Posted: 7:25 p.m.
 Johnson |
"It's nice, but it's the same old same old," said Johnson from the beachfront hotel that houses the best in the game this week. "I need a (Super Bowl) ring. I've done everything else I've wanted to do. There's nothing else left."
Johnson has led the NFL in receiving yardage, he's the four-time AFC leader, and he caught a 90-yard touchdown on his first Pro Bowl snap. And last year he even played some all-star cornerback to the chagrin of Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis.
What's left?
"Man, there's only one thing," said Johnson, although snippets of the NFL Network's live coverage of the AFC practice Wednesday exposed him fervently lobbying Patriots head coach Bill Belichick to play even more cornerback.
"One play every quarter," confirmed Johnson triumphantly after practice. "My style is a little like Deion (Sanders), because he's smart and speed like Champ (Bailey) and D. Hall (DeAngelo Hall) and, I don't know, the quickness of a cat."
Johnson guarantees he won't get hurt because, "I'm too athletic," and since he's playing with a Bengals quarterback for the first time in four Pro Bowls he senses another big play.
"It's nice to have Carson (Palmer) here. We'll definitely be on the same page," Johnson said. "And I'm sure you'll see us going off and doing a lot of things on our own."
But Johnson's mind seemed back in Miami on the Super Bowl. Maybe that's because Wednesday was the day Colts receivers Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne showed up for the first time in the receiving line, fresh off the win over the Bears. Johnson knows Indy well and it makes it that harder to take.
"We should be there. Especially when you know our team can play like that," Johnson said. "They were just more consistent than us. That's all it is. When they had bad games, they were still good. When we had bad games, we were bad, you know what I mean? We can't be that up and down. We've got to be more consistent. That's all. We'll be all right."
Johnson is expected to defend his title in the "Best Hands" category when the skill contests air on NFL Network from 4-7 p.m. Cincinnati time Thursday. Beyond that and Saturday's 1 p.m. Cincinnati kickoff time, Johnson has no plans but to relax. He brought his grandmother and two brothers and says they're pretty much enjoying the beach and that he's not looking for the parties.
"I had some goals and I've done them all," Johnson said. "Now the only one left is the big one. This is nice, but ..."
