Chad Johnson and the Bengals Make Up

On Wednesday, Chad Johnson had minor surgery to remove bone spurs and chips in his right ankle.

On Thursday, Chad Johnson removed any doubt there would be a holdout in training camp.

"Come on," he said. "Did you really think I wouldn't come?"

Since the week leading up to the Super Bowl, Johnson has found every reason under the sun to try to get out of Cincinnati.

Either he wasn't being paid enough money, his team's defense would never allow him to win games, his head coach didn't like him, or his quarterback wasn't good enough.

Now, things seem to be taking on a different look.  It's no longer about the defense, the coaches, or the money.

"But I could use a little extra for gas," he said.

Last week, Johnson showed up at minicamp, but very little was accomplished on the field.

However, Johnson and Pro-Bowl quarterback Carson Palmer conversed about what they could do to improve on a lackluster 7-9 season last year.

"He looked at film and looked at the things we missed from Week 1 to Week 16 and he said 1,800 (yards) was reachable if we're perfect," Johnson said. "Of course, Carson and I were off on plays we usually clicked. We left a lot of plays on the field. We talked about what he and I need to do starting in July. We have a lot of work to do."

With the ankle surgery out of the way, Johnson should be able to return to the field in a few weeks when long-time friend and mentor Charles Collins holds a passing camp in California.

Fellow teammates TJ Houshmandzadeh, Andre Caldwell, Jerome Simpson, Antonio Chapman and Carson Palmer are all expected to join Collins and Johnson in Los Angeles. 

Johnson has even stated he likes the way the defense is playing so far in minicamp practices.

He even pointed to them as the reason he needed to have the surgery. 

Mike Zimmer's aggressive style of defense was reflected by corners Leon Hall and Jonathan Joseph playing more physical, hands on coverage on Johnson. 

That was a wake up call for Ocho Cinco, and he knew he had to get serious. 

"On one leg I should be able to beat anybody," Johnson said. "They were able to put hands on me, which I don't like. Usually I can do stuff to dodge and get away. Leon hit me in the throat and J-Joe embarrassed me on a dig (route) knocking the ball down."

Johnson also used some time on Thursday to reach out to the fans of Cincinnati, reiterating he loves the fans of the Bengals, and hopes they understand his frustration for the team not playing as well as they are capable of. 

He points to Kobe Bryant last year after demanding a trade, getting booed on opening night, and going on to win the NBA's MVP and taking his Lakers to the Finals. 

I think we'd all agree, if Chad can win the MVP and take the Bengals to the Super Bowl, we'll forgive him too.