MKRob Sports

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco has a well-earned reputation for speaking his mind. He said Thursday that benched Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell is a victim of his supporting cast.

“Man, JaMarcus is extremely good,” Ochocinco said in a conference call with Bay Area media. “You have to remember, a quarterback can only be as good as his supporting cast. Case closed. Always. It will always be that way. Always.”

Ochocinco said New England’s Tom Brady or Indianapolis’ Peyton Manning would be struggling just as much as Russell in Oakland’s offense, which is ranked 31st in terms of yards and points per game.

It doesn’t help Russell that he is playing for his second head coach and is on his third play-caller in three seasons, Ochocinco said.