Hard Knock

Ken Kelly

cjohnson

Well, HBO just got a whole lot less interesting.

The Dolphins have given Chad Johnson’s career it’s own “hard knock” as it released the enigmatic Johnson after he was arrested for misdemeanor domestic battery following a bizarre incident involving an argument with his spouse in their driveway. Apparently, Chad’s wife found a receipt for condoms and was a victim of a headbutt from Johnson during the altercation, giving her some lacerations on her forehead. Johnson claims it was an accident, but it raises two questions immediately.

First, is there a reason why you’d keep that receipt? What were you going to do, Chad?  Return them if things didn’t work out with someone? At least we know we don’t have to worry about multiple little Chads coming into the league in twenty years – none of us want our own children to have to go through the trials and tribulations of owning someone like Johnson in a dynasty league ever again.

Second, when did Chad Johnson suddenly become Ric Flair? Chad has always been a major pain for his teammates and coaching staff, but he was also known as a tireless worker who never had any type of legal trouble. Now, we have an incident with his wife and a headbutt? Even if it was an accident, that’s just unacceptable on a lot of levels. The facts will come out soon enough, but the Dolphins aren’t messing around any longer and Chad, much like Brandon Marshall before him, is being made an example of by the new regime. The Dolphins are looking for solid citizens and Chad just doesn’t fit the bill after rubbing the coaches the wrong way with a profanity filled interview a few days ago, combined with this little gem of a decision.

There are two different stories of relevance now in dynasty leagues based on this move by Miami – where does Johnson end up and how does this affect the Dolphins receiving corps?

First, this news doesn’t bode well for Johnson.

There are some receiver needy teams out there, but few, if any who are going to be willing to take a chance on a 34-year old receiver who has lost a step and comes with an enormous amount of baggage. Even the Seahawks wouldn’t try this one, would they? It seems that Johnson’s illustrious career that includes 766 receptions, 11,059 yards and 67 touchdowns may just end with a total whimper. It’s hard to imagine that just a year ago he was poised for a major bounce back with New England. Now, his career may end with that forgettable season with the Patriots that included just 15 receptions and even worse with this unfortunate incident. It’s hard to find any reason to keep him on a dynasty roster at this point.

For the Dolphins, this just further weakens a receiving corps that simply couldn’t afford to lose anyone else. Sadly, there were reports that Johnson was actually the best receiver in camp. As poorly as he’s played as of late, that’s not great news. However, his release is going to create even more opportunities for Legedu Naanee, Davone Bess, Brian Hartline and Roberto Wallace.

We focused on Hartline back in June, but he’ll need to get healthy quickly to make his mark this year. The player to keep your eye on may very well be Wallace – he had four catches for 71 yards in their preseason opener and has done nothing but impress the coaching staff this off-season. If he plays well over the next two weeks, he’s going to quickly become roster worthy. It’s quite possible the Dolphins will look to the scrap heap at the likes of Lee Evans or Plaxico Burress, but they may also wait to see which receivers get cut over the next month. Braylon Edwards could be an option if the Seahawks let him go, but they had their chance to sign him a few weeks ago so he can’t excite them too much.

It’s looking like a long season for Ryan Tannehill or Matt Moore.

ken kelly