Johnson’s Lost Step, and Mind.

Okay, Mr. Brown you’ve proven your point. No one player is going to dictate how you run this team. Last year’s Chad Johnson saga was all about personal and team principals. We got it. We understood. And most of us agreed with you—for once. But now it’s about winning games for the fans, not winning games of cat and mouse with Johnson and his slimy, grimy agent. This year it’s about winning the Division, not facilitating a division within the team.

So, memo to Mike Brown: Get rid of Chad Johnson. Now! Today! Give Johnson a go route out of town before anyone can even finish reading this meaningless blog post!  Because, Mike ... can I call you Mike? ...

Mike, you won. But you lost, too. Yeah, sure, you showed ‘em ... no one player is going to dictate how you run this team. But now it’s way past principal issues. Finally it’s about football, again ... about grading players and generating depth charts, and X’s and O’s. It’s about winning this year, and beyond ... so, c’mon, do you really see Johnson as a lifelong Bengal? If by some insane circumstance you answered ‘yes’ to that question ... another memo to Mike:

There is something deeply wrong with Johnson.

I mean really WRONG with him. I’m not talking about some made-up affliction to sell a new pharma product. Johnson needs help—the kind of help a good QB, running game or position-receiving sidekick can’t provide. As fans we’ve watched Johnson mentally deteriorate over the past few years. When he arrived, he was a 12 year old, emotionally, living in a 23 year old’s body. Today, Johnson functions more at an 8-year-old level.

Yes, The Ocho is getting younger ... in his mind.  Maybe someone here knows what physical condition this is. I don’t. For simplicity’s sake, let’s just call it ChildHeimers—when the brain regresses.

If that isn’t reason enough to cut him, how about this. Our ChildHeimerz suffering WR’s better days are behind him, in a lot of ways. Johnson was good for 2 reasons—he was faster off the line than any WR in the game, which meant he achieved separation fast and early, making it difficult for CBs to recover (most never could). And, because the Bengals always had productive running games and an underneath passing attack that gave him lots of room to roam, and catch, and run. But all that’s changed.

It starts with losing an inch in the 40. Then a few inches. Then a foot. Then a whole step. This has nothing to do with Johnson being certifiable. It has everything to do with his birth certificate. I content it’s not only Johnson’s loss of mental faculties taking him toward mediocrity ... it’s his age. And make no mistake, Johnson will never be a Chris Carter or Jerry Rice type, who was as good or better in their late-30s. To do that requires guile, smarts and maturity. Not Childheimers.

Another memo to Mike: Having children in the stands on game day is good for the future of your team. Lining up children at WR isn’t.