The last time the Browns faced the Bengals, CB Leigh Bodden held WR Chad Johnson to a pair of catches and 22 yards. With Cleveland visiting Cincy this Sunday, Johnson puts his own unique spin on Bodden’s abilities. From the Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Tony Grossi.
Johnson singled out Bodden on a national radio program this summer as the only player to cover him last year. He was less than flattering on a conference call with Cleveland media on Wednesday.
“Carson [Palmer] and I were off on our throws, and that was it,” Johnson said. “No one physically stopped me. So it’s considered a good game to you guys. He didn’t do anything physically to stop 85. Carson and I was off that day, that’s all.”
It was not the first time Johnson had an off day against the Browns.
In the 2004 meeting in Cleveland, Johnson had only three catches and as many drops in a 34-17 Browns win. Earlier that week, Johnson sent Browns defensive backs bottles of Pepto-Bismol because, he said, he was going to make them sick.
Nevertheless, Johnson won’t back down on his claim of being uncoverable.
“Have you ever seen anyone cover me before?” he said to a reporter who challenged him. “I have six years worth of film. Get over here and find one that’s stopped me.”
But this city has seen him have his two worst games, so somebody must be doing a good job on him.
“Did you see anyone physically stop me?” Johnson went on. “You saw me drop balls, the Pepto game, right? And last year, the second game here, you saw balls drop all over the place because it was a heavy-wind game.
“You didn’t see anyone knock the ball down, physically jam me at the line, re-route me, any of that stuff. Come on, now. Stop thinking like a writer for a minute and talk football.
“It’s humanly impossible to stop 85. You’re kind of insulting me a little bit. I cannot be stopped, period. I gave the guy his credit because we were off, but you can’t go overboard.”
What about those dropped passes? Could they be the result of intimidation by the defenders?
“What are you talking about?” Johnson exclaimed. “What’s that got to do with it? What’s your name? How long you been watching football. What does dropping a pass have to do with intimidation? It’s called a lack of focus on the field at the time.”