Chad Johnson at NFL.com Chad Johnson (born January 9, 1978 in Miami, Florida) is an American football player who plays wide receiver for the National Football League's Cincinnati Bengals. He was drafted out of Oregon State by the Bengals with the fifth pick in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He was a teammate of current Bengals wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh while at Oregon State. He is also the cousin of Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson and Baltimore Ravens cornerback Samari Rolle.
Johnson is known for his flamboyant playing style and trash talking, which have led to numerous fines being levied against him. He is also known for having a checklist of opposing cornerbacks and judging them on whether they were able to cover him in their matchup. He will only give an opponent a checkmark if they play him in one-on-one man coverage, but they must only beat him on a single play. Johnson has admitted it is more of a self-motivation tool. No opposing players or coaches have publically taken offense to the list as of yet.
Before a game on November 6, 2005, Johnson had created a new list specifically for that game's opponent (the Baltimore Ravens). Before he could show it to the media, though, it was replaced by a list created by head coach Marvin Lewis which asked:
- Did 85 do everything he could to lead his Team to Victory?
- Did he study extra tape?
- Zero mental errors in practice?
- Make a teammate better?
- See all "sights" and "hots" (blitzes)?
- Did he run after the catch?
- Did he finish his blocking?
These new questions delved deeper into the responsibilities of an NFL receiver, reminding Johnson that there is more to his job then simply getting open on the field and catching the football. His original list for that week was posted in his locker in Baltimore when he arrived at the stadium. Johnson took Lewis' list to heart and performed well during the game, gaining 91 yards on 5 catches, mostly against double coverage schemes. Since then his first "85 in 2005" list returned to its normal spot.
He was named to the Pro Bowl in 2003, 2004, and 2005, and has amassed over 1,100 receiving yards in four of his first five seasons. In 2003, he set a Bengals record with 1,355 receiving yards, and later surpassed it in the 2005 season, recording 1,432 yards.
The Pepto Bismol incident
In 2003, Johnson guaranteed a win over the previously unbeaten Kansas City Chiefs — a promise which he helped realize. However, one antic which backfired was the infamous Pepto Bismol incident. Before the Bengals' October 17, 2004 meeting against their in-state rivals, the Cleveland Browns, Johnson sent the Browns' starting defensive backs: cornerbacks Daylon McCutcheon and Anthony Henry and safeties Robert Griffith and Earl Little each a bottle of the pink stuff, which is marketed by the Cincinnati-based Proctor and Gamble Company. Johnson's intent was to say that he was going to make them sick. Johnson claimed that it was not meant personally. "It's a little something to add some flavor to the game... it's nothing personal and I know they didn't take it that way."
Rather than be angry, Daylon McCutcheon put the incident off as Chad Johnson simply being Chad Johnson. As he told the Associated Press, "I think for the most part, (Johnson) is not an in-your-face guy. He just likes to have fun. He enjoys playing football. He's a jokester."
The Browns held Johnson to just three receptions and no touchdowns, and won the game 34-17. However the Bengals won the next game between the two teams (A 58-48 victory in the second highest scoring game in NFL history), and Johnson had a great performance, recording 7 receptions for 117 yards and a touchdown.
What's commonly overlooked is that this incident coincided with a breast cancer awareness program that Pepto Bismol was running at the time. Johnson had hoped the national coverage would bring more attention to it, but it was rarely mentioned before or after his disappointing performance.
Chad's riddle
Chad Johnson has a riddle for every team's defense that he goes up against. He always asks the same question, which is, "How do you stop 85?" (since his jersey number is 85 and for most of the time, he manages to out-do defenders and catch touchdown passes).
On December 11, 2005, Johnson was held to just 22 yards on only 2 catches in a win over the Cleveland Browns, one of his worst performances stat-wise in his career. He therefore gave the Browns secondary multiple "Yes" checkmarks, the first of the season.
Examples of Johnson's celebrations and quotes
Geico quote
Before a game against the Green Bay Packers, Johnson spoke about his upcoming matchup with Packers defensive back Al Harris. Johnson joked, "Well, the bad news for him is that he has to cover me this Sunday. The good news is that he can save up to ten percent by switching to Geico." This was actually a misquote of Geico's slogan, which is "save up to fifteen percent on your car insurance by switching to Geico." No one, including Harris, took offense to the comment and accepted it as a joke.
Riverdance
During the September 25, 2005 game versus the Chicago Bears, Chad Johnson danced a jig after a touchdown catch. The jig is a reference to the final scene in The Last Boy Scout where Bruce Willis does an irish jig after killing his nemesis among the support beams of a football stadium. Both Johnson and Willis appeared on their stadiums' respective jumbotrons while dancing their jigs. He has since asked local media from Cincinnati and opposing cities for suggestions for his touchdown dances in the following games.
The proposal
During the November 20, 2005 game versus the Indianapolis Colts, Chad Johnson celebrated his 68-yard touchdown catch from Carson Palmer by seemingly proposing to a Cincinnati Bengals cheerleader on the sidelines. Even though it was later revealed that he didn't even find out her name until after the game was over, she immediately "accepted" his mock proposal and they both embraced. After that, he walked over to the Bengals sideline and held up a sign reading "T.O. I got you baby", referring to Philadelphia Eagles receiver Terrell Owens, who is also known for coming up with unique touchdown celebrations, one of them involving taking the pom-poms from a cheerleader and waving them around. At the time, Owens was suspended from the Eagles due to off field problems, and Johnson's sign was meant to be a show of support for him.
Putting
During the November 27, 2005 game versus the Baltimore Ravens, Johnson celebrated his 66-yard touchdown catch by putting the football using the red endzone marker (pylon) as a putter. Following his putt of the ball he proceeded to make a Tiger Woods-like fist pump. Johnson later said this was meant to be a tribute to Woods, whom he greatly respects. Johnson was fined $5,000 for this particular celebration.
The non-celebration
During the December 18, 2005 game versus the Detroit Lions, Johnson did not flamboyantly celebrate his touchdown. After he scored, Johnson said, he asked fellow receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh what he should do. The crowd, full of Cincinnati fans, booed when Johnson didn't do anything outrageous and chose to simply hand the ball to a referee. "The game we played today was of too much importance for me to even celebrate, but I got something next week since we won the division." Johnson said he wasn't paying tribute to former Lions running back Barry Sanders, who routinely handed the ball to an official after scoring.[1]
Greatest celebration ever?
Johnson promised that he would have "the greatest celebration ever" if he got a touchdown in the Bengals' December 24, 2005 game against the Buffalo Bills. "On the highway, I hit a deer," "I kept him. He's at home in the garage. I'm going to use him for the celebration this weekend. He's a prop. They might suspend me for the last game, but I think this one is worth it." Johnson did score a touchdown in the game, but no deer appeared. Instead, Johnson celebrated his touchdown catch by running over to his sideline, grabbing presents from a gigantic Christmas stocking, and throwing autographed AFC North champion shirts, hats, jerseys, and footballs to the crowd.