They are taking out the trash

FOXBOROUGH - Patriots coach Bill Belichick joked that he was not going to fire the first trash-talking salvo at Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson prior to the teams' meeting Monday night in Cincinnati. If he had, it would have been the only one.

You had a better chance of Belichick talking about going 16-0 than eliciting bulletin-board material from Johnson yesterday.

The biggest bomb the Pro Bowl receiver dropped was that he's not planning to celebrate if he scores against the Patriots. He said he was going to - gasp! - "just hand the ball to the ref."

"What am I celebrating for? There's nothing to celebrate right now," said Johnson, who has done impressions of "Riverdance" and marriage proposals after some of his touchdowns. "We've lost the last two games. I only celebrate when we're doing well. We're not doing well right now. It wouldn't make sense."

Well, surely, Johnson had a dig for the Patriots' videotape shenanigans.

"They are a great team, offensively and defensively. They're a great team and there's a reason they are where they are, and it's not because of any [darn] camera," said Johnson.

Johnson wouldn't bite when asked who was a better receiver, Randy Moss or himself. Johnson leads the NFL in receiving yards with 442 and Moss is second with 403. Moss is tied for the NFL lead in touchdown receptions with five. Johnson has three. Ocho Cinco downplayed a mano a mano showdown.

"No. It's not a competition between two receivers," said Johnson. "It's a competition between the Patriots and the Bengals. We're trying to win a game."

If you want classic Johnson trash talk, go to his website, trashtalk85.com. Fans can vote on whether Johnson was covered well each game, with each vote helping to raise money for charity (Feed The Children).

Defensive signal

Bengals coach Marvin Lewis, a member of the NFL's Competition Committee, said the Patriots' spying scandal will likely push the adoption of defensive coach-to-player electronic communication next season. The majority of teams voted for it this offseason (21-11), but 24 votes (75 percent) are needed for a proposal to pass.

"I think the commissioner will definitely push harder for it," said Lewis. "I think that's something that I think he'll probably want to see, but I can't tell that. We'll see what happens at the end of the year. I think there needs to be a little bit of revision in what was proposed, and I think maybe everybody will get on the same page with those revisions now."

Lewis said he was not shown the remainder of the tapes and files the NFL seized from the Patriots before destroying them, but said the league has rules in place to prevent future video violations. He expressed regret that the filming flap was following Belichick.

"It's overshadowing an outstanding football coach and that's unfortunate," said Lewis.

RB Johnson out

The big news on the injury front came from the Bengals, who listed running back Rudi Johnson out with a hamstring injury. Johnson, who has played in 64 consecutive games, left during the second half of the Bengals' 24-21 loss to the Seahawks last Sunday. Kenny Watson took his place.

Johnson was one of 12 Bengals on the injury report, which included the NFL's leader in receptions, T.J. Houshmandzadeh (29 catches), who missed practice with a knee injury. Right tackle Willie Anderson (foot) and linebacker Caleb Miller (back) also missed practice.

Wide receiver Tab Perry, who suffered a hamstring injury in Week 2, linebacker Rashad Jeanty (shin), and safety Ethan Kilmer (knee) will not play. Guard Stacy Andrews (shoulder), linebacker Ahmad Brooks (groin), and defensive end Justin Smith (foot) had limited participation in practice. Center Eric Ghiaciuc (thumb) and linebacker Anthony Schlegel (toe) fully participated.

On and off

Despite saying Wednesday his goal was to get off the injury report, quarterback Tom Brady (right shoulder) was back on it yesterday. However, safety Eugene Wilson (ankle) was removed. Brady was one of 10 Patriots with limited participation in practice. Brady and defensive lineman Mike Wright (knee) were the new additions.

The other eight remained the same from Wednesday - linebacker Rosevelt Colvin (ankle), cornerback Randall Gay (thigh), running back Laurence Maroney (groin), guard Stephen Neal (shoulder), wide receiver Donté Stallworth (knee), wide receiver Kelley Washington (hamstring), nose tackle Vince Wilfork (shoulder), and guard Billy Yates (shoulder). Stallworth was seen with a compression sleeve on his left leg.

Completely involved

For the first time this season, Moss and tight end Kyle Brady were listed as fully participating in a Thursday practice. The veterans have had limited participation the last three Thursdays because of a team decision.

Moving parts

According to Belichick, the Bengals have been rotating their offensive linemen similar to the way a defensive line does. The Bengals have used eight different linemen. "I think it's pretty smart to do what they do to keep them fresh," Wilfork said. "We have to make sure we know who we're playing against." . . . Patriots owner Robert Kraft was among eight selected to join the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame (NFF) national board of directors. The NFF is one of the leading promoters of amateur football in the country . . . Rookie linebacker Oscar Lua, who tore his right medial collateral knee ligament in the final exhibition game, and rookie cornerback Mike Richardson, who broke his left arm in the third exhibition game, were spotted in the locker room. Both are on injured reserve.