A Football Life: Chad Johnson

[Gohards]

Most people on here are completely unappreciative.

Chad Johnson was one of the reasons i ever even liked football. Look most little kids dont really like football, at least watching it. I saw Chad Johnson out there dancing and thought that was the coolest thing ever. That is what made me not only like the bengals, but got me involved in watching football. What was Chad going to do next?

Could you imagine how boring the 2000's without chad? The short answer is no. He was the only excitement we really had.

He is still to this day the only reciever to lead the AFC back-to-back-back years (3x) in yards. Imagine doing that, and never coming close to a playoff victory.

[WestCoastBengalsFan]

I thought it was weird they didn't mention how he would pitch in and pay for tickets when the games weren't sold out so folks could watch from home in the area. I used to follow him on Twitter and you could literally watch him change over into Ocho. At first on Twitter he was always posting about hanging with his family, posting videos of playing with kids in the neighborhood, buying people McDonalds or posting when he would be at a Denny's and saying whomever comes he's paying for it. Just lots of cool "giving back" type stuff. Then he started posting pictures of the designer shoes he was getting, exclusive product somebody gave him, etc all kinds of crap like that. His timeline on Twitter documents the change pretty well. The day he left the Bengals I unfollowed him and was happy to do so. Great football player but became a total distraction at the end.

[Shake n Blake]

I think a lot of people seem to focus more on the tail end of Chad's career rather than just his entire career. Once a player is retired and a few years go by, fans usually forget the bad ending and start to show appreciation for the overall career accomplishments.

A good comparison would be Brett Favre. He demanded his way out of Green Bay and even played for the Vikings (which would be like Chad in a Steelers uni). Packers fans hated Favre for several years, but eventually got over it and welcomed him back. It was classy. Meanwhile, our fans seem to hold much longer grudges over milder transgressions.

As for Chad's route running, I have to disagree Wyche. I don't think it's that black and white. I'd say improvising some routes is more common than some realize. I remember a quote from Drew Brees where he said he trusted Marques Colston to improvise at times to get open. He said not every WR was allowed to improvise, but he had chemistry and trust with his long time teammate.

Seeing how Chad and Palmer were together for 8 seasons, I'm sure they had that chemistry much of the time. While New England's offense is notoriously complex and precise, I think a huge problem for Chad was that - thanks to the lockout - he had to learn this complex and precise offense on the fly in a matter of weeks, while developing trust and chemistry with a new QB. I read back then that Brady will shut a receiver out if he's not getting it right away. I just think his failure in NE had more to do with a tough situation than "Chad was a sloppy route runner who always improvised".

I do think Chad improvised at times, but I don't think it happened as much as some think and I also think that some improv can be helpful. Fwiw, Chad's route running has been praised by Hue, and Jon Kitna was successful with Chad as well. I doubt all that success happened with Chad just running wherever he pleased for 11 years.

[Essex Johnson]

(10-03-2016, 04:38 PM)Gohards Wrote: Most people on here are completely unappreciative.

Chad Johnson was one of the reasons i ever even liked football. Look most little kids dont really like football, at least watching it. I saw Chad Johnson out there dancing and thought that was the coolest thing ever. That is what made me not only like the bengals, but got me involved in watching football. What was Chad going to do next?

Could you imagine how boring the 2000's without chad? The short answer is no. He was the only excitement we really had.

He is still to this day the only reciever to lead the AFC back-to-back-back years (3x) in yards. Imagine doing that, and never coming close to a playoff victory.

And there lines the problem with some of us that  appreciated his talent but also saw his attitude get in the way of his talent... he became a sideshow.. the disrespect of the HOF jacket.. that turned  a lot of people and players off.. it became too much about him and less about the team.

[oncemoreuntothejimbreech]

(10-03-2016, 02:10 AM)Shake n Blake Wrote: Well aside from the whole name change thing, he also did the following:

- Was the MVP of the teams that led this franchise out of the abyss
- 6x Pro Bowler
- 3x All-Pro
- Shattered all relevant career and single game Bengals receiving records
- 4x conference leader in receiving
- was superior to Curtis when compared to peers (more times top 10 in catches and yards...by far)

I respect Curtis. He was our all-time leader in receiving for a lot of years (Pickens would've broken his records had we kept him around for another year) and he was a part of some successful Bengals teams. I also respect Chad for what he accomplished. 

I just think it's unfortunate that so many Bengals fans hold so much bitterness towards Chad when the good by far outweighs the bad. It seems like it's that way with so many of our former greats. Outside of the SB teams of course.

Chad was talented. He was also mentally fragile. His pouting affected both his play and the play calling to placate him . . . because he wanted to check a box on a stupid list, for instance. Chad was just as likely to have hissy fit as a big game. Isaac's talent changed the way the game is played and his impact still affects the game decades after he retired. Isaac never had a single bubble screen thrown his way to keep him in the game mentally. 

Chad was like that really hot girl you dated in college, but was sooooo high maintenance she wasn't nearly worth all the totally unnecessary drama she created and afterwards you're glad that shit was over. Isaac Curtis was like the woman you marry. 

Isaac Curtis' TD celebrations were the definition of smooooooth because the man understood TDs are always more exciting than TD dances. At some point, Chad's focus shifted from being a great football player to being an entertainer. After the dancing is over, Chad still doesn't get it. 

BTW, Corey Dillon demanded a trade because he was sick of losing. Carson Palmer demanded changes in the organization or a trade. Chad demanded a new contract or a trade because he hired Drew Rosenhaus as his agent. It was about money, not losing. Chad, Rosenhaus, and Mike Brown were the Perfect Storm of how to make a bad situation worse. 

[*Wyche'sWarrior*]

(10-03-2016, 05:35 PM)Shake n Blake Wrote: I think a lot of people seem to focus more on the tail end of Chad's career rather than just his entire career. Once a player is retired and a few years go by, fans usually forget the bad ending and start to show appreciation for the overall career accomplishments.

A good comparison would be Brett Favre. He demanded his way out of Green Bay and even played for the Vikings (which would be like Chad in a Steelers uni). Packers fans hated Favre for several years, but eventually got over it and welcomed him back. It was classy. Meanwhile, our fans seem to hold much longer grudges over milder transgressions.

As for Chad's route running, I have to disagree Wyche. I don't think it's that black and white. I'd say improvising some routes is more common than some realize. I remember a quote from Drew Brees where he said he trusted Marques Colston to improvise at times to get open. He said not every WR was allowed to improvise, but he had chemistry and trust with his long time teammate.

Seeing how Chad and Palmer were together for 8 seasons, I'm sure they had that chemistry much of the time. While New England's offense is notoriously complex and precise, I think a huge problem for Chad was that - thanks to the lockout - he had to learn this complex and precise offense on the fly in a matter of weeks, while developing trust and chemistry with a new QB. I read back then that Brady will shut a receiver out if he's not getting it right away. I just think his failure in NE had more to do with a tough situation than "Chad was a sloppy route runner who always improvised".

I do think Chad improvised at times, but I don't think it happened as much as some think and I also think that some improv can be helpful. Fwiw, Chad's  route running has been praised by Hue, and Jon Kitna was successful with Chad as well. I doubt all that success happened with Chad just running wherever he pleased for 11 years.

 I think you mistook my dig at Brady for a jab at Chad.  It was even said on the show that "Tom expects you to be at a precise location at a precise time."  In other words, it doesn't seem that ol Tommy can make adjustments on the fly.  Palmer, obviously could.  Simmer down ya homer.....