L.J. Looking Forward To Chiefs Visit

“What’s going on with this team is bigger than me versus the Kansas City Chiefs. It’s basically us trying to put ourselves in a great position to get to the playoffs and hopefully get to the Super Bowl.”

So said Larry Johnson on Wednesday, as he met with the Cincinnati media and talked about his first chance to play against the Chiefs. Obviously, given the fact that the Bengals can clinch a division title with a victory on Sunday, revenge or any sentiment similar to that goes on the back burner.

“It’s just another chance to become division champions,” Johnson said of the scenario where a Bengals victory gives them the AFC North title. They can get the same thing with a Baltimore loss on Sunday in Pittsburgh. “That’s most important. I haven’t got to wear those caps and T-shirts (handed out to division winners) since my rookie year (2003.) It would be fun to do it at home, in front of the fans. Hopefully we can celebrate a win.”

So far at least Johnson has blended in with the 9-5 Bengals. He was released by the Chiefs on November 9th, signed with the Bengals on November 17th and has now played in five games, running for 155 yards on 33 carries. The bulk of those yards came in a November 29th game against Cleveland, when he ran 22 times for 107 yards when starter Cedric Benson was dealing with a strained hip.

“It is a little adjustment, but it hasn’t killed me or beaten me down,” Johnson said. “It’s definitely a good learning experience. It’s great to learn from different teams and different organizations and different traditions, so it’s been good that way.

“You don’t know coming in what your situation is going to be. You could be up or down. You could be dressing or not dressing. You just have to take things and roll with it until after the season.”

When he joined the Bengals five weeks ago, Johnson had no idea the team was in the hunt for a spot in the post-season tournament.

“I didn’t even know Cincinnati was in a run for the playoffs,” he said. “I didn’t even know their record. I was looking for an opportunity, and Cincinnati was a great fit for me.”

Sunday will be a great fit to play against his old team.

“It will be kind of like me practicing against my friends,” said Johnson. “A lot of those guys I haven’t seen in six or seven weeks. It will be great to get out there and play for real.”