Kevin Johnson joked that he’s worried about walking toward the wrong locker room on Sunday. He’s sure he’ll find the right sideline, though.It’ll be the one opposite where Butch Davis is standing.Johnson, released last season by Davis, will make his first visit to Cleveland as a visiting player when the Baltimore Ravens open the season against the Browns.”It’s going to be pretty strange,” Johnson said.So, too, were the circumstances surrounding Johnson’s release last November. Davis suddenly dumped the Browns’ leading receiver from 1999-2002 without getting anything in return.At the time, the Browns cited Johnson’s selfishness as the primary reason for letting him go. Those assertions still pain Johnson, who finished last season with Jacksonville before being traded to Baltimore on draft day.In Johnson’s mind, his unceremonious release was caused by one man: Butch Davis.”Everybody knows why it happened,” Johnson said. “I hated the way my character was questioned and who I was as a person. It was going to happen sooner or later. He (Davis) had total control. He and I never saw eye to eye.”Selected by the expansion Browns with their second overall pick in 1999, Johnson was the club’s most productive offensive player for four seasons, catching 315 passes for 3,836 yards and 23 touchdowns. He also started 72 of 74 games in Cleveland.But all of Johnson’s previous accomplishments seemed to mean little last season to Davis, who became irritated when the wideout complained about his contract before the 2002 season and grumbled about not getting the ball enough last year.Johnson didn’t directly criticize Davis during a teleconference with Cleveland reporters on Wednesday, but without naming his former coach, he made it clear that he’s having a much better experience playing in Baltimore for Brian Billick.”He treats you like a man,” Johnson said. “He sits you down and tells you what he expects from you. He’s not going to overwork you. If we don’t have to be here, we’re not going to be here. He keeps it player friendly.”He’s a true NFL coach. He does everything you would want your boss to do.”With the Ravens, Johnson has been reunited with former Cleveland teammates Orlando Brown and Corey Fuller — both of whom had their own issues with the Browns.It’s a new start for the 28-year-old Johnson, who went through enough losing seasons in Cleveland to last his career. He has no hard feelings for his former teammates, either. In fact, Johnson wishes the Browns and Cleveland fans nothing but the best.”I hope they get what they deserve,” Johnson said. “The fans are the ones who are being cheated. They deserve it.”He doesn’t have the same sentiments for Davis, about to begin his fourth — and most crucial — season with Cleveland.Johnson was asked if he thinks Davis will fail in the NFL.”I don’t know,” he said. “He tried to make things work. He’s the head coach and he’s stated that he got the guys he wanted, so I think this year should be a make it or break it year for that organization. He’s let a lot of popular and good guys go for whatever reason and he thinks he has better players.”
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Browns to see familiar face
September 9, 2004
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