[skinsfan_nn]

It's getting a little more STINKO in Cincy. Source PFT.com

HOUSHMANDZADEH UNHAPPY TOO?
Posted by Michael David Smith on March 19, 2008, 7:24 p.m.

As Bengals receiver Chad Johnson has made sure everyone knows in the last couple of days, he isn’t happy in Cincinnati and isn’t planning to show up to off-season workouts.

But Johnson isn’t alone.

Adam Schefter of NFL Network is reporting that the Bengals’ other starting wide receiver, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, also is expected to skip the start of the voluntary conditioning program. Houshmandzadeh is in the final year of four-year contract and is scheduled to make a base salary of $2.525 million, and he thinks that, coming off a season in which he tied for the league lead in receptions, he’s worth more than that.

Skipping conditioning might not be a huge issue: Houshmandzadeh also skipped the team’s voluntary off-season conditioning last year, and he still managed those 112 catches. So maybe he doesn’t need to be with the team in March to be ready to play in September.

But the Bengals need to figure out which players will be the focal points of their passing game going forward. A few years ago it looked like Johnson, Houshmandzadeh and Carson Palmer could make up the nucleus of a Super Bowl-winning passing attack. Now, with Johnson and Houshmandzadeh both 30 years old, it’s looking like the playoff game when Johnson had to be restrained by coach Marvin Lewis could be Johnson’s only one in Cincinnati.