T.J. unfazed by fuss
Thinks fellow Pro Bowl WR will return
BY MARK CURNUTTE
T.J. Houshmandzadeh, after his second day of practice in Honolulu with the AFC Pro Bowl team, had this observation:
"I should have been to a lot more," the seven-year veteran Bengals wide receiver said of his first NFL all-star experience. "I'm not out of place."
The Pro Bowl berth would seem to cap a remarkable trek from seventh-round draft pick in 2001, through frequent bubble-player status and hamstring injuries, to first-time starter in 2004.
In 2007, Houshmandzadeh's 112 receptions tied New England's Wes Welker for the NFL lead and set a Bengals single-season franchise record. Houshmandzadeh was the only Bengals Pro Bowl player until fellow receiver Chad Johnson - the first alternate - was added Monday to replace the Patriots' injured Randy Moss.
Now 30, Houshmandzadeh plans to play until he is 35 or 36, given, he said, that he played in just 30 games with six starts his first three years in the league.
He is looking for more, a lot more.
He has one season remaining on a four-year contract he signed in March 2005. Houshmandzadeh is due to make a base salary of $2.52 million in 2008, and re-signing him to a multiyear deal was believed to be on the Bengals' offseason to-do list.
But it hasn't happened yet.
"I'd like to get something done," Houshmandzadeh said. "But there has been no contact yet."
In the past four years, Houshmandzadeh has 32 touchdowns among his 353 receptions. With two consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons, he has 4,158 yards over the past four.
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T.J. unfazed by fuss
T.J. unfazed by fuss
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