He didn’t say anything that wasn’t true. He said, “Chad isn’t here”, “there are people here that are playing his spot, and don’t want to give it up”. “I haven’t heard from Chad, and no one I know has either.”…..all of them are factual statements. Now, if he said “I think Chad is a selfish cry baby, who isn’t getting his way so he’s skipping OTA’s” then that’s inflammatory. Maybe now they will get rid of him. There are a ton of guys on the team that love Cincinnati and the opportunity to play with Carson, and for Marvin Lewis. I say good riddance if he doesn’t want to play for the Bengals. If he does want to play, put his money where his mouth is, or better yet….make your actions speak for you.

Yeah, this is no good. JT was so right about this one. This should have been resolved before the draft. I also think that most of the folks commenting on here were right because they could sense this was going to end badly and that management would do what they do best and just hope that a problem would go away without taking proactive measures. Talent-wise, this team is a lot worse without Ocho, which makes this such a shame. Carson and 85 should have been Manning and Harrison-esque for a long time.

How many times have we seen Chad and Carson jawing on the sideline with the cameras on ‘em ? Chad will come back and Carson will say the right things but I sense that the two have permanently parted ways .

JT is a big fan of talent which in Chad’s case is understandable but I’m in favor of guys who want to be here and play without causing trouble .

Time for Chad to be traded for a quality CB and call it quits.

I love the way Palmer has handled himself this off-season. He is saying all the right things and that includes calling out Chad. I agree that the National media will eat this up and play it as a “circus” type scenario but does it really matter? Carson is stepping into the spotlight with his vocal leadership and I think that is a great thing to see. The others will follow and the individuals that don’t will fade away.

I hate admitting it but there is only one way to end this, and that is to give Chad the contract he wants, something in the 4 year $38 Mill range. If they trade Chad people will bash them for not doing it earlier, if they cut him people will ask why they didn’t get anything for him. If they do nothing and stick it to him then they have drama right front and center for the video cameras this summer. I still believe most of this is about Chad feeling that is underpaid which makes him feel disrespected.

What ever happened to the Chad who used to sleep at the stadium? Now he is nowhere near the stadium.
The team really should move Chad. If they wait another year, he will be a year older, a year slower, and a year whinier. I love Chad for the good things he did for this team, but it is time to part ways. As soon as June comes around (from what I understand, the cap hit should be less by then) he should be on the block. Someone is going to get hurt on some team and Chad’s value in a trade should be at its highest in favor of the Bengals. Assuming the rest of the Bengal WRs stay healthy, the team should take the best available offer on Chad.

They are different kind of players. Both talents tho

What bother me more is Andre Smith using Rick Smith. I totally think that was planned, drop your original agent, then pick Priority One Sports right before the draft to gain credibility, then drop him afterward and rehire your original agent. Wow. How about that, another athlete not to hold in esteem.

JT I have a question, what is your opinion of players like Chad and Boldin who sign extensions with their teams then a year or so later want new deals?? I think the Bengals need to get rid of Chad but how can they do it without it blowing up in their faces?

JT-
didn’t you one time mention Keels was a pretty tough agent to deal with? I think what Smith did was pretty classless. Also how long is that hold out going to be? It seems more and more likely that this draft pick is going to blow up in our faces.

[...] The guy I once called “The Smartest Guy on Planet Bengal” weighs in, and is, as always, excellent. I’m not going to bother excerpting here, just go read the post [...]

JT – As I recall, the Raiders QB Russell, didn’t get signed till half way through the season. Does the player have any risk in not signing before the season? Does the team lose rights to the player if the player isn’t signed by a certain point? Just curious.

i understand what your saying JT but its about time someone said what they felt about chad missing these camps. is there any other players not in camp right now or is it only chad? as a fan and season ticket holder im tired of PC statements about chad johnson

JT – What happens if the Bengals suspend Chad (ala Keyshown Johnson in Tampa)? What would be the league and financial ramifications of that. By asking this, I dont mean right now…I mean if he does anything detrimental to the team during the season. BTW, I love Chad and wish that this could be repaired. Hes a great talent and this team is definitely better with him than without him. I also feel that way about you, JT, too!

No they are serious questions. I like Mike Brown and the organization. I’m still very close to those guys. I just had Marvin to my house two weeks ago. I’m talking about business. The Bengals are a business. Public relations are key to any business. Don’t let anyone ruin your brand. I would tell every player not to mention Chad. I would tell Carson not to either. Or I would put an end to it and either bring Chad back or trade him. Keeping it going is bad for business. People around the league shake their heads at this.

It’s amazing that none of the reporters asked Carson a very basic question about Chad, “Have you personally attempted to call/contact Chad?”. Carson was incorrect when he stated that ‘no one has heard from Chad’. Marvin Lewis has often stated that he has been in regular contact with Chad and their conversations are private and personal. There are more subjective statements about Chad’s CURRENT mental state of mind. Truthfully, until C85 makes a public statement, I will continue to take him on his word. His last stated objective was to be very quiet, stay out of the media during the off-season and train to be the best receiver in the NFL. ‘Hard Knocks’ should be very entertaining.

If Chad is traded or released, what kind of cap hit would the Bengals take? Teams that still need WR’s are the Bucs, Jaguars, Jets, and Ravens. Since a trade didn’t happen durring the Draft, I’m not sure one will. If it comes down to it, trade Chad to a team for a 7th, just to keep him from going to the Ravens.

JT,
How does it feel not attending OTA’s ? Are you suffering from withdtawal ?

Not yet I was in my office the other day and I saw the guys practicing at PBS. I will go over there to watch one next week to see it up close. Some of the guys talk to me afterwards and I definately don’t miss the coaches yelling:)

I still love the Titans. I played in Cincy longer so I would say I’m a Bengal, but I still have Titans in my blood. A good mix to have. Plus I live in Cincy so I know a little more about the team. I still see some of the Titan guys when I’m in vegas. I ran into LB Keith Bullock and DE Jevon Kearse a few months ago and we still hang out. I talk to some front office folks down there still so I keep up.

As far as breakout players, I would put guys like Andre Caldwell and the new punter as my guys to have big years and shock people. I like Caldwell. I tink they should have just went with him instead of signing Coles. Andre is younger, faster and healthier. But…thats my opinion The new punter will have to have a great year. Cutting Kyle Larson was bold. He had a bad season, but so did everyone else. So I think this kid need so play well to justify the move, and from what I hear, he is pretty good. The guys that Chick named are already pretty good. Chris Henry breaking out? He already had good seasons. He just needs to be more mature and handle being good all the time. Whit is already good and Benson broke out last year right?? Tell Chick to think outside the box!!! jk

You never know with Coles, a lot of big WR acquisitions are busts, but Coles has played well with the Jets and Redskins, and has not really had a QB like Carson or other WR talent like the Bengals have. The OL will have some consistency issues starting out, and the Bengals will need to establish a running game and when passing, do a lot of quick passes. I see Coles as a good fit to do a lot of routes like Antonio Chatman did last year.

I think a big thing Coles brings to this team is a veteran influence and a different attitude for the WRs. They lost T.J. and Chad’s not around to help these young guys out. Bringing Coles in might just help Henry, Caldwell, and Simpson. If these guys are all playing really well, it will be interesting to see how Chad handles things when he gets here.

The Bungals aren’t a playoff organization with or without Carson and Chad liking each other so who cares……It all starts with how the team is run and we all know the answer to that…..Read the recent book about Paul Brown and it all makes sense and I’d even say Karma is playing out on this pathetic franchise……Besides Palmer proved he was no leader when he was a rookie and said he was okay backing up Kitna for a year. A true leader would have fought tooth and nail to win that spot on day one and at the very minimum would have said he wanted to play.

I’m no fan of Chad’s. I’ve wanted him gone since ’05 and it’s a mystery to me that he is still on the team. I wish they could of traded him before the draft. But most other teams do not want him and the headaches that he could bring to their franchise! If he does show up for the main camp in July and tries to give Carson a bad time……it would make my year if Carson bounced him off the wall!! Bottom line, they have to pay him but they don’t have to let him on the field or in the locker room! Tampa Bay/John Gruden as coach did that to Keyshon Johnson, isn’t that amazing, they’re cousins, to be a jerk must be in their bloodline!

Hey John,

Thought you were cool…but to purposely stir stuff up is classless. Carson is the leader, he isn’t stirring anything up by talking about a player who refuses to come and practice. Also, you aren’t even on the team and they signed your replacement in Tank Johnson already, so why don’t you just move on a quit trying to gravy train your way into another career by creating a problem that doesn’t exist.

JT
You talk about the emotions getting the best of Carson when asked about Chad. Dont you think the fans are craving some emotion from the franchise player?
From my point of view, the fans are tired of Chad’s act..(Sounds like the locker room is too) I believe we as fans have put up with his act in the past because he put up numbers and made plays….I cant remember the last crucial catch Chad made…(Carolina, a few years ago????) As the way I see it… the “Future HOF” jacket is not even neighborhood, let alone his closet… Prove me wrong MR. Ochocinco!!!
What do you think JT? Am I wrong? “Bengals NUT….Bengals NUT..Bengals NUT!!! ha-ha!!!!