. Practice ended moments later.

It doesn't appear anyone was injured, and after it all calmed down, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor brushed off the altercation in a meeting with media members.

"It just got a little scuffle-y," he said. "And so, we just called it."

The two teams are slated to meet up again on Saturday night in a preseason contest -- though it seems unlikely Donald will suit up for the game.

NFL superstar Joe Burrow isn't going to let an appendix -- or lack, thereof -- keep him from hanging out with his team ... he joined his fellow Bengals on the sidelines during training camp just days after having his pouch removed.

The AFC champ, unfortunately, had to undergo an appendectomy recently ... and will be out several weeks as he recovers from the procedure.

But, #9 made the ultimate effort to be with his teammates on Monday ... pulling up to camp on a scooter to make sure his presence was known.

The signal-caller arrived on the scene in style -- rocking a motored vehicle in slow-mo as he checked out his team getting in a solid workout.

Of course, as we reported last week ... Burrow will be out some time after having his appendix removed, but is expected to be good to go in time for the season.

Nice to see the dude still showing love for his Bengals teammates.

Ja'Marr Chase might be the son of the decade ... 'cause the Bengals star just revealed he got his mom a new car and paid off her house with the first million dollars of his rookie contract.

The wide receiver got into details on how he spent a milli from his $19.8 million signing bonus on GQ Sports ... saying his first purchase was a $65k black Maserati for his mom, Toeleah, to replace her Audi that was in bad shape.

"The air stopped working in it, so she's not about to try to ride around in no hot car. So, gotta get her a car ASAP," the 22-year-old said.

"She was crying like tears of joy so that was good to see. She made me start crying."

But, that's not all -- the Pro Bowler also paid off the mortgage to her house that they've been living in for years.

"That's officially her house," Chase said. "We own it. That was about 100K."

"Making sure the house is paid for and the bills are straight so we can have somewhere and have the family crib."

Mama wasn't the only family member getting some out of Chase's NFL salary ... he says his brothers and sisters also got $15k each to spend on whatever they want.

When it comes to the rest of the $1M ... Chase says he spent it on jewelry, clothes, tattoos, and a $300k Rolls Royce -- and after all that, he was still able to save $400k!!!

Chase signed a $30.8M contract shortly after the Bengals drafted the former LSU Tiger as the 5th overall pick ... and became the NFL's Offensive Rookie Of The Year after 1,455 receiving yards and 13 TDs.

The Cincinnati Bengals will be without superstar quarterback Joe Burrow as training camp kicks off -- the signal-caller is going under the knife to have his appendix removed.

The news broke just minutes ago ... with Ian Rapoport saying #9 will miss a bit of time due to the procedure.

Burrow showed up at the Bengals facility over the weekend to work out alongside rookies and injured players ... and Tuesday marks the first official day of camp.

The news comes amid contract talks for the 25-year-old ... with team president Mike Brown saying the focus is to give him an extension before his deal runs out.

While it's a slight bummer for Bengals fans, Rap says the decision was made based on the understanding it would be better to get the appendectomy out of the way sooner than later.

Makes sense -- the Bengals are coming off their most successful season in forever ... and are hoping to make another run at the Super Bowl this season.

Cincinnati Reds outfielder Tommy Pham has been suspended 3 games for SLAPPING San Francisco Giants slugger Joc Pederson over an alleged fantasy football beef.

Pham, who admitted to reporters in an interview on Saturday he purposely went after Pederson, received the three-game ban for "inappropriate conduct" and was hit with an undisclosed fine.

The incident went down on Friday as the Reds and Giants were preparing to start their series -- Pham approached and slapped Pederson over a dispute stemming from a fantasy football league.

In the video of the alleged incident circulating on social media, Pham appears to walk up to Joc and slap him in the face.

The Giants outfielder spoke candidly about the encounter with Pham after the Reds' 5-1 victory over his club ... saying the whole thing stemmed from Pham accusing him of cheating in the fantasy league they're in together (you can't make this stuff up).

Pederson said the dustup was the first time Pham ran into him ... and claims there was no argument between the two before the slap occurred.

Giants skipper Gabe Kapler -- who announced Friday his decision to skip the national anthem moving forward due to the current state of the country -- refused to comment on the situation between Pham and Pederson.

Joey B Baby and the "B" stands for baseball??

NFL superstar Joe Burrow isn't just great at throwing the pigskin -- the Bengals QB took the mound to throw the first pitch at the Reds' Opening Day game ... and it was a strike right down the middle!!

The AFC champ was a VIP guest at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati on Tuesday ... meeting and hanging out with Joey Votto and others before the Reds' matchup against the Cleveland Guardians.

But, it was #9 who displayed his skills first ... as he took the mound to throw the ceremonial toss, with Bengals head coach Zac Taylor lined up behind the plate as his catcher.

Joey looked calm as ever as he prepared for the throw ... and naturally, it was a perfect strike.

The crowd, of course, cheered for their QB ... after all, the dude's got the whole city in the palm of his hand after taking the Bengals to the Super Bowl in just his second season in the league.

Joe Burrow is spending his offseason the right way ... by playing golf with Kendall Jenner's boyfriend, Devin Booker, and his old Ohio State teammates after losing Super Bowl LVI.

Burrow hit the links with D Book in Scottsdale, Arizona recently .... where Joey B's teammate, Sam Hubbard, and 49ers star defensive end, Nick Bosa joined in on the fun.

Hubbard, a defensive end for the Bengals, took to social media to share a few images of the trip as they enjoyed some nice weather out on the course ... followed by a group dinner after.

The Bengals, of course, are still trying to recover from their disappointing 23-20 loss to the Rams in the Super Bowl ... and what better way to do that than having some quality tee time!!

Of course, Sam, Nick, and Joey Franchise all went to Ohio State -- though Burrow would finish his career with the LSU Tigers, where he led them to a national title after defeating Clemson in the 2019 season.

But, it was those OSU and Ohio roots that forged the basis of the foundation for Sam's relationship with Joe ... and it's spilled over into their professional careers.

While the Bengals season is over, the Suns and Booker are still playing ... and with the best record in the NBA, Phoenix looks poised to make a serious run at an NBA championship.

Bengals cornerback Eli Apple is clapping back at all of his haters following his brutal Super Bowl ... vowing to "unleash that demon" and exact revenge next season.

Apple was roasted on social media both during and after Super Bowl LVI ... after he was burnt to a crisp by Cooper Kupp repeatedly in the loss.

In fact, even his NFL peers -- like Chiefs wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Mecole Hardman -- trolled him, especially after he allowed Kupp to score the game-winning touchdown.

But, Apple said on his social media page on Wednesday that the hate is only fueling him ... writing, "Yall ReAwoke A Fire In Me That Will Only Make Me Stronger."

"And Im Beyond Excited To Unleash That Demon Again to Exponential Levels On Any Opp That Lines Up Across From Me Next Season 🖤🐅."

Apple hasn't been shy about talking smack this season -- he's given as much as he's taken. His mom, Annie Apple, has done some chirping of her own on her son's behalf, too.

Rams big DT A'Shawn Robinson -- who wreaked havoc against the Bengals -- tells TMZ Sports he still can't believe he's a Super Bowl champion ... and the pure joy on his face is pretty awesome.

We talked to the 26-year-old Ram Monday afternoon, less than 24 hours after securing the SB victory.

"I was telling my friends. I don't know if it hit me. I just keep saying it's crazy. I don't even know how to explain this to people," Robinson says while trying to describe his emotions.

"It's hard to explain. I'm in the history books forever. My family. My great-grandkids will forever see this. Von called this football heaven, now I know why."

Robinson -- a 2nd round draft pick out of Alabama in 2016 -- was great Sunday ... racking up 6 tackles and a sack. A'Shawn was a nuisance to Burrow and the Bengals' run game all day.

"We knew it was gonna be on our shoulders and we had to finish. Me and AD talk about it all the time. Just talk about finishing. I'm glad I could get one for [Donald]."

Speaking of the future first-ballot Hall of Famer ... we also asked Robinson whether his D-line counterpart could retire ... something AD mentioned to the broadcast crew before Sunday's game.

"I don't know if he's gonna retire or not. But, he's done everything statistically. He's done everything. I don't know. I hope not. We can run it back again next year," A'Shawn says.

It wasn't all sad times for Joe Burrow on Sunday night -- because after losing the biggest game of his life, the Bengals star at least got to live out one of his dreams.

Burrow hit the stage with his childhood idol, Kid Cudi, after losing Super Bowl LVI ... and video from the scene shows that while he was somber, he was still enjoying the moment.

Check out the footage from Cincinnati's after-party, Joe was spotted in the background on stage as Cudi -- who was wearing a Burrow jersey -- performed for a packed crowd in attendance.

Of course, Burrow and Cudi have grown close these playoffs -- Joey Franchise shouted out the rapper on Cudi's 38th birthday after defeating the Chiefs to advance to the Super Bowl a few weeks ago.

Burrow took the bromance a step further a short time later ... personally sending the jersey he wore in the AFC Championship Game to Cudi as a gift.

Cudi -- who's a native of Ohio and a big supporter of 25-year-old Burrow -- loved the present, saying he was "geeked" over it.

If the Bengals can't find Evan McPherson at halftime on Sunday, here's why ...

Cincy's star kicker tells TMZ Sports he wants to see Dr. Dre, Eminem and everyone else at the halftime show so badly ... he's considering not going into the locker room for the break!!

'"I'll be super bummed if we can't at least watch it on a TV or something," said the 22-year-old, who's kicked two game-winners for the Bengals so far this postseason.

"I hope I get to watch it," he added. "I hope I get to be out there to experience it."

Of course, this year's Super Bowl halftime show is expected to be one of the biggest ever ... with some of the music industry's biggest legends gracing the stage.

Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar and Mary J. Blige are all set to perform ... and there's expected to be at least one special guest joining them.

McPherson tells us there's a chance he might be allowed to stay out and watch it all ... though he's unsure if his coaches will ultimately let him.

As for the game .... Evan tells us if the situation calls for him to kick another game-winning field goal, he'll be ready for that moment.

"I mean, that would definitely be really cool," McPherson said. "If it comes down to a field goal like our last couple of games have come down to, then, you know, I'll be ready to give this franchise its first super bowl."

Wanna bet Eminem rocks the Slim Shady platinum blonde hairdo during the Super Bowl halftime show?!

Or that Mary J. Blige might show some cleavage?!

Well, if you have money to put up, there are a whole bunch of fun prop bets waiting to be made on BetOnline.ag on everything from the coin toss to National Anthem too ... boobies!!

Eminem's hair color?

• Brown/black -300 (risk $300 to win $100)
• White/blonde +200 (risk $100 to win $200)

Will any of the Halftime headliners be smoking?

• Yes +200 (risk $100 to win $200)
• No -300 (risk $300 to win $100)

FWIW, we talked to 2 Chainz this week in L.A. and he said Snoop has to smoke!!

Mary J Blige's earrings?

• Hoop/huggie -125
• Chandelier/Cluster +175
• Teardrop +275
• Stud +750

Mary J. Blige shows cleavage?

• Yes -300 (risk $300 to win $100)
• No +200 (risk $100 to win $200)

The "Queen of Hip Hop Soul" ain't the only one you can place a bet on to show a little somethin' ... you can also wager on whether country singer Mickey Guyton will show cleavage during the anthem.

You can also bet on Joe Burrow ... not in regards to the game (well, you can bet on the game, too), but as to whether he'll be compared to his "look-alike" Macaulay Culkin.

There's more ... you can also bet on the commercials. Or, which Hollywood landmark will be shown first on the broadcast.

What will be shown first?

• Hollywood sign -300 (risk $300 to win $100)
• Hollywood walk of fame +200 (risk $100 to win $200)

Celebs are officially out and about to kickoff Super Bowl weekend, flooding the streets of Beverly Hills to get hyped up before the big game ... and scarf down some breakfast, too.

Spago was the spot for Michael Rubin's power brunch Friday ... with a guest list that included Shaq, Meek Mill, Kevin Hart, A-Rod, Lil Baby, Steve Aoki and J Balvin!

Certainly an impressive group of A-listers, but should be expected for one of the biggest weekends of the year in such a celeb-heavy city.