There has been a lot of news about receivers of late, but not much from Chad Johnson. With the Bengals hosting the Steelers on Sunday, you'd figure that Ochocinco would have something to chat about.
He does. Johnson thinks that the reason he has caught only 19 passes this season is because he ran his mouth all offseason:
"I think that may be part of why my production is down this year. To rant and rave in the offseason like that and then come back and expect to be productive, or to expect them to use me the same way that they used me in the past, is very unlikely.
"Right now, I made my bed and I have to live in it. ... There is nothing wrong with me, but it is probably deserving because of my actions in the offseason. It is like somewhat of a punishment. When you open your mouth, this is what you get. I understand that. When opportunities come, I am going to make the plays."
No offense, Chad, but I don't think you're reading this right. Are you telling me that the Bengals are trying to sabotage (a) their season and (b) your trade value by intentionally not throwing the ball to you?
It wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that your starting quarterback has an elbow injury that may sideline him for the season or that his backup isn't any good? Could it be that defenses don't respect your running game that they can concentrate on stopping you?
It also could be that T.J. Houshmandzadeh has passed Chad as the Bengals top receiver. Housh has caught twice as many passes for nearly twice as many yards and three times the touchdowns.
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The woe-is-me take doesn't work. Not when the entire offense is struggling and no one deserves any of the limelight. Cincinnati boasts the NFL's worst offense and Ochocinco is just one of many disappointments. That doesn't mean the organization hasn't gone sour on him, just that they wouldn't intentionally screw up the entire season just to prove a point.
"Everything thrown my way, I've caught this year," Ocho Cinco said. "My opportunities have been very, very, very, very, very, very, very slim."
By the way, Chad has only caught 54% of the passes thrown to him.
