Bengals WR Johnson is ready for 'DeAngelo Fall'

That was a new one on Hall.

"That's another great one-liner," an amused Hall said, during a conference call Wednesday with writers in Cincinnati. "I'm a Pro Bowl player. I ain't too worried about finding a job."

There's one thing that could spoil their fun: Hall may not cover him much.

Teams have been giving Johnson double and triple coverage this season, limiting him to one touchdown. The other receivers have gotten a lot more passes and scores as a result, leaving Johnson in the role of disappointed decoy.

He has handled it without complaint, a sign of maturity. In the past, Johnson would plead for passes to come his way.

After his diving 32-yard catch on fourth-and-1 set up the winning touchdown Sunday in a 17-14 victory over Carolina, Johnson said he was being low-key on the field because Lewis insisted it was best for the team that he keep his thoughts to himself.

Silence made him suffer.

"I'm tired of being quiet," he said. "I ain't had no motivation. I ain't had no energy. I ain't had no drive, nothing to look forward to on Sunday. I don't care if they put five people on me, I'm going to get it done this week.

"It's going down this Sunday. I'm celebrating. I'm going to score. I'm going to score more than once."

Lewis broke into a deep laugh when told that Johnson was talking again to get himself out of an emotional slump.

"My gosh!" Lewis said, leaning back in his chair and rubbing his hand across the top of his head. "Sounds like an excuse."

To Falcons coach Jim Mora, it sounded like mutual respect between Hall and Johnson.

"If they didn't have the respect for each other, they probably wouldn't challenge each other the way they are," Mora said. "So, that's what it's all about -- the competition, the battle of the great ones. And that's certainly a battle of great ones."

Exactly what they've been telling each other for months.