That's the promise he's making, anyway. Chad talked to Mark Curnutte at Cincinnati.com yesterday, and babbled somewhat interestingly about this off-season and the upcoming season. Among the quotes:

"I said everything I needed to say. I meant all of it. I know it didn't sit well with some of the fans. They saw me (upset). They saw the media play it in their own light."

"I hope the fans understand it's a business. I love them to death. Some of the things I've done for them throughout the years, everything I do is for them. I do apologize. I'm back. I'm going to give a double-dose of Chad."

"I am sorry. I apologize to those I upset."

"You're going to see the same player - the laughter, the celebrations; I'm still going to get fined and still going to have Cincinnati on the edge of its seat wondering what I'm going to do next - but I am going to mature in some way, I just don't know how it will be."

As always, it's a mixed bag from Chad, but it sounds like he at least wants to stop being a douchenozzle. That's a step in the right direction.

But I still maintain, as I have along, that Chad just talks and doesn't give any thought to what he's actually saying. First, he says he meant everything he said this off-season and and made it clear that he's not taking any of it back. But then he apologized for it. Whatever.

And then -- and this is my favorite part -- he announced his plans to mature. Can you do that? Can you make plans to mature? Is there some kind of clinic you can visit, or a maturation pill you can take?

I think that one just has to happen on its own. And if Chad isn't catching a number of balls that he deems appropriate and the Bengals lose a few in a row, we'll see how closely he sticks to that plan.

If you want to make things right, Chad, just take the field and perform. If you're not screaming at your quarterback, or (allegedly) trying to fight your head coach at halftime, and you go out and put up the numbers you're capable of, then you can be taken off the d-bag list. I hope that happens. Until it does, however, talk -- especially yours -- is cheap.

Gracias, Pro Football Talk.