DarrylStingley
Boston Sports
For anyone who has been a Pats fan since before the Tuna arrived, and maybe even those who started following the team during the Pumped and Jacked Era, things like Chad Johnson saying he wants to come to the Patriots...and Bill Belichick is like a father to him, a man he just loves (are you reading this, you soap box idiots who babble about BB being evil, etc?) never get old.
Johnson is talking about the NE Patriots! Clive Rush! Chuckie Sullivan! Michael Jackson's Victory Tour! Chuck Fairbanks! Zeke Mowatt's member! Victor Kiam! The classic bitch. Rampant cocaine use on the SB losing 86 Pats! Tony Eason playing that game in a skirt! 1-15!
That's the franchise that Chad Johnson is talking about...only now it's different. Now it's on the verge of something ridiculous. Now it's mentioned in the same breath as the Cowboys, Nineers and Steelers. Favorably.
And that's the ultimate irony in all the asswipes talking about how Pats fans are arrogant. Those asswipes are soooooooo stupid and just don't get it. Sure, there are some bandwagoners or younger fans who only know the good times.
First, I love those fans too -- they're part of the Pats fan group and who cares if they are new? They have the good sense to root for this wonderful team. Good for them and good for us.
But the real deal is that for every one of those newbies, there are five people like me. People who read Chad Johnson's comments and do a double take. "He's talking about the Patriots?!?!"
Anyway, here's what Johnson said in today's Globe, courtesy of the great Mike Reiss. Enjoy.
*****
He'd like to catch on in Foxborough
By Mike Reiss, Globe Staff | January 31, 2008
PHOENIX - The Patriots made an unexpected splash trading for Randy Moss last April. Might Bengals receiver Chad Johnson be next?
The thought was tantalizing to Johnson yesterday at Super Bowl XLII.
"It would be fun; I would love to play there," he said. "But right now, I'm in Cincinnati. That's where I am."
Johnson, one of the NFL's top pass catchers, doesn't seem happy about that.
As part of his role as a pitchman for Degree, the personable and outspoken Johnson conducted several interviews at Super Bowl media headquarters yesterday, and it wasn't difficult to detect the frustration he's experiencing with the Bengals. He was passively campaigning for a trade.
While Johnson has expressed interest in playing for other clubs, this is believed to be the first time he's openly conveyed his desire to land in New England.
When approached by a Boston reporter, Johnson said: "I'm going to be playing for your team next year." When the reporter laughed, Johnson put his hands together as if he were praying and looked to the heavens.
Johnson has little leverage, but might be trying to create a stir to force the Bengals' hand. In April 2006, he signed an extension through 2011, and top Bengals officials have stated he is not on the trading block.
Johnson's frustration stems from a lack of victories, and in a radio interview on "The Jim Rome Show" yesterday, he noted that he didn't feel everyone in the Bengals organization was fully supportive of him. Asked to elaborate later in the day, Johnson said: "I don't want to talk about it anymore."
But he was more than willing to speak about Moss, adding that the former Viking and Raider landed in a situation he would envy.
"He was given an opportunity to win," Johnson said. "You really know what you're going to get when you enter an organization like that, one that has won for a long period of time. He got the opportunity and got himself out of a bad situation he was in, and got to a good one."
To do so, Moss accepted a reduction in salary, signing a one-year, $3 million deal with an additional $2 million in incentives. If a trade for Johnson were to come to fruition, financial considerations wouldn't be as much of a factor.
Johnson is due a manageable base salary of $3 million in 2008. His deal also includes a $250,000 workout bonus, with $300,000 in incentives. The base salaries are $4.5 million in 2009, $5 million in 2010, and $6 million in 2011.
Considering that the "franchise" salary for top receivers was $7.6 million in 2007, Johnson would be a financial value for any club.
The Patriots' receiving situation has an uncertain forecast.
Moss is a free agent, and while he's expressed his desire to return, those words will truly hold meaning once the negotiating process begins. The sides cannot consummate a deal until early March - when the new NFL year starts - because Moss restructured his deal within the current league year and players can only restructure or extend their contracts once a season.
Donte' Stallworth has $8 million worth of option bonuses due in February, and it's unlikely the Patriots will exercise them, which would make him a free agent.
Kelley Washington has a more manageable $4 million option bonus that would extend his contract through 2011, and the question would be whether the team wants to invest that for a top special teams player who participated in only 37 total offensive snaps this season.
Jabar Gaffney is also a free agent, while Troy Brown's deal expires and he could retire.
Only Wes Welker (signed through 2011) and Chad Jackson (2009) are assured of returning to the receiving corps next season.
While trading for Johnson seems like a long shot, consider this hypothetical: The Patriots dangle their first-round draft choice, No. 7 overall, in an attempt to entice the Bengals to deal him.
The Patriots could justify such a move, because they'd have to pay the draft pick about $17 million in bonuses/guarantees, an exorbitant figure for an unproven player. In return, they'd receive a player in his prime coming off a 93-catch season.
Meanwhile, the Bengals might be inclined to make such a swap, adding youth and an impact defensive player (a top need), while at the same time eliminating a distraction.
At this point, it's all fantasy chatter, but what makes it intriguing is that the player involved is generating discussion.
After whistling with glee when asked what it would be like to catch passes from Tom Brady, Johnson touched on his admiration for Bill Belichick.
"I love him. He's like my dad, the dad I never had," Johnson said. "There is just something about it. I never had the chance to work with him except at the Pro Bowl. I just fell in love with the guy. I have a lot of respect for him."
Johnson is talking about the NE Patriots! Clive Rush! Chuckie Sullivan! Michael Jackson's Victory Tour! Chuck Fairbanks! Zeke Mowatt's member! Victor Kiam! The classic bitch. Rampant cocaine use on the SB losing 86 Pats! Tony Eason playing that game in a skirt! 1-15!
That's the franchise that Chad Johnson is talking about...only now it's different. Now it's on the verge of something ridiculous. Now it's mentioned in the same breath as the Cowboys, Nineers and Steelers. Favorably.
And that's the ultimate irony in all the asswipes talking about how Pats fans are arrogant. Those asswipes are soooooooo stupid and just don't get it. Sure, there are some bandwagoners or younger fans who only know the good times.
First, I love those fans too -- they're part of the Pats fan group and who cares if they are new? They have the good sense to root for this wonderful team. Good for them and good for us.
But the real deal is that for every one of those newbies, there are five people like me. People who read Chad Johnson's comments and do a double take. "He's talking about the Patriots?!?!"
Anyway, here's what Johnson said in today's Globe, courtesy of the great Mike Reiss. Enjoy.
*****
He'd like to catch on in Foxborough
By Mike Reiss, Globe Staff | January 31, 2008
PHOENIX - The Patriots made an unexpected splash trading for Randy Moss last April. Might Bengals receiver Chad Johnson be next?
The thought was tantalizing to Johnson yesterday at Super Bowl XLII.
"It would be fun; I would love to play there," he said. "But right now, I'm in Cincinnati. That's where I am."
Johnson, one of the NFL's top pass catchers, doesn't seem happy about that.
As part of his role as a pitchman for Degree, the personable and outspoken Johnson conducted several interviews at Super Bowl media headquarters yesterday, and it wasn't difficult to detect the frustration he's experiencing with the Bengals. He was passively campaigning for a trade.
While Johnson has expressed interest in playing for other clubs, this is believed to be the first time he's openly conveyed his desire to land in New England.
When approached by a Boston reporter, Johnson said: "I'm going to be playing for your team next year." When the reporter laughed, Johnson put his hands together as if he were praying and looked to the heavens.
Johnson has little leverage, but might be trying to create a stir to force the Bengals' hand. In April 2006, he signed an extension through 2011, and top Bengals officials have stated he is not on the trading block.
Johnson's frustration stems from a lack of victories, and in a radio interview on "The Jim Rome Show" yesterday, he noted that he didn't feel everyone in the Bengals organization was fully supportive of him. Asked to elaborate later in the day, Johnson said: "I don't want to talk about it anymore."
But he was more than willing to speak about Moss, adding that the former Viking and Raider landed in a situation he would envy.
"He was given an opportunity to win," Johnson said. "You really know what you're going to get when you enter an organization like that, one that has won for a long period of time. He got the opportunity and got himself out of a bad situation he was in, and got to a good one."
To do so, Moss accepted a reduction in salary, signing a one-year, $3 million deal with an additional $2 million in incentives. If a trade for Johnson were to come to fruition, financial considerations wouldn't be as much of a factor.
Johnson is due a manageable base salary of $3 million in 2008. His deal also includes a $250,000 workout bonus, with $300,000 in incentives. The base salaries are $4.5 million in 2009, $5 million in 2010, and $6 million in 2011.
Considering that the "franchise" salary for top receivers was $7.6 million in 2007, Johnson would be a financial value for any club.
The Patriots' receiving situation has an uncertain forecast.
Moss is a free agent, and while he's expressed his desire to return, those words will truly hold meaning once the negotiating process begins. The sides cannot consummate a deal until early March - when the new NFL year starts - because Moss restructured his deal within the current league year and players can only restructure or extend their contracts once a season.
Donte' Stallworth has $8 million worth of option bonuses due in February, and it's unlikely the Patriots will exercise them, which would make him a free agent.
Kelley Washington has a more manageable $4 million option bonus that would extend his contract through 2011, and the question would be whether the team wants to invest that for a top special teams player who participated in only 37 total offensive snaps this season.
Jabar Gaffney is also a free agent, while Troy Brown's deal expires and he could retire.
Only Wes Welker (signed through 2011) and Chad Jackson (2009) are assured of returning to the receiving corps next season.
While trading for Johnson seems like a long shot, consider this hypothetical: The Patriots dangle their first-round draft choice, No. 7 overall, in an attempt to entice the Bengals to deal him.
The Patriots could justify such a move, because they'd have to pay the draft pick about $17 million in bonuses/guarantees, an exorbitant figure for an unproven player. In return, they'd receive a player in his prime coming off a 93-catch season.
Meanwhile, the Bengals might be inclined to make such a swap, adding youth and an impact defensive player (a top need), while at the same time eliminating a distraction.
At this point, it's all fantasy chatter, but what makes it intriguing is that the player involved is generating discussion.
After whistling with glee when asked what it would be like to catch passes from Tom Brady, Johnson touched on his admiration for Bill Belichick.
"I love him. He's like my dad, the dad I never had," Johnson said. "There is just something about it. I never had the chance to work with him except at the Pro Bowl. I just fell in love with the guy. I have a lot of respect for him."
