Chad Johnson’s Future
Chad Johnson, once the face of the Cincinnati Bengals, is now percieved as somewhat of a bother. He’s made it public that he does not want to be a Bengal any more, and it’s quite apparent that he wants very little to do the with organization. Will Chad come back in 2009 and be the “old” Chad again, or will he again be known as just a big mouth distraction? He has stated that not only will he be back this season, but he will be back to a top notch wideout for the Bengals. In an interview with NFL Network when asked about mini camp, he said “Of course, why not go and show off the product?” When asked if he would be present at the team’s upcoming minicamp 
he continued, “Why not leave my coaches’ mouths wide open? I’m sure all the people in Cincinnati think I’m really not doing that much, but you’ll see the results with the work I’m putting in right now.”
With that being said, Chad is apparently looking to have a breakout 2009 season and become the go to guy once again. Looking at some of Chad’s 2008 stats, he only had 53 receptions and 540 yards. Those stats are career lows since his rookie season. Many sports analysts say that he’s playing for all the wrong reasons and he doesn’t have that same drive and hunger he once had. Chad like usual doesn’t care what the analysts have to say, claiming that “He will be hungrier than ever.”
In my personal opinion, I believe that Chad now thinks that he has something to prove; To the Bengals, the fans, the NFL, and most importantly himself. He’ll be that game changer that has to be accounted for. But, with 2 years left on his contract the question remains, does he still want to be a Cincinnati Bengal?
