Chad Johnson to have Miami homecoming
DAVIE — Chad Johnson has had this game circled on his calendar for 11 years.
The Cincinnati Bengals star receiver didn´t play in front of his hometown Miami fans when he was at Santa Monica Junior College or Oregon State. He entered the NFL in 2001, yet the Bengals have played the Dolphins just once since, a 2004 game in Cincinnati.
Finally on Sunday, the Bengals play in Miami and Johnson will have 120 people in the stands, all wearing his No. 85 jersey.
"No one has seen me play since 1996 at Miami Beach Senior High," said Johnson, who grew up in the Miami neighborhood of Liberty City. "My grandmother hasn´t been able to come. My mom has been twice in seven years. But this is a chance where everybody can come and see me - friends, family, coaches, pastors, people from the church. Just everyone throughout my entire life."
Johnson is so excited for this game - even as he called Cincinnati´s 6-9 season "super disappointing" - that he ended his self-imposed vow of silence Wednesday.
Johnson, one of the league´s most flamboyant and controversial players, had not conducted a media interview in nearly two months, an unheard of silence for the man who once dubbed himself "Ocho Cinco" and fashioned a bleach-blond Mohawk.
The Bengals were 2-6 and in last place in the AFC North - with Johnson and his brash personality taking most of the blame - when he decided to quit talking to the media
Suddenly his antics and smack talk were signs of an out-of-control team, and fans and media began to question if Johnson was worth the trouble.
"It´s just been a very hurtful year for me," Johnson said. "All I want to do is win, and people are taking the way I play the game and approach the game as a negative and trying to twist it into the reason why we´re not being successful."
"The way I play the game and the passion that I play the game with has been turned into a negative because we´re not winning. So now I´m the bad guy."
On the surface, Johnson´s numbers are on par with years past, with 89 catches for 1,309 and six touchdowns. But his streak of four consecutive Pro Bowl selections came to an end this season, largely because of his inconsistency. He has just three 100-yard games and just three games with a TD catch.
Johnson, a seven-year veteran, has four years and almost $18 million in base salary remaining on his contract but doesn´t know how long he will be in Cincinnati. He is the team´s all-time leader in receiving yards but is upset that he has played in just one playoff game.
He may even welcome a move to his hometown Dolphins.
"Hey, that would be cool. Where´s (Bill) Parcells at?" Johnson asked. "I need to win now. I´ve done a lot of things, I´ve broken a lot of records here, I got the yards, I´ve been to the Pro Bowl, and I´m kind of fed up with the same thing every year."
Johnson made every Pro Bowl from 2003-06 and has had 1,000 yards receiving every year since his rookie season. But he is perhaps most famous for his touchdown celebrations - whether it´s performing CPR on the football, or using the pylon to putt the football, or performing a surprisingly solid rendition of Michael Flatley´s Riverdance.
His opponents Sunday won´t mind if Johnson has a little fun at their expense.
"I enjoy seeing it - not when he´s playing against us, of course - but I think it´s comical," Dolphins defensive back Jason Allen said. "The thing about it is once he does something, and somebody on defense makes a play, we´re going to mock him."
Johnson has been quiet with his celebrations this season, but promises big things Sunday.
"I´m coming home to exhale. I´m coming home to let it all out," Johnson said. "Why not? It´s the last game, and I haven´t played in Miami since 1996."
Ocho Cinco aux Dolphins, si y´a Anderson ca peut faire un duo sympa non?
Moi je serais pas contre
