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Mission Accomplished In Cincinnati?
Authored by Andrew Perna - 12th June, 2008 - 7:15 pm
While there isn't a real marquee matchup, Ravens vs. Colts, Panthers vs. Bucs, Bears vs. Falcons, and Chargers vs. Patriots are all pivotal games in the standings.
With John Herrera standing to his right dressed in black and appearing not unlike an undertaker, Lane Kiffin sat down at the podium for Sunday's postgame news conference.
Baltimore wants Flacco to be their QB of the future. But the Ravens feel they have no choice but to start him now because Boller and Smith are unavailable. Wrong!
Johnson claimed earlier in the offseason that he wouldn’t report to any team-related activities, which he felt was the best course of action in order to force the Bengals to ship him out of town.
Almost two months later he’s coming around – if only slightly – by declaring that he will rejoin the team.
Johnson does have a hidden agenda, though, as he faces fines of up to $8,000 per day for skipping the team’s minicamp and $14,000 per day for missing training camp. If he ultimately decides to maintain his “holdout” stance into the season, he would be docked roughly $177,000 per game.
"I may be crazy, but I'm not stupid,” Johnson told ESPN The Magazine in the latest issue, in which he served as the guest editor-in-chief.
"I told my coaches I'm going to California to act, but the truth is I may come back to the Bengals as early as June," he added.
Chad had a very productive year in 2007, posting 93 catches for 1,440 yards but entered the offseason unhappy with the direction of the Bengals, who were 7-9 last season.
He does have a point; Cincinnati needs to dish out serious cash for difference-makers in order to contend with the likes of the Colts and Patriots, but I’ve always been vehemently against pulling the “trade me because we suck and I’m not making enough money” stunt.
That column I wrote in support of Marvin Lewis and Co. in late April praised them for holding onto Johnson through the NFL Draft – prime trading season for disgruntled players.
The Bengals probably could have landed a few impact draft picks or even someone like Philadelphia cornerback Lito Sheppard for Chad, but they stuck to their guns – a refreshing move in today’s landscape.
Hopefully, the way Cincinnati has handled the situation thus far will prevent players from pulling similar stunts in the future.
Ocho Cinco is a very talented receiver and still doesn’t seem to be the team cancer other ‘prima donnas’ in the league often are. His antics, involving touchdowns celebrations and hall of fame expectations, have always been harmless, in my opinion, which likely provided Lewis and Co. with quite a few enticing offers this spring.
Unfortunately, the truth of the matter is that the saga is probably far from over.
There is still a chance that Johnson will not show up to camp later this week and that the best move for the Bengals might be to rid themselves of the disgruntled receiver after all.
Chad, however, is ready to produce in 2008, no matter where he happens to be playing.
"It's the reinvention of Ocho Cinco," he said. "I'm dead serious. People need to take me as I am because I just don't give a [expletive] anymore. That's how I'd sum up my attitude for the next season."
Them sound like fightin’ words or, in his case, catchin’ words.
The AFC North isn’t getting any easier with the rejuvenation of the Browns, the steadiness of the Steelers, and a new era dawning for the Ravens.
In effect, the Bengals need Johnson, and he needs them.
Chad’s talent is unquestioned, but he is playing with one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks in Carson Palmer. There were rumors that the Eagles and Cowboys were interested in his services around draft time, but while the situations look ideal on paper, that isn’t necessarily the case.
Dallas already has Terrell Owens, and Tony Romo has fallen in love with throwing to tight end Jason Witten. Patrick Crayton is also emerging, which wouldn’t allow Chad as many opportunities as he has grown accustomed to in Cincinnati. And, I haven’t even mentioned Marion Barber.
It would be much harder for Ocho Cinco to pad his Hall of Fame resume in Texas when Romo is spreading the ball among a handful of viable targets.
The situation looks a little better in Philadelphia, but he would have to fall in line behind Brian Westbrook as the team’s top playmaker. Westbrook (a running back for the uninformed) caught 90 passes last season, just three fewer than Johnson did himself.
We still don’t know whether or not Cincinnati’s decision to keep Johnson this long will pay dividends, but at the very least, this ‘Ocho Cinco Saga’ should prevent a player or two from straying down the same path.
If not, at least Marvin Lewis and Co. stuck to their guns for this long.
Andrew Perna is a Senior Writer for RealGM and always welcomes comments via e-mail (Andrew.Perna@RealGM). He writes daily in the ‘Scoop du Jour’ and is currently working with RealGM’s NBA Forums on a series of Pre-Draft Summits.
