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Hearing Stellastarr*
The Bengals Locker Room Scuffle
The story that's been floating around the blogosphere all week has been confirmed: Chad Johnson got into a fight with Cincy's WR coach during halftime of their loss to the Steelers. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports that Boomer Esiason said the following on the WDVE-FM Pittsburgh talk radio morning show:
"They had a huge fight in that locker room at halftime. It's the truth, flat out. (Wide receiver) Chad Johnson got into it with their wide receivers coach, Hue Jackson. (Wide receiver) T. J. Houshmandzadeh and Marvin came over to break it up and Chad was uncontrollable...
He wanted the ball more, screaming and yelling. Guys are trying to tell him calm down; we're all in this together; your quarterback's hurt. I mean, show a little professionalism, for crying out loud...
He's a knucklehead. He's a wide receiver in the NFL."
I disagree that Johnson is a knucklehead and with Esiason's assertion that every WR in the NFL is a knucklehead, but I do think this pretty much guarantees that the altercation happened. It's one thing when the highly entertaining Pro Football Talk's Rumor Mill reports it (as it did on Monday), but it's another thing altogether when the Bengals' all-time greatest QB and CBS's NFL pregame co-host says it's so. That's not to say that Esiason is the leading sports journalist of our time or anything, I just don't see what he has to gain by championing this story if he doesn't know it to be true.
So what does this mean for the Bengals? Their star WR just got into a locker room fight with the coaching staff during halftime of their most important game in years because he wasn't getting enough balls thrown his way. He kind of has a point though when you consider that fourth-WR Kevin Walter caught more balls than he did. Plus, from what I can tell, this is Johnson's first TO-esque moment in his five years in Cincinnati (three of them played at an All-Pro-level). I don't think they do anything except handle it exactly the opposite from how Philly handled TO, keep it all in-house and come backnext year ready to play.
Regardless, that Steelers game was simply devastating for the Bengals. First, Carson Palmer gets knocked out from the word "go" and now his knee injury is considered to be "potentially career-ending." Then Marvin Lewis comes out after the game and talks smack about Ben Roethlisburger, giving their division rivals fuel for fire in 2006. Finally, it leaks out that the face of the franchise had his position coach in a headlock and may have taken a swing at Lewis during halftime. After the glory of their 2005 season and the misery of the 15 seasons previous, could that game have gone any worse?
(Many, many thanks to The Mighty MJD for covering this story all week.)
Update: From the comments section comes this short video of the Steelers mocking Cincy's "Who Dey?" cheer. The two Bengals fans with "WHO" and "DEY" painted on their chests look a little emotional.
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Hey,
Take a look at this clip. As Bengals fan in some ways watching the Steelers mock the Bengals chant hurt more that the Palmer injury or the revelation about Chad.
The last week has sucked.
http://www.youtube.com/w/Who-Dey%3F%21?v=QIPJ8zIzFPQ&search=joey%20porter
1/15/06 8:43 AM
NO ALTERCATION AND I BELEIVE HIM. STICK TO YOUR BROADCASTING AND
LET THE BENGALS HANDLE THE SITUATION. IF THERE WAS ONE. WHO- DEY.