Paul Daugherty: When I'm 64

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

When I'm 64

You know you're getting up there when the most appealing player in the tournament is the son of a guy you wrote about 20-some years ago. Wardell Curry, aka Dell, was a 6-4 shooting guard at Virginia Tech when I was a cub reporter in Norfolk, Va., covering the Hokies and UVA. (I also covered the last 2 years of the Sampson Era, kids. Ralph Sampson was a really tall player at Virginia in the early 80s. Virginia got to a Final 4 the year after he graduated.)

Dell Curry was taller and bigger than his son Stephen, with the same outside touch. He played 16 years in the NBA. Nobody much recruited Stephen, even with that bloodline. I was sitting next to XU asst coach Chris Mack on the plane back from DC Sunday. He said S. Curry was ignored "because he weighed about 130 pounds and looked like he was 12.'' True. Also true that the kid has scored 70 points in 2 tournament games, 55 in the second halves...

As for Chad Johnson... do the right thing. Show up, play hard, honor the contract your agent advised you to sign. This whole act about how his team blames him for 7-9, his coach doesnt call him (since when is that required?), my column hurt his feelings etc. is a front. He wants more money. He wants the Bengals to sweeten his contract for the 3rd time. He made 16 mil the last 2 years, in a front-loaded deal. In the next three years, he gets less.

He couldnt have been pleased to see L. Fitzgerald get 4yrs and $40 mil, because he's better than Fitzgerald. That's not the issue. The issue is, the harder he pushes Mike Brown, the harder Brown pushes back. The Bengals will keep a player until his problems exceed his production, aka Corey Dillon. Chad's still a great player, so unless he tanks it, he's stuck.

Nobody wants him out of Cincinnati. Nobody, either on or off the record, ever called him a "cancer.'' Everybody would like to see him grow up and be the leader he can be. His personality is important to the locker room. Chad's upbeat, so is everyone else. But there are those within those walls who are tiring of him, who would tell you that the charges of selfishness are true.

Only Chad can change Chad. Let's hope he does. You can choose to be angry and resentful. Or you can choose not to. Seems a simple decision.

36 Comments:

at 7:45 AM

docproc said...

He's not better than Fitzgerald.

at 7:54 AM

Paul Daugherty said...

Of course he is. Not as young, but has been to more Pro Bowls (5) than years Fitzgerald has been in the league (4).

at 7:56 AM

Pete14Fan said...

Doc,

I think you hit the nail on the head with Chad Johnson. Grow up and be a leader...with great ability comes great responsibility. Doesn't anyone get that anymore?

at 8:58 AM

Anonymous said...

Chad once said a player's value is based on what he actually receives per year, not what his cap number is.

He would be the perfect player to franchise tag every year. He would get his top five percent salary every year and the Bengals would have him on a year-to-year basis and hold his rights if they wanted to trade him. Plus, they could cut him and it wouldn't effect future cap seasons.

at 9:07 AM

Cheviot Sports Authority said...

You will be 84 and the UC basketball program will be right where it is now!

at 9:32 AM

Anonymous said...

Doc,

Virginia also reached the Final Four during Sampson's Soph. season. 1980-81... you missed both runs by a year.

Speaking of children of former stars I believe one of Sampson's kids is going to play for Tubby at Minnesota.

at 11:34 AM

Anonymous said...

Everyboy let's cut the crap. Chad allowed Doc into his world, to meet his fmily and to meet his friends. And what did Doc do in return. HE SOLD CHAD OUT FOR THE PURPOSE OF SPORTS TALK RADIO. he sold Chad out so he could have full phone lines on 700wlw. And as we all know, 700wlw has always been a friend to great athletes in this town who have the nerve to speak their mind like many loud mouth media hack types with any athletic ability. i just hope Chad learned a leason that ken griffey jr. learned years ago. Keep your friend close and your enemies closer. i completely understand why Chad would do interviews with micheal Smith and Steven a. smith. He feels as if they wont sell him out like the Doc's of the world for the purpose of whipping up the good old boys of the world. keep it real Chad, this is just your first "racial reality check".

at 11:34 AM

Anonymous said...

at 11:47 AM

Anonymous said...

Chad needs to spend a week at a Children's Hospital to see people who really have challenges in life. (Who knows, maybe that's where he is this week) Even he'd realize just how silly he's been behaving.

at 12:17 PM

Anonymous said...

Doc, I'm not ready to care about the Bengals yet. They haven't done anything in the off-season except what they normally do.

I expect same-old next year.

Same old Brown.

Same old Bengals.

And now, apparenently....Same old Chad Johnson.

See what losing gets us to? It's like -- who gives a rip.

at 1:23 PM

Anonymous said...

Doc --

Glad to see you addressed the "column" issue (which Chick Ludwig wrote was the moment Chad decided he wanted out). Overall Chad a is great receiver, though what often goes unmentioned is his tendency to drop big passes late in games (see at Buffalo, at SF, etc.).

His play for more money is wanting to have his cake and eat it too. Michael Jordan played out an EIGHT-year contract worth $3 million a year, when others were making $8-$10M simply because he was honoring the contract he signed. Yet, Chad, TO, etc., don't believe in honoring agreements, they simply feel their talents (neither of which has led to a Super Bowl win) warrant deals that should always go up...yet of course if they had bad years they wouldn't give back money....

Disappointing that we will have to watch this for the next five months....if it's not criminals getting arrested, it's a selfish/undisciplined team imploding...or now a selfish player bringing down the team....

same lousy team, different pathetic situation....

at 2:13 PM

Anonymous said...

11:34, so Chad is a big-headed, egotistical, selfish, mouthy, me-first football player because Paul is racist? Or is it the other way around? Or is one of us missing something?

at 2:21 PM

Anonymous said...

Doc didn't sell him out. He criticized him. The criticism was constructive and well-deserved. However, I do believe that Chad felt hurt and betrayed. You would think that a 30-year-old man wouldn't have such a reaction to a sportswriter's criticism. Chad never hides his personality and emotions, and his over-sensitivity is a part of such. But, on the other hand, it was his personality that helped him fall into such favor with the fans of Cincy. The other part, of course, was being absolutely uncoverable.

at 2:28 PM

Anonymous said...

Paul,

Regarding Chad: you DO deserve some of the credit for this mess, sorry to say. To distance yourself after lobbing the grenade is somewhat peculiar. I believe you are probably a stand up guy and try to do what's right. But c'mon. You 'scooped' this story first, after Chad opened up to you, after you got paid for the book deal. The timeline is more than coincidental. So you didn't outright call him a cancer, you came close enough. I'm not saying you're wrong about it, just own up to what you did, which is what most media types do - stir the pot, stand back and watch.

at 2:48 PM

Anonymous said...

How come when a guy signs a big contract and sucks he doesn't want to give anything back, but when he plays well he expects more money. These guys know the market is going to continue to escalate when they sign multi-year deals, but if they renegotiate they can get another big signing bonus (read-lump of cash up front). Just shut up and play.

at 3:07 PM

Anonymous said...

I think ANON 11:34 needs a racial reality check.

at 3:23 PM

Anonymous said...

Paul,

Could you please update Huggins, Xavier & UC Fans? Thanks!

at 3:59 PM

Anonymous said...

I hope the Bengals keep him, everytime I see a pro athlete sign a multi year contract and try to squeez another drop out I cringe.

My grandpa worked till he was 70 just to own a small 2 bedroom home, and have a nice used car. Where is the separation of reality when someone makes millions, and is so disingenuous to try and weasel out of the contract for more?

at 4:03 PM

Cheviot Sports Authority said...

I couldn't care less about Chad Johnson or the Cincinnati Bengals right now. In late August perhaps I will give a damn.

at 4:11 PM

Anonymous said...

ChicagoRed,

You obviously don't understand the way NFL contracts work.

You say, "if they had bad years they wouldn't give back money."

True.

Of course, they wouldn't have to. The team would just cut him. Then they don't have to pay him the rest of his salary.

Remember Brian Simmons? Solid player and citizen for 10 years for the Bengals. He got cut with money left on his deal. Rudi Johnson's about to have the same thing happen to him - in fact, fans are demanding it happen!

So, why is it that when a player does poorly his team can cut him before his contract is up and not pay him what he's due, and no one bats an eye, but when a player plays well and wants more money, the fans come out screaming? You'd rather Mike Brown get the money than Chad?

at 5:21 PM

Anonymous said...

*Written as someone tired of watching the Bengals franchise suck year in and year out, so bear with me here...*

If Mike Brown knew what he was doing and wasn't a d*ckless wonder, Marvin Lewis wouldn't have the dual role of being both a GM and a coach. 2005 was a fluke season in which everything (despite Mikey Boy's best efforts) gelled. Most diehard Bengal fans know the only thing Mike cares about is putting 66,000 butts in a stadium he doesn't deserve. So long as the team is turning a profit, who cares about the on-field performance? The team needs more scouts (they have the smallest scouting office in the league) and someone to take over the GM duties from Marvin so that he can concentrate on the players once they (god help 'em) sign with the Bungles.

In retrospect, there was nothing more appropriate than Kimo tearing Palmer's ACL in that playoff game. Where else but in Cincinnati would the star quarterback get injured two snaps into the first playoff game the town's seen in 15 years?

Look, I'm a Cincy guy born and raised, I vaguely remember the lore of the "Jungle" years of the 1980s and guys like Munoz, Esiason, Woods and outspoken-but-always-entertaining Coach Wyche, but the organization in its current form is an absolute joke. It pains me to see guys like Carson Palmer, TJ Houshmenzadeh and Willie Anderson waste their talent playing for a team like the Bengals.

While I can't stand Ocho Sucko's antics, I can't blame him for not wanting to play in Cincinnati anymore. You couldn't pay me $8 million a year to play for an organization run by someone as clueless and thick-headed as Mike Brown. If Mikey Boy really cared about the progress of his father's team*, he'd eat the salary cap penalty and ship Ocho Sucko off to someplace he wants to go (Raiders, Cowboys, Redskins, wherever) for the sake of team unity. Palmer says he hasn't paid attention to Johnson's antics, but I don't buy that for a second. How can anyone on that team not be affected by this negative crap?

If Mike lets Johnson sit on the bench as a Bungle during the 2008 season as he's threatened to do, I hope the Bengals organization folds within the next five years. Maybe then, a place deserving of an NFL team (Los Angeles, anyone?) will finally get one and *gasp* care about the on-field performance as much (if not more) than the yearly profits.

*(Lets face it, Paul Brown's body stopped spinning in its grave the moment the Cleveland Browns became potential AFC North contendors -- He ain't watching the Bengals from heaven shaking his head, he's rooting for the Browns, and to some extent, I don't blame him)

at 7:12 PM

Anonymous said...

Chad Johnson epitomizes all that is wrong with professional sports. I wish he could just be someone else's problem.

at 7:37 PM

Anonymous said...

Doc, You write "everyone wants him to grow up & be the leader he can be".
I'd love to see him become a "leader" just like I'd love to win the lottery. Same chance.

The leaders in pro football are men like Carson/Willie/etc, not kids like Chad.

at 8:36 PM

Anonymous said...

You will be 84 and the UC basketball program will be right where it is now!

Yep, Mick will still be head coach.

at 8:55 PM

Anonymous said...

Paul,Chad Johnson will never change. Chad is only for Chad. Johnson saw what Randy Moss did last year and said to himself "that should have been me". New NFL record for pass receptions,(thanks to the best QB in football)18-1 season record. Moss signed a new 3 year contract with the Patriots and will have his Super Bowl ring within the next three years, maybe 2 rings. Chad Johnson really believes he is a HOF player. He know this will not happen to him if he stays in Cincinnati. He is running out of time. Hopefully Brown will let him sit rather than trade him.

at 9:34 PM

Monclova Steve said...

11:34,
What does race have to do with this?
Yes, Chad's black, Paul's white.

Does that mean Chad shouldn't be criticized for not wanting to honor his contract?

Does racism exist in Cincinnati? Of course it does, but in this situation Chad's concern is only GREEN -- for himself.

at 9:52 PM

Anonymous said...

Anon 11:34, Chad let Paul in to promote himself. That's what athletes and other stars do. They don't do it b/c they enjoy it. Doc has written his opinions on Chad and others. While I don't always agree, I come hear to read those opinions. Chad got himself in this situation...first with the front loaded contract and second w/ his trade requests. Don't enable his behavior by blaming the media.

at 5:54 AM

OrangeD00d said...

What everyone needs to remember about this whole sordid drama is this: The Bengals cannot trade Chad this year without a massive cap hit due to all the bonus money paid him in his last contract re-up.

Various pundits (like the ever-popular Chick Ludwig) speculate the Bengals will trade Chad before the draft next month. But if they trade him before June 1, they absorb a cap hit of more than $8 million.

If they wait until after June 1, they can at least spread the hit out over two years, but you're still talking $4 million of dead money clogging up two different seasons.

$8 million doesn't buy what it used to in this man's NFL, granted. But it's still a pretty big chunk o' change. That's almost 7% of the entire 2008 salary cap ($117 million). That's enough to field your entire special teams unit and have money left over to feed 'em all with some of Big Willie's Fatburgers.

And here's the point: CHAD JOHNSON KNOWS THIS.

He knows they can't trade him -- or that it would be suicide to do so, which is pretty much the same thing.

It's one thing for a guy to try and make a case for being traded when it's a realistic possibility. Bully for him, I'd say, this is America. Go for it.

But when he knows it's impossible, yet publicly whines for it anyway, he's just being a cancer. Bottom line. And that's what Chad is doing right now.

And if Daugherty calls him on his bullcrap, then Daugherty is just doing his job. Does anybody want a columnist who just lobs softballs and lollipops up there? Not me! I want someone asking the informed, tough questions. Geoff Hobson and Tim Sullivan are gone, so that only leaves Doc. Let's hope we don't lose him, too.

at 7:22 AM

Anonymous said...

Doc,
I definitely see this as partly your problem. You shgould have known, with how passioate Chad is, that he would be sensitive (even overly so) if this came from YOU, of all people. Honestly, the fans always loved Chad until you opened the can of worms. We all knew that the Defense was the problem, which Chad has nothing to do with.

Then you stabbed Chad in the back and he's acting out. He's taken it WAYYYY too far, which has now led the fans to turn on him, so he deserves a lot of the blame due to his reaction to you. But I think you at least owe him an apology for this, even if you only do so privately.

at 9:44 AM

Allan said...

Honestly.

Chad had huge drops during games this past season. If he catches passes vs. Buffalo and SF, the Bengals go 9-7. If he didn't fumble vs. AZ, maybe the Bengals win that game. That's 10-6 and a playoff berth.

Chad, MAN UP and commit yourself to becoming a better player who consistently delivers in the clutch and can actually make plays after the catch.

Right now, I can't believe I have a #85 jersey and a copy of your biography. Stop whining and start earning your money.

at 10:23 AM

a.turtle said...

You are more blind than a closet full of bats if you didn't see this crap coming from Johnson the very instant he started siding with Terrell Owens' bunk in Philadelphia. Same motive, same approach, same BS. No difference whatsoever.

The result? Perhaps some humility. Don't hear much from Owens in Dallas, do you? Somewhere along the line he got the message: last chance, Bubba.

at 2:57 PM

Anonymous said...

Yes, teams can cut players with money left on their deal. But that's understood and accepted by both sides when they sign the agreement, which is why players leverage larger signing bonuses.

To blame a journalist (i.e., Doc) for any part of Chad's mess is ludicrous. Was Doc in the locker room at halftime of the playoff game when Chad exploded? Was he on the field when Chad embarrassed the team on MNF?

BTW -- seeing Turtle's comment reminds me -- anyone (Doc, turtle) have an update on Lonnie Wheeler?

at 8:50 PM

Anonymous said...

Blaming a journalist is ludicrous, huh?

I would contend that Doc is being an antagonist on the airwaves and in print, making mountains out of molehills. I for one, love to see players passionate about missed routes, lost playoff chances, etc. Better than the 90's when no one cared.

In fact, I think Doc's as guilty of "stirring things up" as what he accused Chad. Doc must be a "cancer," right?

at 1:05 PM

Anonymous said...

Here is the hard truth.

Chad Johnson could not care less about the Bengals or the City of Cincinnati. He cares about his money and his stats and his marketing and his rep. He only cares about winning football games as a byproduct of "Chad getting his."

Memo to Bengals Management: Either put a winner on the field or a "likeable" team worthy of our respect, attention and dollars. It would be great if you could do both, but I am not spending a thin dime of my entertainment budget on a losing team with unlikeable players.

Memo to Chad: I am certain that the frugal Bengals Management team learned their history lesson ... You have exactly zero chance of getting the Corey Dillon treatment.

at 2:15 PM

Kantspelwrite said...

Very well said, Paul. He just needs to grow up and play football. That's all anyone wants of him. His act is getting old and tiresome.

My God, Chad, just shut up and play winning football and stop the non-football silliness. You live in Cincinnat not Hollywood.

at 6:52 PM

Anonymous said...

Actually, Kantspielwrite?, Chad "lives" in South Beach, Miami - far away from his kids and overnight "wives".

I don't care if he sits or plays - won't make that much difference. Course he's going to soon figure out he has no option but to "play".

Previous Posts

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

When I'm 64

36 Comments: