Master of Puppets?

If there is a general feeling of malaise accompanying the current Chad "Ocho Cinco" Johnson fiasco (in retrospect, worst nickname ever), it's probably because we've seen and heard it all before.  Quick: aside from being Pro Football players, what two key things do Terell Owens, Lance Briggs, Willis McGahee, and Chad Johnson all have in common?  They have all threatened to hold out (or gone through with it), and they have all retained the relentless services of super-agent/d-bag Drew Rosenhaus. 

Think about this for a second.  Who stands to profit from a Chad Johson trade, other than #85 himself?  Might that be his agent, the same guy who orchestrated a trade for Willis McGahee and Terrell Owens, the same man who got Lance Briggs a contract extension in Chicago after greasing the wheels with a Redskins' contract?  That answer to that run-on sentence is, yes, Rosenhaus stands to profit, and profit well.  The way it stands now, Chad has four years left on his contract (which he signed a mere two years ago), which has since fallen below market value.  The BEST thing for an agent is to renegotiate a contract because they know it will always be higher than the previous contract when dealing with elite talent. 

Chad has clearly been unhappy over the past two seasons, but there is no doubt in my mind that Rosenhaus has completely become the Svengali here, whispering vague flatteries in Chad's ear, telling him that he's under-paid, under-appreciated, and has no chance of winning.  Is it true?  Maybe.  But guess what, you signed a contract, buddy.  You were pretty stoked about it entering the 2006 season, so why, two years later, should the Bengals pay you more? 

The real irony in all of this is that Rosenhaus--so slick and inventive in his dealings--may have met his match in the most immovable, obstinate force in Pro Football ownership: Mike Brown.  As I've written previously, Mike Brown wrote the book on standing up to players like Chad--see Carl Pickens and Corey Dillon.  Neither one of those guys got out of Cincinnati with any tread left on the tires, so don't expect Chad to get out any sooner. 

Lest anyone think I'm defending the recent actions by Chad Johnson and attributing them all to Rosenhaus, let me say this: Chad, you have stepped over the line, like Smokey in The Big Lebowski. We will not mark it 8, dude.  You want to criticize the organization?  We beat you to that.  You want to call out one of your thug teammates for damaging the team?  Go right ahead.  But you have not, under any circumstances, earned the right to criticize Carson Palmer.  I will go to the mat on that one any day. 

Carson Palmer has never once--not ever--pointed the finger at Chad when something goes wrong.  He is by far the most talented and most important part of the Cincinnati Bengals franchise, and yet he remains it's most humble and unselfish player.  The man had his knee completely shredded in the 2005 playoffs--an injury that has cost many players their careers--and what did he do?  He put his head down, worked to an extent that most of us will never be able to fathom, came back, and got the Pro Bowl MVP the next year.  And despite two disappointing seasons since--largely the result of poor coaching and ever worse management--Carson continues to profess mea culpa for every problem.

We should only expect more players to come forward with these types of demands.  But, the one way to avoid these problems altogether: put a winning team on the field.  Look at the Patriots--they simply won't allow a prima donna to get in the way.  Even when they bring on a player with a shady past (like Randy Moss), the organization, coaches, and foundation of the team are strong enough to incorporate that player.  We need to send a message to our players that we won't stand for this behavior--that no one player will ever be bigger than the team.  In this case, I think we should sit Chad for the whole year, then trade him next year.  Regardless, this problem is representative of a much larger issue for the Bengals--a lack of strong leadership and clear goals. 

If you want Mike Brown, Marvin Lewis, and the rest of the organization to set forth a clear plan of action to get this team to a championship level and avoid these kinds of trifles, click here to join the WhoDeyRevolution.

Comments

[Robert Foreman]

Who Dey Burger please.

[Egon Spangler]

I f-ing hate Svengalis