Bengals receiver, faced with heavy coverage, says he enjoyed seeing teammates have big day.

Thursday, September 28, 2006

CINCINNATI — Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson had a blast with the New England Patriots media on Wednesday.

They know he got triple covered by the Pittsburgh Steelers, and that's why he was held to one catch for 11 yards in the Bengals' 28-20 victory. But the Steelers couldn't stop T.J. Houshmandzadeh (9 catches, 94 yards, 2 TDs) and Chris Henry (5 catches, 69 yards, 2 TDs).

"Oh, yeah, they are balling out of control," Johnson said about his teammates in a conference call. "I'm looking at the play getting ready to develop because we have (cornerback) Ike Taylor in my face. We have (linebacker) Joey Porter running to the flat. And (safety) Troy Polamalu all the way over the top trying to cover the deep ball.

"I really didn't have to run. All I needed was some popcorn and watch 84 and 15 just go to work while I was on the side. It was nice. It was a beautiful game and I really enjoyed myself."

Johnson then confessed it wasn't much fun getting held to a single catch. It's a sign of maturity that he didn't let his frustration boil over. Quarterback Carson Palmer kept him under control.

"I'm not even going to lie," he said. "It took everything I have in my body. Everything. What kept me calm was Carson continuously saying, 'It is a sign of respect. Don't get flustered because when your number is called on — even though it wasn't — I'm going to need you to make a play for me.' He kept reiterating, so it kept me calm through the whole game."

Johnson's output against the Steelers was his lowest since he got shut out in a 35-7 home loss to Tampa Bay on Sept. 29, 2002. The quarterback that day was Akili Smith. Now it's Palmer.

"Carson is very, very good," Johnson said. "He is one of the elite quarterbacks in the NFL. His presence here makes it easy for all of us. It makes it easy for the coaching staff. He makes it easy for coach Bob Bratkowski to call the plays. He makes it easy for the receivers to catch the balls. Having someone like him is good for us. It is no different than the Patriots receivers having Tom Brady. He just makes everything simple."

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