I was more critical of Chad after his HoF jacket game, but he wasnt overrated by any means. But looking back I definitely miss him as this Bengals team bores me anymore.
(02-15-2016, 01:51 AM)Shake n Blake Wrote: 1. The bull-riding took place during the 2011 lockout. How was he supposed to concentrate on the team? Besides, the Bengals had drafted AJ Green and didn't speak to Chad in April when the lockout was temporarily lifted. He knew his Bengals career was finished.
2. It's really not that simple, Fred. The 2008 season was marred by injury and terrible QB play. This isn't debatable. It surely had a huge affect on his play. In 2009, he posted 1047 yards and 9 TDs. Not up to his previous standard, but we weren't passing as much. Carson had a measly 466 attempts and 3094 yards. Chad accounted for 33.8% of the total passing yards. In a more typical 4000 yard season, that would've calculated to 1352 yards. By 2010, we added numerous weapons including TO, Shipley and Gresh. Chad was 32 and it's just as easy to argue that he was on the decline as it is to say he wasn't giving 100%.
3. It was a headbutt and it didn't happen as a Bengal. It kills me anytime people rip any players off field incidents while at the same time we cheer for a guy like Pacman. Lets be honest, most of these guys aren't saints off the field.
4. Terrible analogy. Chad asking for a trade and then playing the entire season through a torn labrum is nothing like my wife screwing my best friend. That would be more like James Harrison leaving the Steelers to play for the Bengals. Steelers fans still love James BTW.
James Harrison and Brett Favre have taken their teams to the promise land. And the Packers were horrid for years until Favre. Plus both men are active in those communities presently.
Chad compares well with Carl Pickens though, except Pickens had worse QB's than Chad.
Pickens had in 8 years 540 rec. For 7,129 yds 63 tds.
Chad had in 12 years ....766 rec for 11,059 yds 67tds.
(02-14-2016, 12:08 AM)bfine32 Wrote: There is a very good chance that Chad suffers from brain trauma. He was going over the middle and getting blown up for years and never missing a game. Saw he get put in an ambulance one week and strap on the helmet the next.
It is insane the amount of disrespect he gets from Bengal fans.
As to the OP: Hell yes I miss him.
Sad but possibly true. That hit was very dirty. There was another person here that posted a video of Chad talking nonsense after a concussion I believe. He wasn't normal. I hope all is well with Chad internally.
(02-14-2016, 12:07 PM)Nately120 Wrote: That's a good point, but I go back to the franchise/winning effect on this one. James Harrison went to a division rival because he wanted more money, nothing else, but he goes back "home" a year later and they have a flippin' parade for him. Hines Ward goes on Dancing with the Stars while his on the field play is absolute free-fall and the same people who criticized Chad for being on there just go ga-ga for Hines' charisma....etc.
So Steelers players can go to division rivals for more money, work on dance routines while their production plummets, but all is forgiven. The Bengals? Geez, I know I'm sort of biased but you have to wonder why a franchise has so many noteworthy players speak out, or just plain ask to be let go. Again, I don't think Bengals fans SHOULD be thinking fondly of Carson, Chad, Boomer, Corey if they don't want to, but it has really fostered a sort of culture where we praise the hell out of the guys here RIGHT NOW and turn on them as soon as they even think of going elsewhere.
That's just poor brand management on Mike Brown's part, because a Steelers fan gets more pleasure out of thinking of the classic players on a single team in one single year than we get from nearly 50 years of football. Perhaps if Green, Dalton, Eifert etc. get it together and win it all and/or leave on good terms we will finally have some sort of decent sized hall of fame, though. At the moment it's like the Bengals are the RC Cola of the NFL world: when people think of established brands like Coke (the Steelers, the Steel Curtain, etc), or edgier but still old school Pepsi (the Patriots, etc.) and RC Cola is all about drinking it because it's there (liking the Bengals players here NOW and if they want more money to go to Cleveland, to hell with them!).
Ok, well I hate soda so that wasn't the best metaphor to use. Anyways, poor brand management when something that's been around for 50 years brings about relatively few long-term pleasant feelings with long-term users. Some of us watched Boomer Esiason make this team the most exciting one to watch at one point, and get us one dropped INT from world champions but many of us feel less positive vibes about the guy than a 13 year old feels about Franco Harris even though he's never seen him play.
That might say it all. Or not. I should get some real work done here.
True. Brand Management sucks and it's a shame that these players are looked upon as the forgotten and never to discuss again. I remember when Carson was gone and possibly his career wasn't looking too good with the Raiders> however, he found his bounce back with the Cardinals. They're doing an amazing job in that organization. He played terrible in the playoffs against the Panthers... But so did many other teams. They annihilated the first two teams in the playoffs.
However, to forget such great players as part of a great organization is sad. I will always remember them.
Chad was a great receiver, fun to watch and he gave it all he had. Plus, if true, he's my hero for slapping Marvin. I think after the playoffs, we all feel like slapping him.
(02-15-2016, 06:36 AM)Go Cards Wrote: 1. James Harrison and Brett Favre have taken their teams to the promise land. And the Packers were horrid for years until Favre. Plus both men are active in those communities presently.
Chad compares well with Carl Pickens though, except Pickens had worse QB's than Chad.
Pickens had in 8 years 540 rec. For 7,129 yds 63 tds.
Chad had in 12 years ....766 rec for 11,059 yds 67tds.
1. Fine. Saints fans still love Joe Horn after he played with the arch rival Falcons (and he was just as known for celebrations, too). Bills fans still love Thurman Thomas after he finished up with the Dolphins. Vikings fans still love Randy Moss even though he was moody, never won anything, and played many years elsewhere.
2. I like how you only listed Pickens' years with the Bengals, leaving out his awful 242 yard season with the Titans, yet you included Chad's year with the Pats. Talk about manipulating stats. Wow.
So their average per year with the team we actually care about:
Oops. I guess that's really not a good comparison after all. Chad did it way better for longer.
(02-15-2016, 11:23 AM)CrazyAnimal8 Wrote: Sad but possibly true. That hit was very dirty. There was another person here that posted a video of Chad talking nonsense after a concussion I believe. He wasn't normal. I hope all is well with Chad internally.
That was for this hit by Brian Russell late in a 34-17 Bengals win. Russell took some frustration out in the form of a cheap shot:
Russell's own teammate Braylon Edwards ripped him publicly for the hit. Meanwhile, Chad took the high road and said it was just a part of the game and that Russell "would have a great story to tell his grand kids." Despite the obvious concussion and his jaw being split open, Chad didn't miss any time. Yet we have folks ripping him and accusing him of being a quitter.
The training, nutrition, medicine, fitness, playbooks and rules evolve. The athlete does not.
There is not compaarison between a player leaving in free agency for another team and a player trying to break a contract by trashing his own team and then refusing to work out or train properly so that his performance suffers.
I am accusing Chad of quitting on the team because HE ADMITTED HE DID.
(02-15-2016, 02:33 PM)fredtoast Wrote: There is not compaarison between a player leaving in free agency for another team and a player trying to break a contract by trashing his own team
Quote:On January 13, 2008, Johnson was a guest on ESPN's Mike & Mike radio show. During the interview, he addressed how the media and team treated him during the 2007 season, saying, "I was labeled selfish and a cancer, and it hurt...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." However, head coach Marvin Lewis commented on the issue by saying that the Bengals will not be trading Johnson. "He is a Cincinnati Bengal for quite a while," Lewis said
This is where the trade rumors got started. Where is he "trashing the team"?
The training, nutrition, medicine, fitness, playbooks and rules evolve. The athlete does not.
Quote:"I will take the criticism," Johnson said. "I will stick by my guns, and I will not be there. I feel things need to be done to make this team better. I don't blame Marvin Lewis. I love him. You have never heard me say one bad thing about my coaches or teammates. I know it's not up to Coach Lewis. Whether I'm traded, or if we get better players, is not up to him. If it was up to Coach Lewis, then he would do it."
"What's changed for me is that I don't feel that we can compete," Johnson said. "Look at Cleveland and what they are doing to win. The Patriots and Indianapolis are going for a ring every year. When going for a ring, it all starts at the top. We need to do more and bring in more. We're staying the same. Yes, we have good players, but we need great players. We need defense. They say the money is tied up on offense; I'm not buying it. Look at others teams who are doing it, like Cleveland."
The Browns went 6-10 in 2005 and 4-12 in 2006 before surging to 10-6 and just missing a playoff berth last season.
Sounds to me like Chad was echoing the same sentiments as many other players including Carson Palmer, as well as the vast majority of the fan base. He thought we needed to be more active in FA and bring in some good players to help get to the next level. Do you think he was wrong??
The training, nutrition, medicine, fitness, playbooks and rules evolve. The athlete does not.
(02-15-2016, 04:13 PM)Shake n Blake Wrote: Sounds to me like Chad was echoing the same sentiments as many other players including Carson Palmer, as well as the vast majority of the fan base. He thought we needed to be more active in FA and bring in some good players to help get to the next level. Do you think he was wrong??
No fan I knew of took a massive bonus to sign a contract and then threatened to keep that money but not play out the contract. What had changed in the 2 years since he took that signing bonus? Nothing.
he wasn't leaving because we could not compete. He was leaving because people blamed him for the problems during the '07 season and his fragile psyche couldn't handle it. So instead of working hard to get better he refuses to work out and bad mouths the team.
(02-15-2016, 04:40 PM)fredtoast Wrote: No fan I knew of took a massive bonus to sign a contract and then threatened to keep that money but not play out the contract.
No Bengals fan I know actually works for, and has a career and imagine entirely dependent on being on the Bengals. However, almost every Bengals fan I know complains about Marvin Lewis and Mike Brown. Hmm...
EDIT: Oh wait, I "knew" Denny and he worked for the Bengals and had an asylum-worthy amount of delusion towards them.
(02-15-2016, 04:40 PM)fredtoast Wrote: No fan I knew of took a massive bonus to sign a contract and then threatened to keep that money but not play out the contract. What had changed in the 2 years since he took that signing bonus? Nothing.
he wasn't leaving because we could not compete. He was leaving because people blamed him for the problems during the '07 season and his fragile psyche couldn't handle it. So instead of working hard to get better he refuses to work out and bad mouths the team.
When he signed that contract, the Bengals were coming off an 11-5 record and division championship.
When Chad made those comments in the article you linked, the Bengals were coming off a 2nd straight disappointing season (7-9 including a 2-6 start). Our big offseason moves were signing Michael Myers, Edgerton Hartwell (released before the season) and Blue Adams (strictly a ST player).
I guess you only believe Chad's words when it assists your narrative, but I don't find it hard to believe that he'd be frustrated with an offseason like that after such a disappointing season. Stuff like that is probably why Carson asked for a trade 3 years later.
The training, nutrition, medicine, fitness, playbooks and rules evolve. The athlete does not.
(02-15-2016, 04:56 PM)Nately120 Wrote: No Bengals fan I know actually works for, and has a career and imagine entirely dependent on being on the Bengals. However, almost every Bengals fan I know complains about Marvin Lewis and Mike Brown. Hmm...
That was my point. Chad was not a Bnegal fan. He was an employee that wanted to leave the team. That is like the opposite of a fan.
(02-15-2016, 06:27 PM)fredtoast Wrote: That was my point. Chad was not a Bnegal fan. He was an employee that wanted to leave the team. That is like the opposite of a fan.
My mistake. I just hear some people (not you) act like team loyalties should mean as much to players as they do to fanatics. I live in Steeler country and I assure you I could find about 20 guys who chain smoke, have hypertension, and couldn't run a 40 to save their lives who would swear on Myron Cope's grave that they wouldn't accept a $10 million contract from the Browns that very second.
(02-15-2016, 06:29 PM)fredtoast Wrote: With the exact same coaches and owner. Nothing had changed except the fact that the local media and some of the fans had turned on him.
Winning makes everything look better and losing makes everything look worse. Again, during that 2009 Steelers 5-game losing streak the carcinogenic nature of a number of players on that model franchise began to emerge.
(02-15-2016, 06:27 PM)fredtoast Wrote: That was my point. Chad was not a Bnegal fan. He was an employee that wanted to leave the team. That is like the opposite of a fan.