Chad speaks out... again?

Johnson: 'I don't feel that we can compete' NFL.com Chad Johnson wants out of Cincinatti and he says it has everything to do with his team's inability to compete. Cincinnati Bengals coach Marvin Lewis called Chad Johnson's bluff earlier this week, saying the Pro Bowl receiver should make good on his promise to sit out the season. "I've stated our case with Chad," Lewis said. "He has a contract through 2011. He's stated without an opportunity to go to a different team and a new contract, he wasn't going to play. I think he's a man of his word and says he's not going to play, so don't play." Kirwan: Deal or no deal? Chad Johnson wants out of Cincinnati and there will be offers in the closing hours before the draft above and beyond what Washington has made. Time and a sense of urgency are the best ingredients to getting a deal done. The Bengals should not give him away and I'm confident they will get proper value or won't trade him at all. Marvin Lewis is handling the situation perfectly. I wouldn't let him out the door for less than a first and a second in this draft and I might ask him to write a check for $3.4 million -- the remaining signing bonus left to be charged to the cap -- if and when he's traded. He wouldn't be the first player to buy his way out of a contract. I hope the Bengals get a bright young receiver in the draft, and get the right compensation for Johnson. If not, let him sit. >> Pat Kirwan's 10 pre-draft takes On Thursday, in a wide-ranging interview with NFL Network analyst Solomon Wilcots, Johnson said he is, indeed, prepared to sit out during the regular season. "I will take the criticism," Johnson said. "I will stick by my guns, and I will not be there. I feel things need to be done to make this team better. I don't blame Marvin Lewis. I love him. You have never heard me say one bad thing about my coaches or teammates. I know it's not up to Coach Lewis. Whether I'm traded, or if we get better players, is not up to him. If it was up to Coach Lewis, then he would do it." Since the end of last season, Johnson has been lobbying for a trade even though he agreed to a long-term deal with the Bengals two years ago, when the Bengals went 11-5 and won the AFC North. But the team has struggled since, finishing 8-8 in 2006 and 7-9 last season, and missing the playoffs both years. "What's changed for me is that I don't feel that we can compete," Johnson said. "Look at Cleveland and what they are doing to win. The Patriots and Indianapolis are going for a ring every year. When going for a ring, it all starts at the top. We need to do more and bring in more. We're staying the same. Yes, we have good players, but we need great players. We need defense. They say the money is tied up on offense; I'm not buying it. Look at others teams who are doing it, like Cleveland." The Browns went 6-10 in 2005 and 4-12 in 2006 before surging to 10-6 and just missing a playoff berth last season. Johnson's production has remained consistent despite the team's decline. He caught 97 passes for 1,432 yards and nine touchdowns in 2005; 87 passes for 1,369 yards and seven touchdowns in 2006; and 93 passes for 1,440 yards and eight touchdowns last season. However, he acknowledged that a number of dropped passes last season affected not only the team's performance but his own emotional state. "(Last year) wasn't a good year for me, and it's killing me," Johnson said. "I asked my coaches, 'Is it me, or am I just that bad?' I dropped balls against Buffalo and San Francisco that could have been game-changing plays. I was in tears trying to find answers to why I was playing so bad. I've raised the bar so high that 1,400 yards, eight TDs are no longer enough." The Bengals pick ninth overall in this weekend's NFL Draft, and Johnson said he expects the team to pick a wide receiver. 11 a.m. ET SaturdayNFL TOTAL ACCESS Comprehensive pre-draft show 3 p.m. ET Saturday2008 NFL DRAFT Complete first-day coverage 9 a.m. ET SundayNFL TOTAL ACCESS Comprehensive pre-draft show 10 a.m. ET Sunday2008 NFL DRAFT Complete second-day coverage "I already know how the draft is going to play out," he said. "DT first, wide receiver second, DB third. But you can draft as many wide receivers as you want to, but you will never get another Chad. I know I'm emotional, but I will give you everything I got. I've lived for this game since I was 4 years old. I don't drink, I don't smoke or get into trouble." When the Bengals drafted Johnson in the second round in 2001, the team had endured 10 consecutive seasons in which 8-8 was their high-water mark. Johnson told Wilcots he welcomed the challenge of helping turn the franchise around. "On draft day 2001, I said to myself, 'Please don't let me go to a team that is already established,' " he said. "I wanted to resurrect the team and the town. I play for the people who sat in those stands for 14 losing seasons and to restore the pride you once had of wearing Bengal stripes." Nevertheless, he said that when September rolls around and the Bengals take the field for their season opener at Baltimore, he does not expect to be wearing a Cincinnati uniform. "By September, I could be on someone's set shooting a movie," he said. "I'm currently working on projects. I could be doing my reality show, which is in the works. I love a challenge, and I have projects before me that are challenging and will keep me busy and allow me to take care of myself without football. So what you're telling me is that I can't eat without playing for you? That's a challenge. "I love this game and will give everything for it. I can't get married, because I'd get divorced from September to January. I'm too afraid to fail to allow anything to come before football. But now, my love of the game is being used against me."