BENGALS Chad Johnson issues apology

The wide receiver threw a hissyfit during Sunday's win over the Cowboys.
CINCINNATI (AP) -- Chad Johnson apologized Monday for letting frustration get the best of him during the Cincinnati Bengals' most convincing victory of the season.
The Pro Bowl receiver promised it won't happen again.
Johnson, one of the team's most popular players, was harshly criticized by fans for letting his frustration show during a 26-3 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.
Some interpreted his outbursts -- throwing a beverage cup on the sideline, angrily pulling off his chin strap after an incompletion -- as annoyance that he wasn't getting enough passes thrown his way.
His view
Johnson said the issue wasn't his number of catches, but the number of mistakes he made in blocking and other assignments.
"It has nothing to do with what everyone thinks it is, what they're perceiving," Johnson said. "It might have been my bad for coming off that way. You won't see that again. I made a mistake."
His coach let him know it right away.
Marvin Lewis went over to Johnson on the bench and had a long talk late in the third quarter. He ended it by putting his hand on the receiver's head and then patting him on the shoulder.
"He brought attention to himself with his disappointment, and it's over with," Lewis said Monday. "He's learned to deal with this. No big deal. He's done it before."
Other outbursts
During his first three seasons in the NFL, Johnson called attention to himself with victory guarantees and repeated fines for exorbitant touchdown celebrations that annoyed Lewis.
He made his first Pro Bowl last season, when he set a Bengals' record and led the AFC with 1,355 yards receiving. At Lewis' urging, he toned down his antics this season.
There was one relapse. He sent Pepto-Bismol to Browns defensive backs with a note warning they'd get sick trying to cover him that week. The private joke became public, the Bengals got drubbed and Johnson promised to check with Lewis before he did anything like it again.
What happened Sunday against Dallas was much different than the good-natured Pepto prank.
Strategy change
The Bengals decided to go with a low-risk passing plan against Dallas, having Carson Palmer dump the ball off to running backs and tight ends instead of throwing it down the field.
Even though he was covered by rookie cornerback Lance Frazier, Johnson had only two catches late in the third quarter, when the Bengals led 16-3. That's when his frustration spilled out.
Johnson tackled Frazier on one play when he was supposed to block him. His body language also made his mood clear for all to see, drawing Lewis over for their talk.
Palmer threw passes to Johnson on the first two plays of the next series, which ended when the quarterback badly underthrew a pass to him near the goal line. Johnson angrily pulled off his chin strap as he headed for the sideline, and Lewis had another brief chat with him.
"The whole point to it is, we're going through change [with a new quarterback]. Everything's not going to be the way it was last year, so I've got to be more patient," Johnson said.
At the season's midpoint, Johnson has 44 catches for 624 yards -- similar to his numbers at the same point last year -- but only two touchdowns, a dramatic decline from his 10 overall.