Even long into retirement for both men, Chad Johnson and Ike Taylor are still going at it. Responding to Johnson’s tweet about FaceTiming all the defensive backs he played against and pointing out Taylor didn’t answer his phone, Taylor shot back with some classic cornerback smack talk.
“I ain’t have your number locked in… But I did lock 🔐 you up twice ah year,” Taylor tweeted back.
Oh yeah, that’s the good stuff.
On the field, Johnson and Taylor were fierce and talented competitors. Johnson the Cincinnati Bengals star wide receiver, a six-time Pro Bowler who once went six-straight seasons with 1,000-plus yards. Taylor the Steelers’ lockdown cornerback with the size and speed to take on anyone.
In 20 career regular season games against the Steelers, Johnson put up solid numbers – 87 receptions, 1,198 yards, and 13 touchdowns. But specifically in the era in which Taylor started while Johnson was a Bengal, 2005-2010, Johnson never had a 100-yard game and caught just one touchdown pass. That lone score came against Bryant McFadden, a play you can see here, which occurred one snap after Taylor broke up an end zone throw intended for Johnson. And way back in 2010, Dave Bryan wrote a deep-dive into Pittsburgh’s success limiting Johnson and WR Terrell Owens. It came to the similar lockdown conclusion.
All of that is to say – Taylor ain’t telling no lies. Johnson was a uber-talented receiver but Taylor made him look pedestrian. In May, Johnson gave Taylor his due, noting he was a guy who backed up his talk.
“Now if you’re gonna talk it like that, now you got to come and show up like somebody that I know,” he said on his podcast, commenting on Joey Porter Jr.’s confidence. “There’s a great 24 that gave me hell for a decade straight in Ike Taylor, a great one. So if you gonna talk it, all you got to do is walk it.”
While Taylor is still shown plenty of love locally, he’s one of the more underrated cornerbacks of the century. Bad hands and limited interceptions kept him from receiving star recognition, Pro Bowl and All-Pro votes, never making either in his 12-year career. But there weren’t many corners capable of shutting down the opposing wideout the way Taylor consistently did. When you were facing Ike, it was going to be a long day. Just ask Chad Johnson.
