MJ's response when asked about returning to Cincy

[Au165]

This is what make me think the guy is pretty smart

"You can always find something wrong with your current position, but the grass is not always greener on the other side"

How often do you see big time FAs leave the scheme that made them take a big deal elsewhere then get cut because they were a scheme player? The guy may understand that his success is due in large part to the coach,scheme and guys around him.

[jj22]

Originally Posted by Bull Durham

J Joe said the same things, even made promises to Mike Zimmer that be wanted to be here. Then during the lockout, he changed his mind and screwed Mike Zimmer over. Remember how ****** Zimmer was at him after he signed with Houston? He really called out Joseph, saying promises had been made, etc.

I think MJ is a lot more genuine though in his desire to be here though. I think the bengals have learned they are better off with guys who really want to be here.

Zimmer was ******..... but not at JJoe. They still remain close.

Originally Posted by Bengal4ever68

If Johnson wants to much money then let him walk and sign Cliff Avril...MB has alot of money to spend so why not anty up a little bit & get someone good....MJ is a built DE, but he is average.

We'll be chasing good money with bad. Hopefully this is the lesson learned. Let's not make the same mistake we made with T.J and J.Joe in spending more trying to replace them than it would have taken to re-sign them.

[fulltime bengalfan]

Originally Posted by momadance02

Again, great response, but it's still a business.

Many players have said the same thing only to sign with another team.

He'll get big money, and I hope it's from MB.

Yeah your right but i think he will be a bengal for years to come so will dunlap and geno..... They really like playing with each other.....All 6 or 7 dlinemen get along so good thats so hard to find on a team....One thing i have seen over the past 4 or 5 years players seem to like being here...And with stills in the mix this year Dline should get even better....D tackles allways get much better in there 2nd year......Heres the thing about mike brown hes not gonna pay block buster money....But he will pay a fare amount....And if you look at wit and hall that kinda proves he will pay good players....But in order for the bengals line to stay together there gonna have to sign MJ and GENO and DUNLAP this year.....If they dont trying to sign geno and dunlap next year could prove to be to much.....The bengals know the heart beat of the team is the dline ....And they will do everything in there power to get them signed this year to long term deals.....Players know this team is 1 or 2 players away from going to the big dance......Another fact is that even with marvin lewis not being what some would call the best coach in the NFL he is well knowen as a players coach .....And that might prove to much to walk away from for the big 3.....I think where gonna be just fine going into the 2013 season ......Mike brown knows losing anyone of the 3 would crush ticket sales....After he let J. JOE go ticket sales where at a all time low ....Hes to smart to make the same mistake again......Atleast i hope he is

[khamla]

This team doesn't share Gatorade though, so you never know, that could be the deal breaker.

[Truck_1_0_1_]

Originally Posted by khamla

This team doesn't share Gatorade though, so you never know, that could be the deal breaker.

Everyone talking up Joseph should REALLY look at this before mentioning him.

He IS a money-grubber, and a selfish person. MJ appears not to be.

[Luvnit2]

Originally Posted by tarheelbengal

"I would like to stay in Cincinnati. You can always find something wrong with your current position, but the grass is not always greener on the other side," Johnson told Robert Hudson with the Selma Times Journal. "This is the team that’s drafted me, they believed in me over everybody else, I’m embedded in the community up there, my teammates love me, the coaches and the owners. Everybody wants me to be there... We've developed a nice brotherhood amongst us as a team. That's not always the case in every NFL locker room. We hang out together, we’re like high school teammates or college teammates. Our families hang out together, it's a different environment up there."

That's Michael Johnson's response when asked about returning to Cincinnati. Not only is he a class act, but it's really great to hear that positive of a spin on the environment in the Bengals locker room. I can't wait till next season. We've really got something special brewing.

http://www.cincyjungle.com/2013/1/28...eally-wants-to

This is great news. When is the last time one of our free agents spoke up on the commodity of the Bengals? I have seen silence or neutral, but never a glowing endorsement that I can remember. I give props to Mike Brown and the entire coaching staff for turning not only our talent around, but the character of the guys in our locker room.

It is finally a great time to be a Bengal's fan. I see a bright future and can't wait to watch the journey.

[degolfisfun]

Originally Posted by Bryan

Interestingly enough the last guy who said he wanted to be here and was cool with being tagged was lest walk and played a part in both early playoff exits.

In the Bengals organization, franchise tags don't work. They are intended for personnel and situations where both parties intend to strike a deal in the coming months. If this not the situation, then franchise tags do both parties a dis-service. Say for example, Micheal Johnson's market value is $8-9 M/year, why would you franchise him for $11 M/year and then deal with the same issue again next year? He's not a top 5, franchise level player so why pay him such? Don't you offer him fair market value for a Top 10-15 Defensive End and move on from there? (I'm not saying lose a deal over $1-2 M over the life of the deal. That is penny-pinching.)

JJo's situation was a little different. He was a Top 5-ish Franchise tag worthy player. The Bengals did not agree and thought they could sign him for Top 10 money. And they could have, but they penny-pinched at crunch time.

Where Bengals fans get upset is when we have top level talent as MJ (and Andre Smith), and we lose them because of penny-pinching, AND THEN NOT REPLACE THEM WITH COMPARABLE FA TALENT. If we lose MJ or Andre to over-the-top offers from other teams, fine BUT LET's REPLACE THEM WITH COMPARABLE TOP LEVEL FA TALENT. Not some past-his-prime guy that you can sign at half the price (Nate Clemens). Or some high level draft choice that won't approach Top 5 or All Pro level for several years (Dre Kirkpatrick).

I'd like to keep MJ as much as the next guy. But at his fair market value which is probably Top 10-15 money for DEs. I'm not in favor of spending an extra $2-4 M/year to franchise him.

[The Caped Crusader]

Man is a physical freak. Hopefully he can return to Cincinnati. I like seeing class acts remain with the city.

[jj22]

Originally Posted by Truck_1_0_1_

Everyone talking up Joseph should REALLY look at this before mentioning him.

He IS a money-grubber, and a selfish person. MJ appears not to be.

What about having towels that fit around big Olineman. Was that money-grubbing? Hopefully we've improved but lets not discard some of the past complaints about the organizations cheapness. They were legit. Ignorance is bliss and M.J may sing another tune when we lowball him and he takes visits to the top notch facilities like Washington, Dallas, Seattle etc. We don't stand a chance. Which is why we need to lock our players up a year early if at all possible.

[Bull Durham]

Originally Posted by jj22

What about having towels that fit around big Olineman. Was that money-grubbing? Hopefully we've improved but lets not discard some of the past complaints about the organizations cheapness. They were legit. Ignorance is bliss and M.J may sing another tune when we lowball him and he takes visits to the top notch facilities like Washington, Dallas, Seattle etc. We don't stand a chance. Which is why we need to lock our players up a year early if at all possible.

I just love people who are stuck about three decades back in time.

[Bull Durham]

Originally Posted by jj22

Zimmer was ******..... but not at JJoe. They still remain close.



We'll be chasing good money with bad. Hopefully this is the lesson learned. Let's not make the same mistake we made with T.J and J.Joe in spending more trying to replace them than it would have taken to re-sign them.

TJ and J Joe didn't want to be here. Money didn't matter. You can't force someone to stay if they want to be somewhere else.

And Zimmer was ****** with Joseph.

[jj22]

Originally Posted by Bull Durham

I just love people who are stuck about three decades back in time.

If 3 years ago is 3 decades back in time then so beit...

Originally Posted by Bull Durham

TJ and J Joe didn't want to be here. Money didn't matter. You can't force someone to stay if they want to be somewhere else.

And Zimmer was ****** with Joseph.

Ok

[Stewee28]

Originally Posted by tarheelbengal

"I would like to stay in Cincinnati. You can always find something wrong with your current position, but the grass is not always greener on the other side," Johnson told Robert Hudson with the Selma Times Journal. "This is the team that’s drafted me, they believed in me over everybody else, I’m embedded in the community up there, my teammates love me, the coaches and the owners. Everybody wants me to be there... We've developed a nice brotherhood amongst us as a team. That's not always the case in every NFL locker room. We hang out together, we’re like high school teammates or college teammates. Our families hang out together, it's a different environment up there."

That's Michael Johnson's response when asked about returning to Cincinnati. Not only is he a class act, but it's really great to hear that positive of a spin on the environment in the Bengals locker room. I can't wait till next season. We've really got something special brewing.

http://www.cincyjungle.com/2013/1/28...eally-wants-to

That right there, is what gets me excited about the future of this football team. When your team is that close, they tend to play AS A TEAM and when the talent starts playing as a team, well, you start racking up W's instead of L's. I love hearing stuff like this.

Bengals better resign this kid. Make it happen

[Truck_1_0_1_]

Originally Posted by jj22

What about having towels that fit around big Olineman. Was that money-grubbing? Hopefully we've improved but lets not discard some of the past complaints about the organizations cheapness. They were legit. Ignorance is bliss and M.J may sing another tune when we lowball him and he takes visits to the top notch facilities like Washington, Dallas, Seattle etc. We don't stand a chance. Which is why we need to lock our players up a year early if at all possible.

Hmm, who was the towel incident? Mathis? That was just an excuse because he had a falling out.

I'm not saying that I don't agree with your overall sentiment of how this team conducts business, its just that Joseph is a selfish little baby.

Plus, the fact that he said he wants to stay, but takes a SLIGHT amount of more money to a different place, further displays his selfishness. I'm sorry, there are no two ways about it.

And, draft Devin Taylor so we have MJ 2.0 (at least in measureables and look).

[djtruk01]

He is a class act. Even after all the bashing coming out of college he went out an showed the NFL fans that he was up to any challenge. During the NFL combine Mike Mayock commented that he reminds me of Vernon Gholston well guess what Mr. Mayock MJ93 is no Vernon Gholston and you can't find a better person to represent the NFL. Cincinnati Bengals you need to keep MJ93 yhe long haul and I know he will pay great dividends not only for the NFL but the Cincinnati community as well. God bless you MJ93 and your family.

[Truck_1_0_1_]

Originally Posted by djtruk01

He is a class act. Even after all the bashing coming out of college he went out an showed the NFL fans that he was up to any challenge. During the NFL combine Mike Mayock commented that he reminds me of Vernon Gholston well guess what Mr. Mayock MJ93 is no Vernon Gholston and you can't find a better person to represent the NFL. Cincinnati Bengals you need to keep MJ93 yhe long haul and I know he will pay great dividends not only for the NFL but the Cincinnati community as well. God bless you MJ93 and your family.

Hmm, that's an interesting SN you have there...

[Au165]

Originally Posted by Truck_1_0_1_

Hmm, that's an interesting SN you have there...

Are you having a conversation with yourself?

[BengaliJack]

Glad to hear it.

[Go Cards]

Michael Johnson needs re-signed and it is refreshing that to hear a players ay these things in this day an age.

Have said it before and will repeat it. He seemed to become a sideline leader at mid season. It is my opinion that he was one of several players that were instrumental in the teams turn around.

Think Zimmer was mad at MB mostly. Stating that he was guaranteed that JJ would be re-signed.

But that is ancient history now. Not wanting to dwell in that past anymore.

[hacker]

Originally Posted by coachmcneil71

Man I love to read that and I am not surprised. The FO needs to pay MJ because he deserves it.

The FO usually does get their own signed, but I wish they would knock off the way they try to squeeze eevery last bit of sweat out of their man and low ball them from the start. It just doesn't seem to make for good negotiations. Hopefylly they can just quietly reward the guy for his hard work.

[henrizzle]

Originally Posted by Bull Durham

TJ and J Joe didn't want to be here. Money didn't matter. You can't force someone to stay if they want to be somewhere else.

And Zimmer was ****** with Joseph.

Zimmer was ****** with Mike Brown IIRC

[bradfritz21]

Originally Posted by NATI BENGALS

I doubt it. I guarantee the valedictorian has thoroughly analyzed his situation. He isn't the standard money grabbing NFL player.

He also said

"I’m not against staying, whether that’s a long-term deal or if I was to get a franchise tag. However we can work it out, I would like to be a Cincinnati Bengal."

Nobody wants the franchise tag. And if he is willing to get tagged just to stay that is not normal among NFL players.

The good thing is MJ isn't going to go to the strip club and make it rain with the money we give him. He will actually help less fortunate people and make a difference in the lives of many.

For the first time since I can remember, players sound like they enjoy being in Cincinnati and raising families here. I don't think he would have gone to that extent in answering the question if he didn't want to be here because he could have just said

I enjoy playing here and look forward to getting a deal done.

The "I'm not against staying" part was just so the Bengals know that he's not their ***** and he will leave if they don't pony-up the cash.

I also like the part where he mentions his teammates because that means that we actually have a team. No disrespect to the dead, but the only thing that you ever heard remotely close to teammates hanging out in the past was Chris Henry puking out of Odell's car while he was getting pulled over for a D.U.I..

Originally Posted by Bull Durham

J Joe said the same things, even made promises to Mike Zimmer that be wanted to be here. Then during the lockout, he changed his mind and screwed Mike Zimmer over. Remember how ****** Zimmer was at him after he signed with Houston? He really called out Joseph, saying promises had been made, etc.

I think MJ is a lot more genuine though in his desire to be here though. I think the bengals have learned they are better off with guys who really want to be here.

I believe that I posted a link a while back (twice because I was called out after the first time) about J Joe saying that the Bengals were just late in getting him the offer and he wasn't going to let the opportunity to sign with the Texans pass him by.

[The Caped Crusader]

We HAVE to spend the money. Why not spend it on someone worth the time, and effort we have put in.

[Wyche'sWarrior]

Ink this kid....like YESTERDAY.

[Wyche'sWarrior]

Originally Posted by Bull Durham

I just love people who are stuck about three decades back in time.

It ain't quite been 3 decades since Big Willie made that claim...in fact, not even a decade.

From a 2010 article:

.....you will see former Pro Bowl tackle Willie Anderson, trying to dry his massive body with a towel the size of a floor mat. Anderson was 6-foot-5 and weighed 340 pounds. In his mitts, the towel looked like a Kleenex.

Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/201...#ixzz2JOIDViDf

They're Big Willie Anderson, emerging from the shower with a towel that would fit on a business envelope. Twenty years of losing, and losing becomes who you are.

Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/201...#ixzz2JOIWNw6y

....but the times, they are a changing.......