After he was unceremoniously dumped by the 2-7 Chiefs several weeks ago, RB Larry Johnson may have found a new home in Cincinnati. As a lifelong fan of KC, all I can say to Bengals fans is good luck.

All season long, the Bengals have done their best to show the rest of the league that they’ve put their criminal ways behind them and moved forward into a new era of unselfish and bad attitude free football. They’ve beaten all comers in their division, thanks in part to their ability to play as a team, which makes this move to get LJ into the fold a perplexing one.

I understand the motivation from the depth standpoint, especially after watching RB Cedric Benson go down with a hip injury that could cost him his agility and speed down the stretch. But in terms of the direction Cincinnati has taken this season, a deal with Johnson makes no sense whatsoever. The Bengals need a team player, not a me first prima donna, which is exactly what got LJ into trouble in the first place.

LJ’s inability to carry the rock effectively certainly played a part in his dismissal from the Chiefs, but the underlying reason behind the departure was his attitude and off the field behavior. From multiple assault charges to gay slurs directed at fans and more, Johnson had become a player that every fan hated. He repeatedly displayed a complete unwillingness to do his part to help the team to victory, and while I can’t say he’ll be the same player in Cincinnati, odds are that he won’t be a model citizen once he’s surrounded by a crew that set the standard for miscreant behavior over the past few years.

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