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Marvin and Chad make up
After an offseason of controversy, coach and star receiver are ready to play football again.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
CINCINNATI — Amid all the offseason controversy involving Chad Johnson — his request to be traded that escalated into a demand — Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis never got a call from his star receiver until recently.
Now Johnson is overloading Lewis' cell phone with text messages, a positive sign the two are growing closer.
Like an ol' married couple, the player and coach have patched things up in time for the Bengals' Sunday, July 27, arrival at Georgetown (Ky.) College for training camp.
"It's time to play football and get ready to play football. That's what he does," Lewis said at the club's pre-training camp luncheon in the East Club Lounge at Paul Brown Stadium on Tuesday. "He's a very, very good player. I'm excited for him to cleanse his mind and get back to having fun."
Johnson is keeping Lewis abreast of his surgically repaired right ankle. The lateness of the operation (June 18) has Johnson concerned he'll be limited.
"He's nervous about it," Lewis added. "That's why you pay attention to those things in January or February, when you're done (with the season). We took this one a little later, and we'll make the best of it. You have to adjust to it. He'll be fine.
"He wants to be 100 percent healthy an hour after the surgery. As I told him, 'Less may be better.' He's trying to take every snap, and less may be better. That'll be a good thing."
But can the club's relationship with Johnson be healed?
"I consider it healed, being a miracle worker," Bengals president Mike Brown said. "It was a rough patch. I wish it could've been avoided. But it's behind us now."
