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Chick Ludwig covers the Cincinnati Bengals. He also writes about his other passions: college football, basketball and golf.Home > Blogs > Chick Ludwig At Large > Archives > 2008 > April > 23
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
In defense of Mike Brown (Chad WON’T retire)
CHAD CANNOT, WILL NOT, RETIRE
In a league that prides itself on “parity,” a league that rewards the worst teams with the top draft picks, the Cincinnati Bengals have defied all odds, all logic, all sensibility by making only one playoff appearance in 17 seasons.
So nothing, absolutely nothing, they do surprises me.
Like rejecting the Washington Redskins trade offer for Chad Johnson.
But in defense of Bengals president Mike Brown, I applaud the fact he’s not letting the tail wag the dog in this Chad Johnson saga.
Like Terrell Owens in San Francisco and Philadelphia, and Willis McGahee in Buffalo, Chadly thought he could earn a ticket out of town by criticizing the team, coaches, management, etc., and hurting the owner’s feelings.
It’s not happenin’. Brown gave Johnson a six-year, $35.5 million extension in 2006, and all Brown wants in return is for Chad to live up to his contract agreement, perform to the best of his ability, and help the team win.
WR CORPS WOULD BE ‘CORPSE’
Trading Johnson to a different team not only hurts the Bengals under the salary cap with an $8 million hit, but it destroys the club’s wide receiver corps in 2008.
With Chris Henry already gone, the club can’t afford to lose Johnson, too. That would leave only one impact receiver — T.J. Houshmandzadeh — in the fold. And that would spell doom. Surely, they would draft one or two replacements. But history shows rookie wide receivers struggle in the NFL (Chad suffered a broken collarbone and was limited to 329 receiving yards his 2001 rookie season).
The Bengals expect to be in the playoff hunt this fall. They can’t get to the postseason with a whole new receiver unit. It wouldn’t be a corps. It would be a corpse.
Bottom line: Brown asked Chadly to build his house. Brown isn’t going to let Chadly pour the foundation, then quit. Chadly is only two years into his six-year deal. Four years (2008-11) remain. Heck, the job ain’t even HALF done!
BENGALS WOULD RETAIN CHAD’S RIGHTS
Players only have the power, the upper hand, when they reach free agency. Poor Chadly is still under contract. Either he plays for the Bengals in 2008 — and he will because he wants to get paid — or he retires.
Retirement isn’t an option, either, for Johnson because he’d give up $18.5 million in base salaries and be forced to PAY BACK the prorated portion of his signing bonus, covering the remaining four years he didn’t play.
Oh, yeah, one other thing.
Even in retirement, the Bengals would retain his rights.
Exhibit A: Barry Sanders and the Detroit Lions.
Contact Chick Ludwig at cludwig@daytondailynews.com
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Rejecting Chad trade really no surprise
BAD MEMORIES OF ‘99 DRAFT
As a humble guest on Cincinnati’s WCKY-AM radio (1530 Homer The Sports Animal) on Thursday morning, April 23, I was asked by host Alan Cutler — also known as “The Cut Man” — if I was surprised the Cincinnati Bengals turned down a trade offer by the Washington Redskins for Chad Johnson.
The Redskins had offered the Bengals a first-round draft pick this year and a third-rounder in 2009 that could turn into a first rounder if Johnson reached certain performance levels.
Surprised by the trade snub? No, no, a thousand times, no.
Remember, folks: The Bengals are a franchise that TURNED DOWN New Orleans’ blockbuster trade offer of nine draft picks in 1999 so the Saints could move up from the 12th slot to the Bengals’ No. 3 position.
It was April 17, 1999 — the darkest day in Bengals’ history.
Bengals president Mike Brown spurned the Saints and grabbed Oregon quarterback Akili Smith with the third overall pick that year after Cleveland picked Tim Couch No. 1 and Philadelphia tapped Donovan McNabb No. 2.
Cincinnati turned down ALL six Saints’ picks in 1999, their No. 1s in 2000 and 2001 and their second-rounder in 2002.
That’s how badly, how desperately, the Bengals wanted a franchise QB.
The result?
Smith was terminated on June 2, 2003, after four ugly seasons.
He played 22 games with 17 starts from 1999 through 2002, completing 215 passes in 461 attempts (46.6%) for 2,212 yards, 5 TDs and 13 interceptions and a passer rating of 52.8.
Had the Bengals accepted New Orleans’ offer, they could’ve packed some picks and moved back up in the first round to get either Daunte Culpepper, Champ Bailey. Torry Holt or Chris McAlister.
But they were so ill-prepared to handle such wheeling and dealing. They stood still … and paid the price.
See for yourself what might have been. Check out the 1999 draft by pointing your Web browser to:
http://www.drafthistory.com/years/1999.html
POSTSCRIPT
On the plane ride home from Pittsburgh after the Bengals beat the Steelers, 25-24, on Dec. 20, 1998, head coach Bruce Coslet told Mike Brown, “We can win with (quarterback) Jeff Blake.”
Losers of nine straight, the Bengals squandered a 13-point lead, but rallied to eliminate the Steelers from postseason contention as Blake passed for 367 yards and a touchdown.
Brown said no.
“We are going to draft a quarterback,” Brown told Coslet.
And they did.
They drafted Akili Smith.
Coslet resigned on Sept. 25, 2000 — the day after the Bengals’ 37-0 loss at Baltimore — three games deep into the season.
I’ll never forget Baltimore defensive end Rob Burnett’s sack on Smith.
Burnett hit Smith so hard that the ball was embedded in his Smith’s chest.
From the press box, Smith collapsed backward so quickly that it looked as if a sniper’s bullet had taken him down.
I spoke with Burnett a few years ago at Marvin Lewis’ charity golf tournament at Shaker Run.
Burnett recalled the sack.
“I’m still mad that he (Smith) didn’t fumble the ball,” Burnett said.
Contact Chick Ludwig at cludwig@daytondailynews.com
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