"A Football Life" returned for it's sixth season on NFL Network a few weeks ago. Produced by NFL Films, this series is, in a single word, brilliant. Then, everything touched by NFL Films is brilliant. Ed and Steve Sabol's gift to the NFL and those that love the game never ends.
"A Football Life" documents the lives of the players, coaches, owners, and teams that have made the NFL what it is. We see the impact that these people have had on the game every Sunday, Monday, and Thursday. Now, we see how the game impacted their lives.
The sixth season of "A Football Life" kicked off with the incredible life of Curtis Martin. The notorious Rodney Harrison followed. Last night, we got to find out a little more about former Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chad Johnson. It's been five years since Johnson last caught a pass in the NFL. For some reason, it feels longer. I had forgotten how good a receiver Chad Johnson was. Six consecutive seasons of more than 1100 yards receiving. Five consecutive seasons of at least 87 receptions. The numbers are terrific but his real football greatness was how he played the receiver position. His quickness, suddenness, and feet were rare. If this "A Football Life" episode did nothing else it was great to see those feet again. Bill Belichick said that Johnson couldn't be guarded one-on-one. He was just too quick and his cuts too sharp for any cornerback of his day to stay with him. He could make some very talented corners look foolish. I remember a particular September day in 2005 when Chad Johnson made Minnesota Vikings corner Fred Smoot look like he had no business being on the same field. He didn't. The biggest problem for Smoot was that he talked too much for a player that was getting undressed like he was getting undressed. I still wonder how far that 2005 Bengals team might have gone if Carson Palmer hadn't injured his knee in the playoffs against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Johnson was a pass-catching terror in the mid-2000s. If he had done nothing but play great football he'd be much better remembered. His on- and off-field antics brought criticism and enemies. People either loved or hated him. Most seemed to hate him. I thought that he was hilarious. There was always something playful about his stunts. Something silly. Something child-like. Never malicious. Unlike the other football clown of the time, Terrell Owens. Both tried to bring attention to themselves. That's rarely good but Johnson's antics always felt more innocently fun. At least it seemed that way from my perch.
The rest of the "A Football Life" sixth season looks like this.
Steve Young
Brett Favre
Pat Tillman
Michael Vick
Jim Brown
Steve Smith Sr.
Troy Aikman
Charles Woodson
Kevin Greene
Chuck Noll
That's quite a lineup. That great thing about "A Football Life" is that there's no end to subjects. Every person that's played, coached, or touched the NFL has a story and every football story is interesting.
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