GEORGETOWN, Ky. — What a smile. See that smile? Fourteen-carat gold back-atcha, the sun slamming off it like the Fourth of July. Eight gold-capped teeth, perfectly square, top and bottom, front and center. “When I smile,” he said, “I blind a couple people in front of me.”

        This is Chad Johnson's world. Come on in. It's a different sort of world, especially for an NFL rookie. It's a place of all-fun, no-fear, I-will-show-you-what-I've-got.

        And, incidentally, you will be amazed.

Chad Johnson gets pat on the head from Darnay Scott. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

        “I am s-o-o-o excited,” he said. “I'm doing real well, man. I'm having a ball. I already know a lot of the system, and I'm in really good shape. Tip-top.”

        They're all talking about him down here. The speed, the explosion, what Bengals coaches call “the ability
to separate.” And if the coaches and players aren't talking about him, well ...

        “I've been compared to (Randy) Moss. I've tried to take my game further than just the deep ball, though. I don't want only to be known for the deep ball. My short game is a lot better than my deep game. My deep game is a given.”

No cockiness here
               Don't mistake this for brazen rookie pop-off stuff. Johnson has been advised by his cousin, Tampa Bay wideout Keyshawn Johnson, not to get too crazy on himself until he has some reason. Keyshawn, it might be noted, has some experience in this area.

        Chad isn't cocky. He's just lovin' life.

        “I can't wait” for the games, he said. “Maybe some rookies might be nervous about the competition or the speed or whatever. I love the competition. I wish we could play every team. There are so many people I want to go against. I can't wait to go against Keyshawn and Samari (Rolle, another cousin). (Baltimore cornerback) Duane Starks, we played at the same high school. Champ Bailey, Shawn Springs, two of the best. I want to go against them.”

        The Bengals see the rookie from Oregon State as part of a grand Star Wars plan on offense: Johnson and Darnay Scott will stretch the field deep. Defenses will have to double-cover one of them, opening up the middle for Peter Warrick, one on one with a safety or a linebacker. All they need is the right quarterback to get them the ball.

Dream come truep>         Johnson has been waiting for this his whole life. He banged around two junior colleges and spent one year at Oregon State, proving the only education that interested him was between the sidelines. “I always had a real low GPA. I hated school,” he said.

        Education, though, assumes different forms. Johnson averaged 22 yards a catch last season, with 37 catches. He had two TD catches in the Fiesta Bowl against Notre Dame. Plus, his Will-Do confidence — “We should be the best offense in our conference” — has been missing here since Boomer Esiason.

        If the Bengals aren't careful, some of it might rub off.

        Johnson has it all, for the moment, and unlike some of his pro peers, he appreciates it. He bought his mother a house. He gave his grandmother money to add to the house she owns in Miami, where she raised him. He drives a brand-new Lexus.

        Johnson is living the Joe Namath adage: He can't wait 'til tomorrow, because he gets better-looking every day. “I'm having a ball,” he said. Eight teeth, all gold, shoot sparks from his smile. Let's hope he can play.

        E-mail: pdaugherty@enquirer.com. Past columns at www.enquirer.com/columns/daugherty.

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