Chad Johnson -- The definitive Thread

[Chip R]

Its amazing the difference in perception between two cincinnati athletes. Over Bronson's two seasons with the reds there have been countless references to how much he loved playing in and for Boston. He lives in Boston and sings in Boston about how he wants to return there. Most people tend to write that off as nothing. Chad on the other hand every grips and clings to every last word of his as the absolute truth.

Every time Bronson even says the word, "Boston" especially in his first season here, people jumped on his case and believed that he'd never sign long term here because the first minute he was a free agent he'd go running back to Beantown. Even now, he mentioned in a song that he'd like to play in Boston. The reality is that he's not going anywhere whether he wants to or not.

As for Chad, I'd love for him to go to Miami. Of course I'm biased since I'm a Dolphins fan. I didn't hear the intrerview but it could be that he was just joking but if he were serious, could you blame him? It's bad form to request a trade through the media but if he was serious what's done is done. If he's serious, you certainly can't blame him for wanting to leave somewhere where he's been blamed for the team's failures, called "selfish" and a "cancer". Earlier in the season it was rumored that the Bengals were trying to trade him. The Bengals didn't deny it. That exactly doesn't make a guy feel wanted.

[macro]

Its amazing the difference in perception between two cincinnati athletes. Over Bronson's two seasons with the reds there have been countless references to how much he loved playing in and for Boston. He lives in Boston and sings in Boston about how he wants to return there. Most people tend to write that off as nothing. Chad on the other hand every grips and clings to every last word of his as the absolute truth.

I think you have to consider the entire body of work. Bronson hasn't chewed out his manager in the dugout during a game, or argued with one of his fielders as they came off the field after making an error. There's no halftime in baseball, but he's never done the equivalent of disrupting the locker room at halftime of a playoff game in which the team was leading, to the point of allegedly having to be restrained.

If Chad had made the Dolphins comment a few years ago, many of us would have defended it as "Chad just being Chad". But his other antics, coupled with crucial mental mistakes (running out of bounds on fourth down, etc), dropped passes on third down, and wrong pass routes, kinda doesn't leave him much wiggle room in many people's minds. At some point there is a straw that breaks the camel's back. Chad has piled several straws on already.

[BuckeyeRedleg]

bucksfan, I think you are reaching there with the comparison between Bronson and CJ.

[CTA513]

If Bronson did it to the extent that Chad is doing it then people would be just as mad.

[bucksfan2]

I think you have to consider the entire body of work. Bronson hasn't chewed out his manager in the dugout during a game, or argued with one of his fielders as they came off the field after making an error. There's no halftime in baseball, but he's never done the equivalent of disrupting the locker room at halftime of a playoff game in which the team was leading, to the point of allegedly having to be restrained.

If Chad had made the Dolphins comment a few years ago, many of us would have defended it as "Chad just being Chad". But his other antics, coupled with crucial mental mistakes (running out of bounds on fourth down, etc), dropped passes on third down, and wrong pass routes, kinda doesn't leave him much wiggle room in many people's minds. At some point there is a straw that breaks the camel's back. Chad has piled several straws on already.

Bronson has never been mad at a manager for pulling him when he wanted to pitch longer? Bronson has never left the dougout in disgust after seing the pen blow another lead? Bronson has been the team player and stayed in the dougout for the end of the game of every one of his starts?

Chad isn't perfect but from all the interviews he wants to win and wants to be in a place where people respect him and his abilities. Why would anyone want to play in a city where some of the media members are more interested about every one of your moves than they are about the product on the field?

bucksfan, I think you are reaching there with the comparison between Bronson and CJ.

How so? Bronson has admited publically that he wants to return to play in Boston and how much he loved the atmosphere there. Good lord if Chad had gone as far as Bronson did then all hell would break lose.

[macro]

Bronson has never been mad at a manager for pulling him when he wanted to pitch longer? Bronson has never left the dougout in disgust after seing the pen blow another lead? Bronson has been the team player and stayed in the dougout for the end of the game of every one of his starts?

While I'm sure Arroyo has been mad and disgusted, just as most players have been at one time or another, I don't recall ever seeing him showing his behind on the field or in the dugout.

Again, I don't fault Chad for any one of those things, but rather the combination of things I mentioned.

And speaking of Arroyo, I haven't been amused by his comments about Boston, and said as much a little over a year ago...

http://www.redszone.com/forums/showp...8&postcount=16

[minus5]

And now there is this from Chad on Rome:

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.d...T02/301300087/


Doing his best impersonation of former Bengals running back Corey Dillon, wide receiver Chad Johnson took his trade-me road show to the Super Bowl on Wednesday and told radio talk-show host Jim Rome that he wants out of Cincinnati.

The interview was similar to one Johnson did on ESPN’s “Mike & Mike in the Morning” on Jan. 12.

On Tuesday, The Enquirer’s Bengals blog linked to a recent clip from the NFL Network in which Johnson made a brief comment about the possibility of playing for his hometown Miami Dolphins.


Here is what Johnson said to Rome:

Question: Do you want to be traded?

Answer: I’m going to leave that to the Shark (Drew Rosenhaus, Johnson’s agent).

Q: Are you happy in Cincinnati?

A: I’m not allowed to say. I get the blame, the so-called best player, I’m the problem. Someone in-house is spreading this. Maybe they want me to quiet down (and) stop being me. That is not going to happen. I can’t function that way. I tried it. It sucked. There was no excitement.

Q: Can they make it right with you?

A: I think I could be here all season long, on your show.

Q: Is it blown up or fixable?

A: I’m leaving that to Drew. It’s been bad (with the Bengals). I’m the scapegoat. A lot of stuff in-house is happening I’m not fond of. It doesn’t sit well with me. I have fun. I’m a little outlandish. I produce. I do everything to help us win.

Q: Who does have your back?

A: T.J. (Houshmandzadeh) has my back. Carson (Palmer). That’s it. That’s really it.”

Johnson also expressed his unhappiness today on ESPN Radio's Mike Tirico Show.

Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis declined today to comment directly on Johnson’s radio interview.

He said he stood by comments he made Jan. 16 at a news conference that introduced Mike Zimmer as the Bengals’ new defensive coordinator.

“He didn’t say anything different – that he was unduly chastised for being this or that,” Lewis said at that time. “He’s going to go back and be a pro and go forward and play. As I said then, there will be no trade of Chad Johnson. Repeat it again.”

Johnson signed a contract extension that was negotiated by Rosenhaus in April 2006. Johnson remains under contract with the Bengals through 2011.

Johnson has declined to speak to Cincinnati-area reporters, save a paid weekly installment during the season on the local FOX TV affiliate, since October.

[WMR]

Let me get my violin.

Someone call the Waaaaaaaaambulance.

[minus5]

Let me get my violin.

Someone call the Waaaaaaaaambulance.

Exactly. If he is trying to paint himself as a sympathetic character, he's not doing a very good job. I've usually taken up for Chad in the past but he's being pretty ridiculous these days.

[WMR]

Exactly. If he is trying to paint himself as a sympathetic character, he's not doing a very good job. I've usually taken up for Chad in the past but he's being pretty ridiculous these days.

And please Chad, keep bringing up Drew Rosenhaus, one of the most widely detested figures in all of sport. If anyone's on the fence, that'll be sure to get them on your side.

Chad isn't just sounding like a big baby, he's coming across rather stupid as well.

[Yachtzee]

Chad Johnson is giving the phrase "Keep on shoveling" a whole new meaning in Bengals lore.

[Screwball]

Man, I've been arguably the biggest Chad defender on here, but even I think this has gotten to be too much. These trade demands via the media and ridiculous statements are really starting to piss me off. I'm not quite to the point where I want to get rid of him (yet), but I don't see how I can defend him any longer.

What a mess this is turning out to be...

[Yachtzee]

Man, I've been arguably the biggest Chad defender on here, but even I think this has gotten to be too much. These trade demands via the media and ridiculous statements are really starting to piss me off. I'm not quite to the point where I want to get rid of him (yet), but I don't see how I can defend him any longer.

What a mess this is turning out to be...

With the cap hit the Bengals would take for trading him, I'd be perfectly happy if the Bengals just let him sit out until the cap hit becomes reasonable. At least then there's the chance that he wises up, fires Rosenhaus, apologizes, and gets back to the business of winning football games.

[Screwball]

With the cap hit the Bengals would take for trading him, I'd be perfectly happy if the Bengals just let him sit out until the cap hit becomes reasonable.

Yeah, the cap hit will certainly be the sticking point no matter how big a fuss Chad makes. I was more just trying to point out that even as staunch a defender of keeping him as I was, I'm now to the point where I just can't do it anymore. His egocentric viewpoint on all this is getting very aggravating.

At least then there's the chance that he wises up, fires Rosenhaus, apologizes, and gets back to the business of winning football games.

A fine idea in theory. But given Chad's self-absorbed qualities, I'd say the only thing we can reasonably expect him to do is eventually get on the field and play to spite those he feels wronged him. I see no way he fires Rosenhaus, and no way in hell he actually apologizes, barring some epiphany after a three day journey in the woods in an attempt to find himself (). And now that we're dealing with a Chad Johnson who thinks only 2 players in the entire organization "have his back", who knows how divided the locker room might get.

What's funny is that listening to Chad, you'd think the whole organization, save his 2 best friends, were out to get him. John Thornton paints a much different picture in his blog:

More on CJ 85

January 12, 2008


After having a day to digest what Chad Johnson said on Friday morning, I think Chad is just venting all of his frustrations out from the long season. I’m not speaking for him, but I can tell he is hurting. In fact, one time this past season during a pre-practice stretch, myself, Justin Smith, and Bryan Robinson joked with Chad about being traded. This was right in the middle of all the trade rumors. We said something about Miami trading WR Chris Chambers away so they can get Chad in the offseason. Chad laughed but soon turned serious and said “those trade rumors hurt me.” He felt like all of the good he had did in this city was for nothing. Many of those who loved his persona previously, now turned against him. And he was right. He didn’t do anything differently this season, than in past years. But since we were losing early, people said his “act” was getting old. I think he was being unfairly judged.

I think it all started in the Patriots game when cameras caught CJ and Carson Palmer arguing after a 1st half INT. Chad thought he was right and Carson felt he was right. It was two guys going at it. Happens all the time. Now its a big story.

What happens from here? I think the Bengals can and will do one of two things. The first is to call Chad or have a face to face with Chad and find out what is going on with him. Find out what they can do to help him feel better about the team, the organization, and the city. Chad is going to be doing a lot of interviews in the coming weeks. He is very popular during Super Bowl weekend and all media outlets will be there looking for him to say something bigger than he already has. So the Bengals should squash it while it is pretty much a local story. The other choice the Bengals could make is to do nothing. Both Marvin Lewis and Mike Brown already said, albeit two months ago, Chad isn’t going anywhere. They can let him vent for a while and hope he comes back ready to go once the offseason program starts. They know Chad loves football and won’t holdout or miss any games. Stay tuned…..

I'd say he nailed that last paragraph...

[Yachtzee]

Yeah, the cap hit will certainly be the sticking point no matter how big a fuss Chad makes. I was more just trying to point out that even as staunch a defender of keeping him as I was, I'm now to the point where I just can't do it anymore. His egocentric viewpoint on all this is getting very aggravating.



A fine idea in theory. But given Chad's self-absorbed qualities, I'd say the only thing we can reasonably expect him to do is eventually get on the field and play to spite those he feels wronged him. I see no way he fires Rosenhaus, and no way in hell he actually apologizes, barring some epiphany after a three day journey in the woods in an attempt to find himself (). And now that we're dealing with a Chad Johnson who thinks only 2 players in the entire organization "have his back", who knows how divided the locker room might get.

What's funny is that listening to Chad, you'd think the whole organization, save his 2 best friends, were out to get him. John Thornton paints a much different picture in his blog:



I'd say he nailed that last paragraph...

Oh, I agree with you. I've been one of those sticking up for CJ as well. I'll put up with the "look at me stuff" after touchdowns because I don't see much harm in it. There are plenty of players in the league who do that and get along perfectly well with the rest of the team. However, once you start actively campaigning to get out of town, especially after you signed a big extension with a big signing bonus, then you've crossed a line.

I'm actually surprised Chad is going down this path in light of the recent arbitrator's ruling against T.O.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3220008

I imagine that if the Eagles succeed in forcing TO to pay them back for his signing bonus, it will set a precedent the Bengals will most certainly use on Chad.