As Bengals receiver Chad Johnson has made sure everyone knows in the last couple of days, he isn’t happy in Cincinnati and isn’t planning to show up to off-season workouts.
But Johnson isn’t alone.
Adam Schefter of NFL Network is reporting that the Bengals’ other starting wide receiver, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, also is expected to skip the start of the voluntary conditioning program. Houshmandzadeh is in the final year of four-year contract and is scheduled to make a base salary of $2.525 million, and he thinks that, coming off a season in which he tied for the league lead in receptions, he’s worth more than that.
Skipping conditioning might not be a huge issue: Houshmandzadeh also skipped the team’s voluntary off-season conditioning last year, and he still managed those 112 catches. So maybe he doesn’t need to be with the team in March to be ready to play in September.
But the Bengals need to figure out which players will be the focal points of their passing game going forward. A few years ago it looked like Johnson, Houshmandzadeh and Carson Palmer could make up the nucleus of a Super Bowl-winning passing attack. Now, with Johnson and Houshmandzadeh both 30 years old, it’s looking like the playoff game when Johnson had to be restrained by coach Marvin Lewis could be Johnson’s only one in Cincinnati.
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March 19th, 2008 at 7:39 pm
ok. Marvin needs to go. He has lost this team. It is now obvious that his players don’t have any fear/respect of their coach.
How is Chris Henry supposed to believe that he will be punished for drinking and driving when he watched Chad Johnson punch Lewis in the face at halftime and start the second half.
If Lewis had cut chad then and there and had ocho cinco escorted from the building, I think that he would have had the attention of his other players, and they’d be a better team today.
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March 19th, 2008 at 7:47 pm
Nothing good is happening in Cincinnati.
Too bad, there is way too much talent rotting away on that team.
I would not be surprised if Lewis doesn’t make it through 2008.
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March 19th, 2008 at 7:54 pm
Cutting him would’ve been a better option than giving him a new contract, that’s for sure…
But TJ missing isn’t anything new like was stated in the article, I’d hardly say it’s because Marvin has “lost the team”.
I do have doubts that Marvin Lewis will ever win a playoff game as a head coach though. And with a QB like Carson Palmer, that’s sad. It won’t necessarily be his fault, it will always fall on the shoulders of Mike Brown.
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March 19th, 2008 at 8:04 pm
watchthisjack
i agree, if that really happened. and we may never really know. the double standard in the lockeroom has got to go and now if not sooner. i also was under the impression that talks were underway already with tj and the team for an extension / raise. i also heard today that chad got a new agent and that is why he wants out. the new agent isnt getting paid till a new deal is inked. i have no source for that info but heard it today from a fellow suffering bengals fan. i usually get excited when there is bengals news on pft but this blows.
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March 19th, 2008 at 9:22 pm
What’s disappointing most of all this is that Chad Johnson has rubbed off on TJ. This guy could’ve been a class act in the NFL, and in fact started off that way when he decided to take number 2 money and stick with the Bengals. He could’ve been a number 1 anywhere else, but opted to keep the nucleus together with Palmer, Johnson and himself.
Now, he’s a Chad first, me second type guy, with dollar signs for brains. If they sign him to a new deal, I hope they include a conditioner clause, where TJ has to use conditioner when he shampoos that ugly rat rug on his head.
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March 19th, 2008 at 9:37 pm
As a Steelers fan this is great news to me. Let the Bungles implode! I love it!
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March 19th, 2008 at 9:41 pm
Why does it seem that a disproportionate number of disgruntles play wide receiver?
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March 19th, 2008 at 9:45 pm
I really think this is a non-story…as stated in the article, Houshmandzadeh skipped the conditioning last year as well. He also hasn’t said anything publicly about being unhappy, and while he remains close with Chad, he also seems to remain close with Marvin and the rest of the coaches, given the fact that he has mentioned that he talks to Marvin outside the regular season - something Chad “Carl Pickens #2″ admits to not even doing himself…
I can’t see Marvin being fired if the Bengals go 9-7 next year, no matter what happens to the team…’ol Mike Brown can keep lining his pockets if the Bengals just stay in the verge of fielding a competitive football team…
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March 19th, 2008 at 9:45 pm
Drew Rosenhaus was Chad’s agent when he signed a new contract in April of 2006. This was done when he had FOUR years left on his contract! Drew got his cut, and gets a cut from everything Chad does off the field also.
After the contract was signed, Rosenhaus was quoted stating, “I can’t really think of any deal like this. I give a lot of credit to the Bengals for reworking a contract that had four years left, and you’ve got to take your hat off to Chad. He’s a great player, on and off the field, to merit this type of unique situation……..”
Wow, how things change. Chad is not even the number one receiver on the Bengals anymore. In my opinion, a lot of that has to do with Carson’s trust with him as a receiver Chad’s head is not into football anymore. What made him a good receiver was the work he put into the game. Let’s face it, Chad’s best days could quite possibly be behind him. One can only hope he finds the motivation which got him to this point in his career. How many drops did he have last year, how many routes were not run correct?
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March 19th, 2008 at 11:53 pm
Thank you macmilitia for being the lone voice of reason here. Housh has never spoken out or complained, he knows when his payday is coming and it’s after next season. This is a non-story. What IS a story is the amount of folks on here assuming that Housh is disgruntled.
One more important thing to remember is that when contract issues come up and you have disgruntled players often the coach gets blamed, but it’s the GM and the ownership who should bear the responsibility.
So who wants to start the Housh to Philly rumors? I haven’t heard one yet.
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March 20th, 2008 at 1:52 am
Marvin is a good coach but he should have done something a long time ago. He needs to trade Chad for Dallas’ 28th pick while he still can get something for this headache. Where is Palmer in all of this? As a QB you HAVE to keep the others in check.
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March 20th, 2008 at 5:54 am
A lot of these comments are off. The Cincinnati Bengals are definitely dysfunctional, and a lot of that probably factored into the under-achieving season. But as for Matt’s point … because they are amazing receivers, that’s why the Bengals let them play. And I will go out on a limb and say the Bengals weren’t average BECAUSE of those receivers.
And I disagree with watchthisjack’s claim that Marvin Lewis needs to go. He has shown he is an extremely capable coach. I’d give him another year or two with the nucleus that is there and wait and see what happens. If it is another year of crappy off the field issues combined with mediocrity, then maybe the time has come.
I am not concerned about T.J. Houshmandzedah. He has somewhat of a right to gripe about $ if he’s practically the best receiver in the NFL. That contract is not a lot of money for that kind of production. At the same time, teams aren’t psychic; it’s not like anyone could have projected this from T.J. At least it’s the last year of his contract and still in essence $$$$$; he can file for free agency when the season ends, still young enough for one more big contract.
I’m curious to see what happens with Cincinnati (Sin-Sin … atti, I guess).
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March 20th, 2008 at 7:49 am
all the talent in the world wont matter. sad really.
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March 20th, 2008 at 8:50 am
TJ has come a long way, from a 7th round pick to one of the best WR last year. I remember when Lewis first took over, TJ had a bad hamstring that kept him out of nearly every game. He still got paid. Yeah, he probably deserves more next season, but his pay day will have to wait another year
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March 20th, 2008 at 11:38 pm
This has all the makings of a slow drawn out death. I have a feeling that’s why Marvin tried to get himself fired a month or so ago when he said the Bungles should chuck it and start over.
Why is anyone surprised that Ocho would then get really nervous as he stares down the back nine fo his career. Or that when Louis found out he wasn’t getting outta this jam, that he’d take Chad’s career down with him. Hope that pop to his melon was worth it Stinko.
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