Larry Johnson used to be associated with LaDainian Tomlinson and Frank Gore. Fantasy owners watered at the mouth when Johnson was available. In 2006 and 2007 Johnson had over 1,700 yards and 17 touchdowns.

Now?

Johnson is on his way to being the fourth running back on Cincinnati’s depth chart after leaving Kansas City with a career low of 2.9 yards per carry. And this is just one more reason why the Bengals are committed to destroying anything good they get their hands on.

It’s no secret that the Bengals have had their scrapes with players of, oh, shall we say, had questionable decision making ability. Now they bring in a guy who has all but stood in front of the Chiefs owner wearing large sunglasses and a bathing suit as he gives everyone there a clear glimpse of his middle finger.

And the Bengals think this will be a good idea. They claim he is just going to minimally contribute on special teams and ride the offensive bench. But why even do that? Why bring in a player with a record of being “disruptive” to a team that has little leadership, problem players left and right and a head coach that is better fit to sell me tickets at a Cineplex than be head coach?

Yes, the Bengals have been able to win some games this season and yes, they look better than 4-12 record put up last season. But, they still have a guy walking a dollar bill out on the field before he Tweets a bunch of trash to stir up controversy and fuel his ego. Despite that, Johnson will bring another force out of the Bengals backfield that will surely help down the road and in the near future.

Remember when all those Cincinnati players were arrested within a few months of each other? That’s all over now. This is a team that has been able to change the image that once haunted the team under the coaching of Marvin Lewis. The Bengals repeatedly go after players with potential and a past. And now they are proving once again that they are able to turn these players around and still win games.

They took a chance on Cedric Benson and that has worked out better than anyone could have anticipated as he has reached 800 yards for the first time in his career and we’re only halfway through the season. So why bring in a man who could possibly disrupt the flow of a locker room at the same position? Simply because the leadership necessary to guide Johnson is in place and Johnson has come in with a fresh start.

The Chiefs had been losing for most of the time that Johnson was in Kansas City. Losing will frustrate anybody. In Cincinnati, Johnson is going to a winning team that will be in the playoff picture and have a chance to go to the Super Bowl. At the end of the day, winning cures everything.