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05-17-2007, 12:48 PM
They're all criminals? The only thing criminal here is that he wasn't around to bring Christmas gifts to Children's while I was in there!!!
Chad Johnson[Image: http://assets.bengals.com/images/relatedicon.gif], who has the stat line of a lifetime, lives it.
Some players help kids.
Johnson, the Bengalsâ perennial Pro Bowl wide receiver, is a kid himself (âIâll never change," he says) and thatâs why the last couple of years heâs bought every kid in Childrenâs Hospital a Christmas gift.
âI donât know how they do it,â says Johnson, who isnât a detail guy. âBut they get them over there. Thatâs how I want it done; under the radar.â
There were only a few details Johnson had down pat at Wednesdayâs news conference announcing his first football camp for kids.
But they were the biggest and best.
âIâll be there for all three hours for all three days,â he said, and heâll send 50 of them himself at $169 a pop while his sponsors send another needy 50.
Later, he remembered those youthful days in Miami when he went to every camp he could get into. He can still remember one of those University of Miami camps when the big star named Ray Lewis told the Little Chad he was going to be a good player.
âI didnât know anything,â he says. âI was just fast. I had no technique, no nothing.â
He also canât remember how he got the money to get into the camps because he doesnât remember his grandmother having enough to foot the bill.
âParents find a way,â he says, âand it paid off.â
âIt gives a kid a chance in the city for me to interact with and show them what I see out there on Sundays and, of course, help add to their game,â he says. âThis is when it started for me when I was young. Third grade. Fourth. Fifth. Sixth. All the way to 10th grade. Iâm sure there are going to be things Iâll be able to offer that theyâll be able to keep and help them along with their game.â
The kidâs love became his life.
Whether itâs making out cuts on unsuspecting mall shoppers, cradling a honeydew melon in the fruit aisle like it was a first down, or bugging new receivers coach Mike Sheppard for more reps in a forgettable voluntary camp practice, Johnson still canât get enough football at age 29 and four straight AFC receiving titles.
âWhat else,â he asks, âis there?â
Well, there is helping kids like him get there, and weâre talking a long haul up Mount Goodell with Johnsonâs Hall of Fame coordinates.
If Johnson continues to average the annual 1,358 yards he has averaged on balls from Carson Palmer the last three seasons, heâll finish his current Bengals contract in 2011 with 13,717. Which would be sixth place on todayâs all-time NFL list.
That would be in his 11th season and only Jerry Rice with more than 15,000 would have more receiving yards than Johnson in his first 11 seasons. The Coltsâ Marvin Harrison just finished his 11th season with 13,697.
And here is a guy running around with four Pro Bowls sneaking into huddles to get more reps than the college free agents as if he was still the little kid hoping Ray Lewis would notice him.
PROJECTED GLORY: The NFLâs current Top 10 yardage receivers with Chad Johnson[Image: http://assets.bengals.com/images/relatedicon.gif]âs projected yearly average of 1,358 yards from Carson Palmer through the life of his contract ending in 2011:
1. Jerry Rice: 22,895 yards in 20 years
2. Tim Brown: 14,934 yards in 17 years
3. James Lofton: 14,004 yards in 16 years
4. Cris Carter: 13,899 yards in 16 years
5. Henry Ellard: 13,777 yards in 16 years
6. Chad Johnson[Image: http://assets.bengals.com/images/relatedicon.gif]: 13,716 yards in 11 years
7. Marvin Harrison: 13,697 yards in 11 years
8. Isaac Bruce: 13,376 yards in 13 years
9. Andre Reed: 13,198 yards in 16 years
10. Steve Largent: 13,098 yards in 14 years
âThey pulled me back today,â Johnson says. âI think Iâm about to get cut.â
Sheppard shakes his head. He had heard of Johnsonâs, uh, independent streak and they didnât get off to the smoothest of starts when Johnson proudly told a radio show at the Super Bowl that he had phoned Sheppard at four one morning to introduce himself.
Power play? Knowing Johnson, just play.
âThereâs a new kick every day,â says Sheppard, who has now seen for himself the intensity and passion on a 9-route in May against guys who will be watching on TV in September. âI love the guy. How can you not love him? What I love is his enthusiasm for the game.â
Sheppard remembers his first year coaching receivers in the NFL back with the Bill Belichick Cleveland Browns of the mid-1990s. There was a hanger-on named Keenan McCardell who didnât have near the talent of Johnson but he had the same work ethic and jumped in every drill and scratched for every rep even if it was for the scout team.
âHe became a pretty good receiver,â says Sheppard of a guy who himself is in the NFLâs all-time top 15 for receptions. âI think the great ones share that same kind of quality. They love it.â
This has been a tough time for Johnson, whose squeaky clean image in the community is taking a pounding with a lawsuit that alleges he held a raffle for a Lexus and gave it to his girlfriend.
He says he had no idea the Funny Bone Comedy Club had turned the thing into a raffle after 16 weeks he randomly gave out 10 tickets to strangers as well as paying for their flights and hotels to away games.
If that sounds outrageously generous, well, it is because thatâs how he does it. He throws a Fourth of July party for his daughters that is basically a street bash for his neighborhood down in Liberty City in Miami. If he hears youâre coming to visit him, be it for work or pleasure, he offers to put you up at the chic Pelican Hotel in South Beach. Draft Day â06 he squired first pick Johnathan Joseph around town.
And then there is Childrenâs Hospital, where Christmas is a gift with Johnson around.
âYou see a guy like Chad Johnson[Image: http://assets.bengals.com/images/relatedicon.gif] and what he does on the field and heâs just completely different with the kids here. Heâs tremendous,â says Lisa Hall, administrator for child life at Childrenâs.
He feels like his good nature has been taken advantage of. Heâll fight the suit for his name, but he vows to never change.
There are football and the kids and somehow you canât separate them because it is keeping the heart of a kid that has given Johnson an adult size career. âI love it. I sleep it. I dream it,â he says for the kid in all of us.
Chad Johnson[Image: http://assets.bengals.com/images/relatedicon.gif], who has the stat line of a lifetime, lives it.
Some players help kids.
Johnson, the Bengalsâ perennial Pro Bowl wide receiver, is a kid himself (âIâll never change," he says) and thatâs why the last couple of years heâs bought every kid in Childrenâs Hospital a Christmas gift.
âI donât know how they do it,â says Johnson, who isnât a detail guy. âBut they get them over there. Thatâs how I want it done; under the radar.â
There were only a few details Johnson had down pat at Wednesdayâs news conference announcing his first football camp for kids.
But they were the biggest and best.
âIâll be there for all three hours for all three days,â he said, and heâll send 50 of them himself at $169 a pop while his sponsors send another needy 50.
Later, he remembered those youthful days in Miami when he went to every camp he could get into. He can still remember one of those University of Miami camps when the big star named Ray Lewis told the Little Chad he was going to be a good player.
âI didnât know anything,â he says. âI was just fast. I had no technique, no nothing.â
He also canât remember how he got the money to get into the camps because he doesnât remember his grandmother having enough to foot the bill.
âParents find a way,â he says, âand it paid off.â
âIt gives a kid a chance in the city for me to interact with and show them what I see out there on Sundays and, of course, help add to their game,â he says. âThis is when it started for me when I was young. Third grade. Fourth. Fifth. Sixth. All the way to 10th grade. Iâm sure there are going to be things Iâll be able to offer that theyâll be able to keep and help them along with their game.â
The kidâs love became his life.
Whether itâs making out cuts on unsuspecting mall shoppers, cradling a honeydew melon in the fruit aisle like it was a first down, or bugging new receivers coach Mike Sheppard for more reps in a forgettable voluntary camp practice, Johnson still canât get enough football at age 29 and four straight AFC receiving titles.
âWhat else,â he asks, âis there?â
Well, there is helping kids like him get there, and weâre talking a long haul up Mount Goodell with Johnsonâs Hall of Fame coordinates.
If Johnson continues to average the annual 1,358 yards he has averaged on balls from Carson Palmer the last three seasons, heâll finish his current Bengals contract in 2011 with 13,717. Which would be sixth place on todayâs all-time NFL list.
That would be in his 11th season and only Jerry Rice with more than 15,000 would have more receiving yards than Johnson in his first 11 seasons. The Coltsâ Marvin Harrison just finished his 11th season with 13,697.
And here is a guy running around with four Pro Bowls sneaking into huddles to get more reps than the college free agents as if he was still the little kid hoping Ray Lewis would notice him.
PROJECTED GLORY: The NFLâs current Top 10 yardage receivers with Chad Johnson[Image: http://assets.bengals.com/images/relatedicon.gif]âs projected yearly average of 1,358 yards from Carson Palmer through the life of his contract ending in 2011:
1. Jerry Rice: 22,895 yards in 20 years
2. Tim Brown: 14,934 yards in 17 years
3. James Lofton: 14,004 yards in 16 years
4. Cris Carter: 13,899 yards in 16 years
5. Henry Ellard: 13,777 yards in 16 years
6. Chad Johnson[Image: http://assets.bengals.com/images/relatedicon.gif]: 13,716 yards in 11 years
7. Marvin Harrison: 13,697 yards in 11 years
8. Isaac Bruce: 13,376 yards in 13 years
9. Andre Reed: 13,198 yards in 16 years
10. Steve Largent: 13,098 yards in 14 years
âThey pulled me back today,â Johnson says. âI think Iâm about to get cut.â
Sheppard shakes his head. He had heard of Johnsonâs, uh, independent streak and they didnât get off to the smoothest of starts when Johnson proudly told a radio show at the Super Bowl that he had phoned Sheppard at four one morning to introduce himself.
Power play? Knowing Johnson, just play.
âThereâs a new kick every day,â says Sheppard, who has now seen for himself the intensity and passion on a 9-route in May against guys who will be watching on TV in September. âI love the guy. How can you not love him? What I love is his enthusiasm for the game.â
Sheppard remembers his first year coaching receivers in the NFL back with the Bill Belichick Cleveland Browns of the mid-1990s. There was a hanger-on named Keenan McCardell who didnât have near the talent of Johnson but he had the same work ethic and jumped in every drill and scratched for every rep even if it was for the scout team.
âHe became a pretty good receiver,â says Sheppard of a guy who himself is in the NFLâs all-time top 15 for receptions. âI think the great ones share that same kind of quality. They love it.â
This has been a tough time for Johnson, whose squeaky clean image in the community is taking a pounding with a lawsuit that alleges he held a raffle for a Lexus and gave it to his girlfriend.
He says he had no idea the Funny Bone Comedy Club had turned the thing into a raffle after 16 weeks he randomly gave out 10 tickets to strangers as well as paying for their flights and hotels to away games.
If that sounds outrageously generous, well, it is because thatâs how he does it. He throws a Fourth of July party for his daughters that is basically a street bash for his neighborhood down in Liberty City in Miami. If he hears youâre coming to visit him, be it for work or pleasure, he offers to put you up at the chic Pelican Hotel in South Beach. Draft Day â06 he squired first pick Johnathan Joseph around town.
And then there is Childrenâs Hospital, where Christmas is a gift with Johnson around.
âYou see a guy like Chad Johnson[Image: http://assets.bengals.com/images/relatedicon.gif] and what he does on the field and heâs just completely different with the kids here. Heâs tremendous,â says Lisa Hall, administrator for child life at Childrenâs.
He feels like his good nature has been taken advantage of. Heâll fight the suit for his name, but he vows to never change.
There are football and the kids and somehow you canât separate them because it is keeping the heart of a kid that has given Johnson an adult size career. âI love it. I sleep it. I dream it,â he says for the kid in all of us.
QB Challenge Champion, Just Pitching Champion, Midi Golf Champion- My Greatest Accomplishments in Life
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05-18-2007, 07:52 PM
Great article about Chad BFritz.....thanks for posting it.
05-19-2007, 01:30 PM
bizmark Wrote:ok ok this si a good story. and not tryin to rain on your parade or nothin but a backer for cincy named nicholson was just arrested for a domestic disupte. so yeah, some of em are good people.
He wasn't currently on the team, and it would have been a long shot for him to make the team with all the new backers they're bringing in.
QB Challenge Champion, Just Pitching Champion, Midi Golf Champion- My Greatest Accomplishments in Life
05-19-2007, 03:24 PM
BFritz Wrote:He wasn't currently on the team, and it would have been a long shot for him to make the team with all the new backers they're bringing in.
Plus.....he was one of those that had been arrested before. So it's not like theres a new guy getting in trouble.
05-20-2007, 02:09 AM
Bengal Cat Wrote:Plus.....he was one of those that had been arrested before. So it's not like theres a new guy getting in trouble.
Exactly, so it's nothing to write home about, or even mention in a casual conversation about the Bengals.
QB Challenge Champion, Just Pitching Champion, Midi Golf Champion- My Greatest Accomplishments in Life
05-20-2007, 06:19 PM
They sure need array of sun shine!
05-20-2007, 08:03 PM
I like Chad Johnson 14 games out of the year, lol...he is one of my favorite players to WATCH, until they play my Steelers..but, he really is a good guy, or seems to be. He's definitely a credit to the Cincy organization..and when he gets fined for his touchdown celebration, the organization should pitch in and pay his fines, lol..
05-20-2007, 08:28 PM
Very good story to read. NFL needs more positive influences like this.
05-20-2007, 10:10 PM
TidesHoss32 Wrote:I like Chad Johnson 14 games out of the year, lol...he is one of my favorite players to WATCH, until they play my Steelers..but, he really is a good guy, or seems to be. He's definitely a credit to the Cincy organization..and when he gets fined for his touchdown celebration, the organization should pitch in and pay his fines, lol..
Everybody should pitch in and pay his fines.
He's so awesome, he doesn't care about paying the fines, and it's not cause he's a punk or anything, he just knows the fans love it, and he's not hurting anyone.
QB Challenge Champion, Just Pitching Champion, Midi Golf Champion- My Greatest Accomplishments in Life
05-21-2007, 02:02 PM
Obviously only a small percentage of the players are thugs. The problem with the Bengals (and I'm a lifelong fan) is that the team seems to have more than their share. For all the positive stories which don't get much attention you have the Nicholson story. And now it appears Chris Henry has failed another drug test. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a...10040/1066
The team has to get rid of the bad guys on the roster. Listening to Willie Anderson during his postgame interview following the finale last year you could tell how frustrated he was by some of the selfishness on the team & how it hindered their chances to win.
The team has to get rid of the bad guys on the roster. Listening to Willie Anderson during his postgame interview following the finale last year you could tell how frustrated he was by some of the selfishness on the team & how it hindered their chances to win.
05-21-2007, 10:24 PM
GB1 Wrote:Obviously only a small percentage of the players are thugs. The problem with the Bengals (and I'm a lifelong fan) is that the team seems to have more than their share. For all the positive stories which don't get much attention you have the Nicholson story. And now it appears Chris Henry has failed another drug test. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a...10040/1066
The team has to get rid of the bad guys on the roster. Listening to Willie Anderson during his postgame interview following the finale last year you could tell how frustrated he was by some of the selfishness on the team & how it hindered their chances to win.
I think the Bengals are taking huge strides to stop all the off field problems. As a Bengals fan, I want it cleaned up also & I think they are trying very hard to do that.
But the perception that everyone on the team is a thug, is silly. Just like when Dick Vitale made reference to UK fans being "wacky" because a select few put For Sale signs on Tubbys lawn. Just because I'm part of the UK fan base doesn't mean I'm wacky. Truth is, most of the Bengal players are active members of the community. They strive to help those in need and try to give back and share their good fortune with others. Im not trying to sound like a United Way commercial here, but its true.
Sort of reminds me of the war in Iraq. Sure its a mess, not trying to deny that. But when something bad happens its front page from coast to coast. When something good happens, you might find it on the 4th page in a small paragraph.
Everyones entitled to their opinion, so am I. Being the huge Bengal fan that I am, I'd just like everyone to look at both sides. And I guarantee you, when it comes to the Bengal players, the good out weighs the bad and its not even close.
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