Bengals star's favorite celebrations, trash-talking foes

	Chad Johnson and Michael Silver enjoy lunch together in Cincinnati.

Chad Johnson eats the same meal at the same restaurant every afternoon he spends in Cincinnati, and were it not for the platinum-blond Mohawk -- and his current status as the NFL's most dangerous receiver -- it would be tempting to say his arrival at his favorite haunt on a recent Friday was rather uneventful.

The last time I'd broken bread with Johnson, at an Island's in L.A., he'd asked the waitress for a job application, later explaining, "You never know when you might get cut." I assumed he was doing it for effect, until one of his female friends joined us and informed me that it was common practice for a guy who, due to academic struggles and questionable commitment to his craft during his post-high-school years, came perilously close to squandering his NFL dreams.

This time Johnson seemed a bit more secure about his status, though his rough edges remain -- for example, the locker-room tantrum he threw at halftime of the Bengals' playoff defeat to the Steelers last January, one of the many topics we discussed.

Silver: I know you love to talk trash -- you and Joey Porter put on a quite a show every time you play. Is there one opponent you're really looking forward to facing this season?

Johnson: Yeah, Joey and I have this thing where we meet at the 50 before every game and let each other have it nonstop. Away from the field I love the guy, but when we get in that situation, watch out. And Troy [Polamalu] is always nudging me and hitting me during games, but he freaks me out because he never talks. I'm like, "Damn, Troy, what the f---?" Then I hear him interviewed and crack up: He's a beast on the field and he sounds like Michael Jackson.

Other than the Steelers, who are the obvious answer, all I can think about is Atlanta [on Oct. 29], when I get to play DeAngelo Hall. He and I talk every week, but they aren't regular conversations. We're talking trash and going at it the entire time -- both of us talking at once, neither one of us listening. Then, when we're about to hang up, we tell each other, "Stay blessed. Stay healthy." That's the only decent part of the whole conversation.

Silver: What have you two been telling each other now that the matchup is getting closer?

Johnson: He says, "It's gonna be like the Thrilla in Manila." I say, "It's gonna be like Roy Jones/Tarver I, II and III, together." That game's gonna be so good, they should put it on pay-per-view. I mean, how are you gonna go out and proclaim you're the best '21' in Atlanta [including Deion Sanders] and you ain't done nothing yet?

(Johnson laughs as he says this; clearly he wants this to get back to Hall.)