The NFL draft has come and gone, as has the deadline for this deadline, and Chad Johnson is still in stripes and still unhappy. The Bengals came out early and said they have a plan with Johnson and without him, these plans materialized over this past weekend. Cincinnati drafted three wideouts, including two potential standouts in Andre Caldwell out of Florida and Jermone Simpson out of Coastal Carolina. With their last pick, Cincinnati chose another wideout in Mario Urrutia, a solid complimentary wide receiver out of Louisville. The Bengals also added Matt Sherry, a receiving threat at tight end from Villanova. With the addition of Sherry and the free agent aquisition of Ben Utecht, the Bengals have left their traditional run-blocking TE ways of the past. So that leaves the Bengals with a wide-open, young offensive unit and Chad Johnson sitting on his ass, watching people who actually still have love for the game of football.
This situation leaves the Bengals with a marketing issue. Chad Johnson used to have the number one selling jersey in the NFL. Now the Bengals have to try to sell a jersey of a player who will most likely not be with the team after next season. Perhaps they could market a number 85 seat cushion, or maybe a joint venture with La-z-boy to create the Chad Johnson signature collection. The chair could be made out of actual money for that authentic Ocho Cinco feel of sitting on cash while not doing anything productive except occasionally pissing and moaning about the way things are going, but not actually doing anything productive to change it. The fact of the matter is that, without Chad, the Bengals have no stars. They have productive players, the occasional pro bowlers, and even an aging Super Bowl MVP, but none have star potential and Dexter Jackson has reached the age that he gets confused about what sport he is actually playing, where he lives, and occasionally is caught weeping in the locker room when he can’t remember where he put his helmet. Although I love Carson, Rudi, and TJ, none of them have that super star potential. Another issue with the Chad Johnson situation is the fact that fans tend to take sides. The rational fans side with the Bengals while the idiots, and yes, my city has its fair share, side with Chad. This split may hurt ticket and merchandise sales because, quite simply, Chad sells tickets. He provides the entertainment that keeps casual fans hooked. This also causes fans to blame the opposing parties. Fans either blame Chad or the organization, but I am here to present an alternative. Let’s blame, better yet, let’s hate Drew Rosenhaus for this situation. For those of you that don’t know, Rosenhaus is an NFL “power agent” that represents such disgruntled talent as T.O., CJ, and Jermemy Shockey. He is also the obnoxious prick that is a tumor to the NFL. He signs players, asks organizations for more money, then asks for even more money, and then demands a trade. He is, minus Ryan Leaf and Ed Hochuli’s arms bulging from his two sizes too small referee jersey, the worst thing that has happened to the NFL.
Well Chad, here we are. When you started your rise to stardom, you said you wanted to be the next T.O. I don’t know if you’ve reached the skill level of Owens, but you are definetly closing the gap in the overpaid, overrated, loud-mouthed, and most likely to cause an entire city to hate you categories. Congratulations, that’s quite an achievement.
