Playoff football at its finest....

Playoff football at its finest.... - Printable Version

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Playoff football at its finest.... - Anhil8tor - 01-11-2006

The New York Daily News reports that Giants receiver Plaxico Burress was a no-show for the team's final meeting of the season, on Monday.

His actions came a day after reports (originating right here) that teammates accused Burress of quitting on the team during Sunday's 23-0 loss to the Panthers.

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As Bengals receiver Chad Johnson continues to deny that he engaged in a locker room brouhaha with receivers coach Hue Jackson and head coach Marvin Lewis, we continue to hear from new sources that the incident Johnson claims didn't happen in fact did.

This one came to us unsolicited (but second hand) from one of the many agents we've gotten to know over the past four-plus years. Said the source:

"I spoke to a player that I am very close to on the Bengals today and he confirmed the incident you have been reporting. He said that there was a 'swing' taken in Marvinâs direction and that Marvin did nothing about it. My source also said that he felt like 'kicking Chad's ass' and that Marvin never stands up to Chad. He said that they allow him to act like a 12-year-old and that it definitely affected their play in the second half."

The problem, of course, is that no one has gone on the record to dispute Johnson's version of the events. Lewis has been conspicuously silent, as has been Hue Jackson.

But this isn't a game of rock-scissors-paper in which a public denial trumps the truth. The players understandably are reluctant to discuss the matter publicly, apparently because they believe that any public comment on the issue would not be appreciated by Coach Lewis.

There's also a general belief in locker rooms that, as Herm Edwards a/k/a Jackie Chiles said on Monday, "what stays in my house, stays in my house."

Also, let's consider for a moment the bass-ackward logic that was spawned by the Eephus pitches hoisted in Chad's direction during last night's press conference.

Softball #1: "Chad, if any of this stuff was true, wouldn't -- wouldn't Coach Lewis based on what we know about him have done something about it during the game?"

Johnson: "Probably so. Probably so."

Softball #2: "Do you think you would have played if you would've took a swung [sic] at him? Do you think you would have played?"

Johnson: "He would have sat me down."

But if Marvin Lewis has decided in the middle of the moment, only seconds before it was time to head back to the field and receive the kickoff to start the third quarter, that it was an emotional reaction by an emotional player in very emotional circumstances and that the team, already down Carson Palmer and Chris Henry, couldn't win with Chad Johnson out of action, Lewis would have done precisely what he did.

Nothing. Nothing at all.

And let's assume Lewis had benched Johnson for the second half of the franchise's first playoff game in 15 years at a time when the Bengals were clinging to a three-point lead and without their starting quarterback and their No. 3 receiver. With Kelley Washington inactive, the Bengals would have had three wideouts for the rest of the game -- T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Kevin Walter, and Tab Perry.

The post-game press conference would have been interesting, to say the least.

Hardball #1: "Coach Lewis, why didn't Chad Johnson play in the second half of the game?"

Lewis: "Coach's decision. Next question."

Hardball #2: "But what could have happened to cause you to bench one of the best receivers in the NFL during crunch time in the team's first playoff game in 15 years?"

Lewis: "As Herm Edwards might say tomorrow when addressing his exit from the Jets, what stays in my house, stays in my house."

Hardball #3: "What the hell does that mean?"

Lewis: "I don't know. Ask Herm tomorrow. But I think it means we don't talk about things that happen in the locker room."

Folks, there's no way Lewis would have been able to keep a lid on what had happened, if Johnson had been yanked from the game. Even if Lewis had refused to explain to the media why Johnson was benched, at least one of the other players would have viewed the benching as tacit approval to talk about what happened. Johnson, at a minimum, likely would have said that there was a confrontation in the locker room but that the punishment didn't fit the crime.

Bottom line -- Lewis made a snap decision to brush the whole thing under the rug, and everything that has happened since then was a natural consequence of the choice Lewis made.

Including the decision by multiple other players to talk privately about the matter. It's not an uncommon phenomenon when players believe that there is one set of rules for them, and another set of rules for the photogenic superstar who has the head coach and the media wrapped around his finger.

Human nature, under such circumstances, spawns resentment -- especially when there's reason to believe that the circumstances ultimately prevented the team from achieving its goal of advancing in the playoffs.

"The special treatment program is a dangerous path," one league insider told us on Wednesday morning. In this specific case, it's possible that one or more of the players will fink on Chad publicly, turn on Lewis for allowing Johnson to misrepresent what occurred, or want out of Cincinnati.

As we've learned too many times in matters of politics, the cover up is often worse than the crime. In this case, the cover up is in full gear. The only thing that remains to be seen is whether one of Johnson's teammates will stand up and expose the truth.

Playoff football at its finest.... - Anhil8tor - 01-11-2006

RUMORS FLY OF CARR-FOR-RICKY TRADE

On Monday, we surmised that the Texans have floated the notion that they intend to select USC tailback Reggie Bush with the No. 1 pick in the draft in order to avoid criticism from the Longhorns lovers that the lure of playing for his hometown Texans prompted Texas quarterback Vince Young to skip his senior season. (A reader also raised with us another solid possibility -- that the report was a trial balloon aimed at determining what the local reaction would be to not taking Young -- and we're told that the local reaction was decidedly negative.)

But the Bush report also might have been intended to throw potential focus off of rumors that are now emerging -- and these are rumors only -- of a looming trade between the Texans and Dolphins.

Under the deal, as we've heard it, the Texans would send quarterback David Carr to Miami for running back Ricky Williams (a former Longhorn) and a third-round draft pick.

Williams is under contract through 2007. Carr is due to receive an $8 million option bonus in February, which would extend his contract through 2008.

Again, these are rumors only -- and we're not suggesting that this trade will go down. But if it should happen it clears the way for the Texans to select Young.

Playoff football at its finest.... - Vitamin E - 01-11-2006

NFL has no time for sportsmanship.

NFLPA is a wonderful group of rolemodels.

Playoff football at its finest.... - Anhil8tor - 01-11-2006

CHAD TOOK SWING AT MARVIN

A league source tells us that multiple members of the Cincinnati Bengals witnessed a troubling incident as the team prepared to take the field for the second half of Sunday's playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Per the source, the last few minutes of intermission were ticking away, when the players were startled by the sight and sound of a helmet slamming against the glass pane of the training room door. Inside, receiver Chad Johnson and receivers coach Hue Jackson were engaged in an altercation. At one point, Johnson was seen holding Jackson in a headlock.

Coach Marvin Lewis entered the training room to intervene, and Johnson (per the source) took a swing at him.

Eventually, receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh broke up the skirmish, within a minute or so of the team exiting the locker room for the second half.

On Monday, several members of the team pointed to the Johnson-Jackson-Lewis incident as the catalyst for the loss of a 17-14 halftime lead and, ultimately, a 31-17 defeat.

Word is that Johnson was unhappy with the lack of balls thrown to him in the first half. A total of three passes came his way, with two completions.

In the second half, another three passes were thrown to Johnson, with only two more completions. For the game, Johnson had four catches for 59 yards.

The incident could have an even more lasting impact on the team than quarterback Carson Palmer's torn ACL and MCL. Some players, we're told, don't want to see Johnson back next year, and there's a belief that the team will be less inclined to give in to Johnson's request for a hefty restructuring of a contract that expires after the 2009 season.

So the Chad Johnson saga very well could evolve into the 2006 version of the Terrell Owens fiasco.

If so, it's very bad news for a franchise that otherwise looked to have a very bright future.

Playoff football at its finest.... - Razzle - 01-11-2006

Anhil8tor Wrote:RUMORS FLY OF CARR-FOR-RICKY TRADE

Excellent rumor!

Sabin is $$$$. This reflects his business savvy and football wisdom. Even, if it's not true, the originator has captured NS's essence. This deal sounds like some thing he would do to turn this dismantle franchise into a winning organization.

Playoff football at its finest.... - Anhil8tor - 01-11-2006

Razzle Wrote:Excellent rumor!

Sabin is $$$$. This reflects his business savvy and football wisdom. Even, if it's not true, the originator has captured NS's essence. This deal sounds like some thing he would do to turn this dismantle franchise into a winning organization.

Exactly.. Ricky is nice to have but unecessary for Miami to win.. while they need a QB and Carr may be great if he has 5 decent linemen