In defense of Chad Johnson...

[coupdayta]

Do you remember what it was like being a Bengals fan in the nineties? I do. I'm a relatively young man. I grew up as a Bengals fan in the nineties. Through the losing seasons, through the draft busts, through it all.

Do you remember when we started getting good again? Do you remember the excitement leading up to our infamous 2005 playoff loss to the Steelers? Chad Johnson was a big part of that excitement. You remember it, I know you do. When Chad was drafted, he brought a swagger to the team that we had been lacking in the previous decade. His over the top antics and confidence were refreshing to the culture of losing that had developed in the franchise. Do you remember loving his touchdown celebrations? I do.

I think the best example of his swagger was in 2003. In week 11, the 4-6 Bengals faced off against the 10-0 Chiefs, who had the best record in football at the time. It was the first year of Marvin Lewis' tenure as head coach. The Bengals hadn't gotten off to the best start and there was still some hesitation about whether we should believe in this team. Chad gave us a reason to believe. He guaranteed a win against the heavily favored Chiefs and of course you remember, we won.

Remember what that felt like.

Yet, in the last two years, we've turned on the player who was arguably the most popular person in Cincinnati. What happened? How did we get here? It seems like 2006 was when people really started to grumble about Chad Johnsons antics.

Chad Johnson was not the reason we missed the 2006 playoffs. It was utterly and completely not his fault. The 2006 season was decided by a bogus roughing the passer call in Tampa Bay, a missed extra point in Denver and a missed field goal against Pittsburgh. Chad Johnson did nothing besides finishing with 87 catches for 1369 yards and 7 touchdowns. He became the first Bengal ever to lead the league in receiving. Do you remember that? I do.

In 2007, we all had high expectations for the season. It didn't go the way we wanted but again, it wasn't Chad Johnson's fault. Chad Johnson had an off year but finished with 93 catches for 1,440 yards and 8 touchdowns. He still managed to finish 3rd in the NFL for receiving yards and broke his own record for receiving yards by a Bengal. How is that bad? I would argue that the play of the defense (poor line and a developing secondary) and an inconsistent running game doomed the Bengals to mediocrity this last season.

Listen, I want Chad Johnson to tone it down a little too. He dropped a few passes and didn't run the right routes always. And when he lost that fumble and just sat there, I was really upset. But Chad Johnson is still one of the top 5 receivers in this league. You don't just give up on that. If Chad Johnson left this team, it would take away a vital part of our offense and make it less dynamic. Chad Johnson draws coverage away from everybody else and makes the whole game easier for Carson, TJ, Henry and all of our receivers. I'm not the only one that thinks this. Carson Palmer and T.J. Houshmandzadeh constantly support Chad in the media. Why do you think they do that? They are professionals and if they felt Chad was hurting their chances of winning or the discipline of this team, they would say so. Carson and T.J. have nothing to gain in defending a player that actually hurts the performance of the team.

It is my opinion that you, the fans, have scapegoated Chad Johnson for no good reason. It suddenly seems all of Cincinnati is clamouring to trade him, and that he is a cancer etc. Chad Johnson is not Terrell Owens.

And now he apparently wants out, or so the media would have us believe. Last month on, Chad went on Mike & Mike and said this:

"I was labeled selfish and a cancer, and it hurt," he said. "Fingers were pointed at me this year. If the team and the organization wants to further itself (make the playoffs), I think you need to get rid of the problem.

"It hurt me. To do me that way and not to have my back. Things were said, and nobody came to my defense."

Chad feels betrayed by the fans (and in my opinion rightly so). Why should he want to play in a city where suddenly everyone hates him for no good reason? Would you want to work in an environment like that? Was this the right thing to say to the media? No of course not. But I can understand why he said it. You know how emotional Chad gets.

And then the other "evidence" for Chad Johnson wanting out of Cincinnati comes from Chris Mortenson. According to an unnamed source, Chad is threatening to sit out the 2008 season unless traded. Yeah right. Mort is rumor-mongering in my opinion.

And the final tidbit comes from Drew Rosenhaus, Chad's nutjob agent. Rosenhaus caused a stir when he said Chad would be playing in 2008 but didn't clarify that it would be for the Bengals. In my opinion, Rosenhaus is a selfish, greedy man who harms the game. But maybe he didn't clarify it would be for the Bengals because he didn't think he needed to. And even if he didn't, I don't take anything that comes out of this man's mouth at face value. He is a liar and a media-whore.

So, the three exhibits against Chad are an emotional outburst on radio, a rumor from Chris Mortenson and a possible PR mistake by his agent. I wouldn't call that the strongest attempt to get traded. It's not like he has publicly demanded a trade.

I think everyone, including Chad, needs to take a step back. But come on fans, is Chad Johnson really the problem?

Or are you creating problems where there are none?

I don't mean to insult you but you need a reality check.

Chad Johnson is not the reason the Bengals aren't winning as much as we'd like. We need to stop scapegoating this man and focus on the real problems with the franchise (hello Mike Brown?).

I just want to get back to how it felt in 2005, when we were winning and everyone loved Chad Johnson. Besides the enormous cap hit, trading Chad Johnson would be an tragic mistake. We would lose the emotional heart of this team. We would lose a great player who helped teach us to be confident again. Remeber how that felt? Do you remember the proposal to the cheerleader, the riverdance, CPR on the football, the stories of him buying people things at Kenwood Mall? Do you remember the thousands of kids across Cincinnati wearing 85 jerseys and being excited about football again? I do. I'd be sad to see him go.

[bengalsfansince68]

Oh for God's sake,

Can we please stop obsessing over PMS boy?

[Thurmanation]

i personally only dont like him because i went to get an autograph from him while WEARING my rudi johnson jersey and he walked right by me liek i wasnt even there, and thats not easy to do since im 6'0 215, i was ready to piss pump his ass i was so mad. and this was not after a game or in the middle of the street this was AT madden tournament in which he was paid to be there signing autographs, and i remember he had some policy about only 1 autograph per person, or family or some BS his agent told people who tried to talk to him, he also had 3 security guards around him everywhere he went, while larry fitz who was also at this tournament had an entire conversation with me about the NFL and where he see's the cardinals in the next few seasons.

His cockiness is DEFN not an act people i can tell you that, he walks around with the mindset that hes better then everyone and he knows it, which pisses me off.

[Dimster28]

this will be my only post i ever made a comment on chad.

u are moron, name me anybody who have gold teeth like ur pic show?? gangsta ofc

and i hate him for few years now, not just this year,

first thing i hate about him is these stupid celebrating, it is unnecessary, this is nfl not high school. "nfl is a job, not play for fun like in school"

and what kind of people will hold up a sign said "nfl, please don't fine me"

also he punched marvin lewis at half time

but sadly it is u all moron who cheer at all his celebrates which push him too far and become who he is now, for those who cheer him, stop drink

beers or go and be wcw fans.

[agreen_112]

Do you remember what it was like being a Bengals fan in the nineties? I do. I'm a relatively young man. I grew up as a Bengals fan in the nineties. Through the losing seasons, through the draft busts, through it all.

Do you remember when we started getting good again? Do you remember the excitement leading up to our infamous 2005 playoff loss to the Steelers? Chad Johnson was a big part of that excitement. You remember it, I know you do. When Chad was drafted, he brought a swagger to the team that we had been lacking in the previous decade. His over the top antics and confidence were refreshing to the culture of losing that had developed in the franchise. Do you remember loving his touchdown celebrations? I do.

I think the best example of his swagger was in 2003. In week 11, the 4-6 Bengals faced off against the 10-0 Chiefs, who had the best record in football at the time. It was the first year of Marvin Lewis' tenure as head coach. The Bengals hadn't gotten off to the best start and there was still some hesitation about whether we should believe in this team. Chad gave us a reason to believe. He guaranteed a win against the heavily favored Chiefs and of course you remember, we won.

Remember what that felt like.

Yet, in the last two years, we've turned on the player who was arguably the most popular person in Cincinnati. What happened? How did we get here? It seems like 2006 was when people really started to grumble about Chad Johnsons antics.

Chad Johnson was not the reason we missed the 2006 playoffs. It was utterly and completely not his fault. The 2006 season was decided by a bogus roughing the passer call in Tampa Bay, a missed extra point in Denver and a missed field goal against Pittsburgh. Chad Johnson did nothing besides finishing with 87 catches for 1369 yards and 7 touchdowns. He became the first Bengal ever to lead the league in receiving. Do you remember that? I do.

In 2007, we all had high expectations for the season. It didn't go the way we wanted but again, it wasn't Chad Johnson's fault. Chad Johnson had an off year but finished with 93 catches for 1,440 yards and 8 touchdowns. He still managed to finish 3rd in the NFL for receiving yards and broke his own record for receiving yards by a Bengal. How is that bad? I would argue that the play of the defense (poor line and a developing secondary) and an inconsistent running game doomed the Bengals to mediocrity this last season.

Listen, I want Chad Johnson to tone it down a little too. He dropped a few passes and didn't run the right routes always. And when he lost that fumble and just sat there, I was really upset. But Chad Johnson is still one of the top 5 receivers in this league. You don't just give up on that. If Chad Johnson left this team, it would take away a vital part of our offense and make it less dynamic. Chad Johnson draws coverage away from everybody else and makes the whole game easier for Carson, TJ, Henry and all of our receivers. I'm not the only one that thinks this. Carson Palmer and T.J. Houshmandzadeh constantly support Chad in the media. Why do you think they do that? They are professionals and if they felt Chad was hurting their chances of winning or the discipline of this team, they would say so. Carson and T.J. have nothing to gain in defending a player that actually hurts the performance of the team.

It is my opinion that you, the fans, have scapegoated Chad Johnson for no good reason. It suddenly seems all of Cincinnati is clamouring to trade him, and that he is a cancer etc. Chad Johnson is not Terrell Owens.

And now he apparently wants out, or so the media would have us believe. Last month on, Chad went on Mike & Mike and said this:

"I was labeled selfish and a cancer, and it hurt," he said. "Fingers were pointed at me this year. If the team and the organization wants to further itself (make the playoffs), I think you need to get rid of the problem.

"It hurt me. To do me that way and not to have my back. Things were said, and nobody came to my defense."

Chad feels betrayed by the fans (and in my opinion rightly so). Why should he want to play in a city where suddenly everyone hates him for no good reason? Would you want to work in an environment like that? Was this the right thing to say to the media? No of course not. But I can understand why he said it. You know how emotional Chad gets.

And then the other "evidence" for Chad Johnson wanting out of Cincinnati comes from Chris Mortenson. According to an unnamed source, Chad is threatening to sit out the 2008 season unless traded. Yeah right. Mort is rumor-mongering in my opinion.

And the final tidbit comes from Drew Rosenhaus, Chad's nutjob agent. Rosenhaus caused a stir when he said Chad would be playing in 2008 but didn't clarify that it would be for the Bengals. In my opinion, Rosenhaus is a selfish, greedy man who harms the game. But maybe he didn't clarify it would be for the Bengals because he didn't think he needed to. And even if he didn't, I don't take anything that comes out of this man's mouth at face value. He is a liar and a media-whore.

So, the three exhibits against Chad are an emotional outburst on radio, a rumor from Chris Mortenson and a possible PR mistake by his agent. I wouldn't call that the strongest attempt to get traded. It's not like he has publicly demanded a trade.

I think everyone, including Chad, needs to take a step back. But come on fans, is Chad Johnson really the problem?

Or are you creating problems where there are none?

I don't mean to insult you but you need a reality check.

Chad Johnson is not the reason the Bengals aren't winning as much as we'd like. We need to stop scapegoating this man and focus on the real problems with the franchise (hello Mike Brown?).

I just want to get back to how it felt in 2005, when we were winning and everyone loved Chad Johnson. Besides the enormous cap hit, trading Chad Johnson would be an tragic mistake. We would lose the emotional heart of this team. We would lose a great player who helped teach us to be confident again. Remeber how that felt? Do you remember the proposal to the cheerleader, the riverdance, CPR on the football, the stories of him buying people things at Kenwood Mall? Do you remember the thousands of kids across Cincinnati wearing 85 jerseys and being excited about football again? I do. I'd be sad to see him go.

All has been forgotten.... Few seem to remember.

Dimster, your a nimwit dude... He's from Miami, where gold teeth are pretty popular. Do you have certain characteristics about yourself that represent where your from? I do. Most people do. Quit hatin'... And you hate him for a few years now? Now that its cool to hate Chad, you decide to come out? Give me a break... He punched Marvin in the face now did he? WOW, you should believe that story too...

Best quote in the history of zone postings "but sadly it is u all moron who cheer at all his celebrates which push him too far and become who he is now, for those who cheer him, stop drink beers or go and be wcw fans." "Stop drink beers or go and be wcw fans" I'll toast to that

[coupdayta]

this will be my only post i ever made a comment on chad.

u are moron, name me anybody who have gold teeth like ur pic show?? gangsta ofc

and i hate him for few years now, not just this year,

first thing i hate about him is these stupid celebrating, it is unnecessary, this is nfl not high school. "nfl is a job, not play for fun like in school"

and what kind of people will hold up a sign said "nfl, please don't fine me"

also he punched marvin lewis at half time

but sadly it is u all moron who cheer at all his celebrates which push him too far and become who he is now, for those who cheer him, stop drink

beers or go and be wcw fans.

I disagree completely.

[AMC]

Any post that starts off asking me if I remember the nineties will not get read by me. I am so tired of that sorry way of thinking. We may be mediocre and dealing with prima donnas but remember the nineties? Marvin is driving us to mediocre records but remember the nineties? I am a big Marvin supporter but its not because of comparisons to a different era. We should all be over that and remove it from our arguments.

[coupdayta]

Any post that starts off asking me if I remember the nineties will not get read by me. I am so tired of that sorry way of thinking. We may be mediocre and dealing with prima donnas but remember the nineties? Marvin is driving us to mediocre records but remember the nineties? I am a big Marvin supporter but its not because of comparisons to a different era. We should all be over that and remove it from our arguments.

Good job on only making it to the introduction of my post, not my actual argument. You missed the point entirely.

[HairOnFire]

Listen, I want Chad Johnson to tone it down a little too.

And there it is.

Personally I think it's remarkably off-base to ask/demand Bengal fans to "take a step back" when Chad Johnson repeatedly refuses to do the same. I mean c'mon, who created this s**tstorm? It was Chad, right? And it's Chad who keeps adding fuel to the fire at every opportunity....going completely out of his way to create controversy where little exists. For example: Chad claims that nobody on the Bengals has had his back yet every important voice within that organization has openly supported him....leaving him to whine and complain about some unnamed source that may or may not exist.

Please.

Chad's a douchebag. Always has been, always will be. And unless he changes his act quickly and convincingly that's all he'll be remembered for.

Last point. We all get it. He's frustrated, and as a result he's vented.

Well enough is enough.

In fact, I'd say it's well past STFU time.

[TJJackson]

[Thurmanation]

[bengalsfansince68]

F*cking hilarious, TJ.

[Kazkal]

thats not easy to do since im 6'0 215, .

How is that not easy he's 6'1 200 lbs your normal sized male, i could see if you were 6'7 or weighed 400 lbs but.

[kenyon1977]

I have to agree. Him leaving is not going to help the team.

I've said before I think most of this s**tstorm has been caused by his agent, he's just being used as a pawn and is too stupid to realize it.

What other top 5 receiver is going to want to live in Cincinnati, Ohio??? If I'm a star in the league my ass is living south were it's warm. I just spent the past 12 hours up in a bucket truck splicing cable. Yeah I'd live south.

[volcom69]

What about him staying and whinning the whole time about how much he wants out of the place. Or maybe he just wont play 100% i dont know, but im kind of scraed to see if hes still around what just might happen and if he pulls this locker apart and this team has a worst year then 2007 then everyone would have wished him gone. Hey who knows though how he will act.

[kenyon1977]

What about him staying and whinning the whole time about how much he wants out of the place. Or maybe he just wont play 100% i dont know, but im kind of scraed to see if hes still around what just might happen and if he pulls this locker apart and this team has a worst year then 2007 then everyone would have wished him gone. Hey who knows though how he will act.

Hindsight is always 20/20. With it they wouldn't have drafted Kijana Carter or Chris Perry, (well management might still have regardless)

[AMC]

Any post that starts off asking me if I remember the nineties will not get read by me. I am so tired of that sorry way of thinking. We may be mediocre and dealing with prima donnas but remember the nineties? Marvin is driving us to mediocre records but remember the nineties? I am a big Marvin supporter but its not because of comparisons to a different era. We should all be over that and remove it from our arguments.

Good job on only making it to the introduction of my post, not my actual argument. You missed the point entirely.

Get a better intro....

[ShulaSteakhouse]

Any post that starts off asking me if I remember the nineties will not get read by me. I am so tired of that sorry way of thinking. We may be mediocre and dealing with prima donnas but remember the nineties? Marvin is driving us to mediocre records but remember the nineties? I am a big Marvin supporter but its not because of comparisons to a different era. We should all be over that and remove it from our arguments.

Ah, so we've entered the "mediocre" era, hallelujah.

It's really not that much different than the nineties, the Bengals' just struck gold with a QB this time around, and they win 2-3 more games a year than usual as a result, and are resting on the laurels of his ability the last 2 seasons, and now a 3rd it looks like.

[COB]

and they win 2-3 more games a year than usual

Come on Mr. Little Black Raincloud, turn that frown upside down! 5 years prior to Marvin they won 19 games. 5 years under Marvin they won 42 games. That's not 2 a year more. That's not 3 a year more. That's 4.6 more wins a year. Surely now you can see that the glass is half full, right?

[agreen_112]

and they win 2-3 more games a year than usual

Come on Mr. Little Black Raincloud, turn that frown upside down! 5 years prior to Marvin they won 19 games. 5 years under Marvin they won 42 games. That's not 2 a year more. That's not 3 a year more. That's 4.6 more wins a year. Surely now you can see that the glass is half full, right?

And now one word for the allknowingShula: OWNED!

[junglelove85]

I think it's up-surd to hate chad johnson if your a fan of the bengals. He has broken 6 franchise records, has led the AFC in receiving yards for four years, and has helped the bengals make the playoffs. Sure he is a loudmouth and thrives on attention, but I personally enjoy the antics when he backs it up with his play on the field. If you hate chad solely for his antics, you might be over reacting and need to just relax and enjoy the fact the bengals have one of best talents in the nfl. Chad is not the problem with the bengals and the bengals will not be a better team without chad.

[agreen_112]

I think it's up-surd to hate chad johnson if your a fan of the bengals. He has broken 6 franchise records, has led the AFC in receiving yards for four years, and has helped the bengals make the playoffs. Sure he is a loudmouth and thrives on attention, but I personally enjoy the antics when he backs it up with his play on the field. If you hate chad solely for his antics, you might be over reacting and need to just relax and enjoy the fact the bengals have one of best talents in the nfl. Chad is not the problem with the bengals and the bengals will not be a better team without chad.

Well said my friend, welcome to the "zone".

[bengalsfansince68]

What the hell is the definition of up-surd?

[TJJackson]

It's not a word people use, with the JoeWrongs and Agreens of the world excepted, naturally

[HoTbOy]

I like CJohnson maybe more than any other Bengal with CPalmer a close 2nd, I have 2 of his PB jerseys and 1 home jersey...I have given him the benefit of the doubt the past years with the halftime blowup and the whinning we they can't get the ball to him because he is being double-teamed, but when you start calling attention to yourself by punching people at the PB and wearing a Ravens cap at practice and saying you want to be traded then maybe it is time to part ways...I would hate to lose CJohnson, he is an exceptional talent, but I do believe he wants to leave, and he has his agent doing what he does best have you cause a distraction so you can be traded...