April 23-- Chasing Chad
It's going to happen.. Just not now.. I'm convinced Chad Johnson will not be a Bengal and I'm convinced he'll be in the NFC East which is why the offer the Skins made though possibly an overpayment for the disgruntled receiver is necessitated..
The Skins, Cowboys and Eagles all want Chad Johnson, all three (maybe the Eag;es more so then the other two) need a secondary receiving threat.. So this is turning into a Red Sox/Yankees arms race where the deal not only ensures you get a top flight talent but keeps him off a main rival.. Whoever ends up with Johnson or in my opinion the more valuable Anquan Boldin suddenly becomes a significantly stronger team heading into 2008..
I figure the Skins to land either Johnson or Boldin based if for no other reason that Drew Rosenhaus represents both and he and Dan Snyder are in the business of making each other happy campers.. The Cardinals sincerely want to keep Boldin who watched Larry Fitzgerald get a major deal, but it must be noted that Fitzgerald overperformed his initial rookie contract which in turn turned his deal into a albatross on their cap.. Certainly the Cardinals weren't going to release Fitzgerald outright. So Boldin wants the big bucks too. Certainly he has every reason to believe he'll get a new deal, but he wants Fitzgerald cash and the liklihood of Arizona breaking the bank for both receivers is unlikely. In the end, this is a good problem for Arizona, they don't have to deal Boldin and are more then happy to try to negotiate a fair deal, but they can also force Boldin to play it out.
Johnson is different story. He has said he won't play. Marvin Lewis dared him to keep his word on that threat and the Bengals for now are playing high stakes chicken with their best receiver. I expect Cincinnati to pay TJ Houshmanzadeh and move Johnson. Chad is 30 and although his numbers are among the most reliable in the league, Bengals brass can sell Houshmanzadeh and someone else as a reliable attack with string armed Carson Palmer at QB. In essence, Boldin is young and probably has a lot more upseide then Johnson as good as Johnson is. The Cardinals would be nuts to get rid of Anquan, the Bengals could try to sell that Johnson's performance will decrease in the ensuing years if not in the very immediate future.
In the defense of Johnson, he has received a lot of the blame for the team's failures, but he wasn't one of the numerous players in that locker room who was arrested in recent years. Is Chad really the bad cat in the locker room? Truth is Johnson also wants to be in a big time city for a marquee franchise. He's that kind of star. So Washington and Dallas certainly fits the mold of a team worthy of Johnson's histrionics.
In the end, I expect the Bengals to relent and deal Johnson probably closer to the start of camp, and next year's draft pick will still be in play when that time comes.. Selfishly, I think Johnson will be an unbelievable addition in terms of interviewees, and I certainly believe the Redskins do need a stable force opposite Santana Moss.. You could make a case that the Skins would have the most dangerous core of receivers should Johnson or Boldin come to DC. Besides, did you really think the Redskins would sit on their hands and not do anything dramatic the entire off-season?
See you in July 85..
Ok men..
The Skins, Cowboys and Eagles all want Chad Johnson, all three (maybe the Eag;es more so then the other two) need a secondary receiving threat.. So this is turning into a Red Sox/Yankees arms race where the deal not only ensures you get a top flight talent but keeps him off a main rival.. Whoever ends up with Johnson or in my opinion the more valuable Anquan Boldin suddenly becomes a significantly stronger team heading into 2008..
I figure the Skins to land either Johnson or Boldin based if for no other reason that Drew Rosenhaus represents both and he and Dan Snyder are in the business of making each other happy campers.. The Cardinals sincerely want to keep Boldin who watched Larry Fitzgerald get a major deal, but it must be noted that Fitzgerald overperformed his initial rookie contract which in turn turned his deal into a albatross on their cap.. Certainly the Cardinals weren't going to release Fitzgerald outright. So Boldin wants the big bucks too. Certainly he has every reason to believe he'll get a new deal, but he wants Fitzgerald cash and the liklihood of Arizona breaking the bank for both receivers is unlikely. In the end, this is a good problem for Arizona, they don't have to deal Boldin and are more then happy to try to negotiate a fair deal, but they can also force Boldin to play it out.
Johnson is different story. He has said he won't play. Marvin Lewis dared him to keep his word on that threat and the Bengals for now are playing high stakes chicken with their best receiver. I expect Cincinnati to pay TJ Houshmanzadeh and move Johnson. Chad is 30 and although his numbers are among the most reliable in the league, Bengals brass can sell Houshmanzadeh and someone else as a reliable attack with string armed Carson Palmer at QB. In essence, Boldin is young and probably has a lot more upseide then Johnson as good as Johnson is. The Cardinals would be nuts to get rid of Anquan, the Bengals could try to sell that Johnson's performance will decrease in the ensuing years if not in the very immediate future.
In the defense of Johnson, he has received a lot of the blame for the team's failures, but he wasn't one of the numerous players in that locker room who was arrested in recent years. Is Chad really the bad cat in the locker room? Truth is Johnson also wants to be in a big time city for a marquee franchise. He's that kind of star. So Washington and Dallas certainly fits the mold of a team worthy of Johnson's histrionics.
In the end, I expect the Bengals to relent and deal Johnson probably closer to the start of camp, and next year's draft pick will still be in play when that time comes.. Selfishly, I think Johnson will be an unbelievable addition in terms of interviewees, and I certainly believe the Redskins do need a stable force opposite Santana Moss.. You could make a case that the Skins would have the most dangerous core of receivers should Johnson or Boldin come to DC. Besides, did you really think the Redskins would sit on their hands and not do anything dramatic the entire off-season?
See you in July 85..
Ok men..
posted by Bram Weinstein | 5:20 PM
1 Comments:
I've been talking with some football fans here in Richmond, and I'm surprised how often I have to come to Chad Johnson's defense. People are talking about what a bad teammate he is, or how he'll be a complainer and a locker room cancer. I have three remarks to answer that:
1) Cincinnati's ownership is awful, and ocho-cinco is hardly the first otherwise good guy to complain his butt off while playing for the Bengals.
2) Case in point: Corey Dillon, who played his butt off in Cincy, complained, and became a model citizen while winning a Super Bowl in New England.
3) I'd sure rather have Chad Johnson than Chris Henry. There are organizational cancers of psychopathic levels in the Bengals organization, and CJ complaining about the team is quite low on the list of the organization's problems.
A 1 and a 3 would be a steal to bring CJ to DC. Bring it on. Can you imagine the press conferences with Johnson and Portis?
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