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Let's assume for a second the reason Chad Johnson wants out of Cincinnati is not that he wants more money.

Let's assume he's just tired of being a Bengal, that he's tired of his franchise not being a playoff force. Despite the presence of Carson Palmer, one of the league's top quarterbacks, the Bengals have had only one winning season with Palmer as a starter (though they haven't been too far away, as they've racked up one 7-9 and two 8-8 campaigns). Let's assume Johnson is questioning his ownership's ability to make the right moves to get the team over the top.

That doesn't change the reality that Mike Brown won't trade him. Before the draft, the Redskins offered a first-round choice and a 2009 third-rounder that could upgrade to a first-rounder if Johnson were to catch 95 passes and be selected to play in the Pro Bowl. Brown said no because he has a long history of not listening to players' trade demands and didn't have a replacement for the 92.4 catches Johnson has averaged the past five seasons.

The orphan in the Johnson-Bengals relationship could be the defense. In the past three years, the defense has ranked 27th, 30th and 28th for yardage. In that span it has given up between 20.7 and 24.1 points a game. The Bengals train daily on a field located across the street from Paul Brown Stadium and below a busy interstate. Unfortunately in bad times, that location exposes the team to undue ridicule.

Disappointed fans can drive by from the interstate or from the road between the stadium and practice field and yell out "you stink" or even worse. Thanks to Palmer, Johnson and top 10 rankings or better the past three years, the Bengals' offense is the favorite son of the fans. But their defense takes the abuse.

Johnson's frustration with the team also doesn't boost the morale of the defense. Part of the problem is talent. The Bengals don't have a Pro Bowl starter on defense. With only 22 sacks last year, the Bengals have a desperate need for playmakers.

New defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer has to play coach and psychologist to fix the problem.

"They really want to get over the hump about people bad-mouthing them so badly," Zimmer said of his defense. "They have been beaten down so bad. Everything I heard when I came here was how bad the defense was. I didn't hear one positive thing about them. Eventually you start believing in that stuff."

The Johnson situation isn't helping things on defense. If the reason he wants to leave isn't money, it's the defense. Marvin Lewis can play mediator and tell Johnson that if he were to catch a few more of the balls he dropped, maybe the defense wouldn't be in as bad a position. Coaches extol the virtues of a team, but clearly it's hard for defenders to feel Johnson is giving them moral support.

Zimmer is trying to give the defense tough love. During minicamp he challenged his players to perform on every play. He wants his cornerbacks to contest every pass thrown to a receiver. He wants his linebackers to run. He wants his pass-rushers to charge on every play. He's not afraid to use tough language to motivate them.

What he doesn't want is a group of mentally beaten players who feel sorry for themselves.

"Whether you earned the reputation or however it happened," Zimmer said, "the only way to change it is playing good football. If you want to stop people talking about like that, you've got to fix it. That's what I told them."

Working with Zimmer, the defenders are trying to rally. On paper, the Bengals have a defense that has to overachieve to win. The only first-round starters are cornerbacks Jonathan Joseph and Leon Hall and linebacker Keith Rivers. Only two other Bengals starters -- defensive end Antwan Odom and defensive tackle John Thornton -- were taken in the first three rounds of any draft, and they came as free agents from Tennessee.

"We got some guys that have some ability," Zimmer said. "The two corners have some ability. All the safeties have shown good qualities. At linebacker, Rivers looks really good. He can really run and he shows up all the time."

Dhani Jones is making impact at middle linebacker because of his brains and leadership. Signed off the streets after the Bengals lost most of their linebackers to injury early in the 2007 season, Jones played well enough to earn a new contract. The 30-year-old's ability to make the defensive calls and keep the young players lined up correctly helps. Nine of the 11 starters are 26 or younger.

Lewis has complete faith in Zimmer and is giving him the freedom to pick the style of defense he wants. Early in the offseason, the Bengals toyed with the idea of switching to a 3-4. When trades for Shaun Rogers and Dewayne Robertson failed, the Bengals stuck to the defense Zimmer knows the best -- the 4-3.

Though the Bengals' defense might be criticized, it won't be accused of not trying. Zimmer will be aggressive with his play calling. Cornerbacks will play more man-to-man. And though Odom comes from the Titans after an eight-sack season, the Bengals aren't guaranteed a great pass-rush. Zimmer's plan is to compensate for that with tight man coverage.

"If we have corners who can cover, we can do things with the other nine defenders,'' Zimmer said. "If our corners play tight and contest every throw, maybe we can hit the quarterback every once in a while."

The Johnson controversy should continue through training camp. Even if another team were willing to pay the $8 million of remaining proration in his contract and deliver two first-rounders in a trade, Johnson would remain a Bengal. Brown won't trade him. Expect him to show up in training camp to avoid the $14,000-a-day fine.

It's hard to tell why Johnson really wants out of Cincinnati. But what would make his stay better would be improvements on defense. Zimmer and Lewis will do their best to accommodate his wants.

John Clayton, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame writers' wing, is a senior writer for ESPN.com.