The Chad Show Should be Cancelled

In a game that most of the country didn't see, the Steelers beat the Bengals 27-10 on Thursday Night Football. That isn't shocking, because the Steelers are a good team and the Bengals aren't.

The other thing that isn't shocking was the news that hit yesterday at about 9AM. Chad Johnson was deactivated for the game because he violated a team rule. Again, something that isn't shocking.

The details of the whole incident go something like this. Johnson apparently decided to show up forty-five minutes late for a team meeting. On top of that, Ocho Cinco (or whatever his name is) decided he was going to take a cat nap during the meeting. To top it all off, when he was confronted by coach Marvin Lewis, Johnson decided that would be a good time to get into a verbal confrontation with what amounts to his boss. Apparently that was the final straw for Lewis.

Certainly what Johnson apparently did was not the worst thing he's ever done. That would be taking a swing at his coach a couple of years back (without the Bengals taking any disciplinary action against him). But, this particular incident marked the last thing that Lewis and the Bengals were going to take, especially when you consider all the drama Johnson provided this past off-season.

The deactivation/de facto suspension was a nice first push back at Johnson, but it doesn't go far enough. What the Bengals should do is cut him. Send him away for good. Fire him, basically.

They could do what Tampa Bay did a few years ago when they parked Keyshawn Johson (Chad's cousin) on the inactive list, but what Chad did was worse than what Keyshawn did. All Keyshawn did was get into an argument with Jon Gruden. Chad took a swing at his coach a few years ago, has been a constant complainer ever since, and topped it off by doing what he did this week. Just cut him already.

It's not like Johnson is still an elite NFL wide receiver. Look at the numbers - 41 catches for 383 yards and four touchdowns. Those aren't elite numbers. They are barely pedestrian. Granted he's had to go from catching passes from Carson Palmer to catching wounded ducks from Ryan Fitzpatrick, but he is 30, and he was productive with Jon Kitna earlier in his career (so why can't he catch passes from Fitzpatrick?). This year's drop off is alarming.

The Bengals, with Johnson, have managed to go 1-9-1 with him in the lineup. They aren't winning with him. What's the difference if he's there or not? Looking at the rest of the schedule, it's very possible they could finish 1-14-1. So, if you might do that with him in the locker room causing a distraction, why not cut him and do it without the distraction.

Whatever the salary cap hit the Bengals would have to take by cutting him, it would be worth it. They don't need the circus act he provides. His production doesn't warrant it. He's not a difference maker. He's a cancer that needs to be cut from the Bengals organization.