If football is a sports kingdom, Chad Johnson is the jester. He rarely takes his job too seriously, and plays with a never-say-die attitude.
By Michael Traikos, Special to Digital Journal
Chad Johnson can run the 40 in 4.27 seconds. But there’s something that runs even faster: his mouth.
The Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver is like the loud-mouthed egoist you never liked playing against in high school. He’s brash, he’s blunt and he’s not afraid to let you know how good he is.
Last season, Johnson kept a laminated list of opposing cornerbacks in his locker. It read: “Who Can Cover 85 in 2005?” Each week, he crossed off a name, first with his sharp tongue, and then with a Sharpie after backing it up on the football field.
Look at what he said about Green Bay Packers cornerback Al Harris: “The bad thing is he has to cover me. The good is he can save 15 per cent by switching his insurance to Geico.”
Now that’s funny. And true.
What is also true is that Johnson, whose Rodman-esque hairstyles and gold-fronted teeth are extensions of his colourful personality, happens to be good for the National Football League — and sports in general.
By bringing whimsical behaviour into the locker room, Johnson is treating his work with the kind of playfulness that’s welcome in any business. Look at Michael Jordan, once known as one of the biggest trash-talkers in sports — like Jordan, Johnson is poking sports in the ribs without tearing his team apart.
“Chad really is harmless,” said Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer. “He’s a little kid at heart and does a lot of things that make you laugh. He just loosens the mood and makes you realize we’re still playing a game.”
And Johnson can play like Jerry Rice reborn. He’s picked up 1,000 receiving yards in five of his first six years in the league and last season he finished first in Pro Bowl voting. He set a club record for most career 100-yard receiving games (21).
“I’m very, very good. To the naked eye it looks like, ‘What more can he do?’” Johnson told Sports Illustrated in a classic moment of ego-stroking.
He also has a few words of wisdom for the young show-offs out there. “If you’re going to do it, do it very cautiously,” Johnson said. “If you’re going to bungee jump, have two cords in case one snaps. I don’t ride anything. I just talk trash. That’s it.”
