A.J. Green impresses new coach with humility

CINCINNATI -- A.J. Green arrived in town, got his new number and talked about humility. No Ocho here.

The receiver from Georgia made a distinct first impression - he's nothing like the guy he's replacing - as he made the rounds at Paul Brown Stadium on Friday.

"Once you get that big head, it's over," Green said. "You feel like you can't be stopped. Staying humble is the only way you can be great."

The Bengals made him the fourth overall pick in the draft, looking for someone to take over for Chad Ochocinco, who has one year left on his deal and may not be around even that long. Coach Marvin Lewis has been taking digs at the self-promoting receiver, who in turn has tweeted that he wants out.

Green is one of Ochocinco's followers on Twitter, but the similarity ends there. Green rarely tweets and disdains the look-at-me culture of some of the NFL's receivers. It showed in how he answered questions.

Green wore No. 8 at Georgia, but will wear No. 18 in Cincinnati. Unlike Ochocinco, who changed his name from Johnson so he would be known by his number, Green has no particular feelings about what will be on his back.

"I think it will look good," he said. "It's just another number."

Near the end of his interview, Green carefully sidestepped a question about quarterback Carson Palmer, who wants to be traded and says he'll retire if the Bengals try to force him to stay. It's the overriding question with the Bengals, one that Ochocinco has tweeted about repeatedly.

A.J.?

"I don't know," he said. "I really don't know. It's not in my control."

Lewis smiled at the answer, which was so different from what he's used to hearing out of his receivers.

"He's a new breed," Lewis said.

He's moving into a very unsettled offense.

The Bengals fired offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski after they finished 4-12 last season. They kept Lewis, who had played out his contract and needed two days of talks with owner Mike Brown before deciding to return. Then, Palmer informed them he's had enough and wants out of a franchise that has only two winning records in the last 20 years.

Their franchise quarterback and their all-time leading receiver may not be back.

The Bengals took TCU quarterback Andy Dalton in the second round on Friday, giving them a replacement for Palmer and dramatically changing the look of the offense. Green will become one of his favorite targets.

"He's an explosive player," Dalton said. "It makes me think that they're trying to get better at offense, trying to attack people."