Teicher: Johnson will get a little extra work tonight against Rams
 

http://www.kansascity.com/sports/chi...ry/770416.html


Johnson will get a little extra work tonight against Rams
By ADAM TEICHER


Among veteran featured backs around the NFL, nobody is busier this preseason than the Chiefs’ Larry Johnson.

His 35 carries dwarf the workload of backs like Clinton Portis, Frank Gore and Edgerrin James. Some featured runners like LaDainian Tomlinson haven’t been fed at all.

With the exception of one drive against Arizona, during which he rushed for 39 yards, Johnson has little to show for all of that labor. He is averaging a paltry 3.3 yards per carry, worse than even the 3.5 he posted last season before a broken bone ended his season halfway through.

While those subpar preseason numbers aren’t enough to send the Chiefs into a panic, they would feel better about their running game heading into the regular season if Johnson could make some things happen in tonight’s final preseason game against the Rams at Arrowhead Stadium.

Johnson might not play much, but he will get some work.

“It’s preseason, and we’re not really game-planning for these games,” Johnson said, shrugging off his slow start. “Guys are blitzing and they’re showing their whole works because they want to show everybody they’re an up-and-coming team.

“We’re not going to do that. We’re working on fundamentals and things we need to do better. I don’t think we should be showing our whole offense to New England right now in these preseason games and then turn around and play them and they know everything we’re going to do.

“We’re keeping things under the radar.”

With that said, Johnson would desperately like to avoid a start like last season’s. He broke 50 yards only once in the first three games and 100 yards once in the first five.

His frustration with these developments was evident.

“I don’t want to go out there and have to struggle through eight games to find my stretch when I really turn it on,” he said. “I want to be able to turn it on from the get-go.”

His unusually heavy workload in the preseason is aimed at getting Johnson that quick start.

“We want him to feel comfortable with what we’re asking him to do as far as our runs,” coach Herm Edwards said. “I always ask him how much (work) he wants. The first game he said he only wanted a couple but all of a sudden he looks at me and says, ‘I’m having fun, coach. I want to keep playing.’

“There will be some guys who come out early (tonight) and he’ll be one of them. But I asked him (Monday) what he wants to do. He said, ‘I want to carry it, coach.’ ”

Johnson wasn’t surprised when told this week that none of the league’s other top veteran runners had touched the ball as much as him.

“I go to Herm every game and say, ‘Herm, I only want five runs,’ ” Johnson said. “Then we get in the game and I want to stay in until we score or we get close. I’m having fun out there. I haven’t played football in a long time going back to November last year. So I don’t want to come out.

“I needed a lot of that work to get back on point and get back into the contact. I wanted to put myself in that position. Obviously, this week, I’m not going to do a whole lot. I just want to be ready for New England.”

Johnson never really got things rolling in Miami last week, when he rushed 13 times for 36 yards. He had 10 yards in his first two carries, including a 6-yard run on third and 1 to allow the Chiefs to convert. He later had a 13-yard run but the other carries produced only short runs.

He's no Priest....

Maybe it's just me but I find this to be really stupid, RB's take so many hits especially with his 400 carry year and now they work him in preseason, if it was me this guy would have about 10 carries the entire preseason.

Ah yes, the old,"It's only preseason and we're not showing our whole offense" reasoning...ROFL
I bet once it's for real, our "whole offense" and especially the poor results, will look very similar to what we have seen in preseason - again...:shake:

One of my friends last night asked me if the Chiefs or Bears would score fewer points....then said he thought both of them had a legit chance of setting the record for fewest points scored in a season.

Normally I'd agree, but in LJ's case, having missed so much of last season, he probably needs a bit more work.

Of course, when you factor in our OL, I might have to reconsider...

Yep. But they at least have a return game, they'll score more...

Yep. I actually bought into that shit last season.

I can't buy into that when I watched them run a trick play in a preseason game...

I think this offense will be alot more diverse then last season. Chan ran alot of trick plays when he was with Pittsburgh and other places.

We will see come next Sunday.

Just another example of a reeruned coaching staff. More carries for Johnson. YAY!!

You know overworking a RB really has no adverse affects on his career, 400 carries don't matter, oh and him getting hurt the next season had nothing to do with it uh huh..

Just ask this forum....

QFT

I am still just amazed that Herm would do this! And people still want to believe in Herm?

GMFB! This is a joke, but to be expected from Herm.

This is the guy who kept giving Curtis Martin the ball when his ankles were all ****ed up when he had another RB on his damn team that was perfectly capable of playing.

Someone needs to teach our defense how to tackle, they might as well learn by hitting LJ, and watching him get hit. We got 4 good RB's, time he earned some of that money, esp. since we aren't gonna win shit this year.

And people wonder why alot of us think our defensive coaching staff sucks....watch them try to tackle...

ROFL

that is as funny a LJ blocking someone....

For what it's worth Steven Jackson isn't playing tonite according to STL radio.

Eventually maybe but not this year. Remember, those Steelers had a real OL and actual talent on offense.

that's just stupid

give your franchise back more work in a preseason game in a rebuilding year.

freaking morons


they should be trying to find some way to redshirt LJ not give him more carries. :shake:

Tomlinson gets like 5 carries a preseason. Clearly he needs some extra preseason time.

our home jerseys are red

Teicher should be more careful choosing his words in a sentence.

OK, that was lame. Just sayin'...

Honestly LJ should never see the field in preseason ala LT...

But Herm likes to over work his franchise backs... wouldnt be surprised if LJ isnt one of the tops this year in touchs and close to the bottom on ypc....

Dante will get his head caught in the wedge
and he'll get what all good Rams get
when caught in that postion in missouri

The HC asks the players what they want, listens, and responds?

magnificent...

... and magnanimous.
:D

we better get that Gonzalez guy some catches too. We know how he's never ready to play on-time.

Trade LJ for at least a 2nd rd pick.

I'm torn on this one. One side of me says LJ still has things he needs to work on (blocking/receiving) so he should be in during the preseason, but the other side says he should barely see the field, because the fewer times he's hit in 2008 the better.

I couldn't believe how many carries A peterson was getting in the vikes game. Get him like one carry and save him.

Priest proved that he's no LJ without Roaf, Shields, & Co. When both backs were playing behind the same lines, LJ always did better than Priest.

i disagree .... even when Priest came back and was still shaking off the rust he showed things LJ didn't

Priest was a better blocker, a better pass catcher and a more disciplined runner. Priest also showed more heart that LJ to keep running hard even if the holes weren't there early in the game.

LJ starts pouting by half time if the running game struggles

The 4th preseason game is the game teams use to make final decisions on who to keep and who to cut. Also used to establish which running backs will back up the starter and in what situations those back up running backs will come in.

The fact that Herm is using the 4th preseason game to get his proven and veteran running back "some work" only further proves that Herm Edwards has no business being a head football coach in the NFL.

I agree...

So, no LJ tonight.

What happened?

field conditions were suspect so they kept him out

Yea!!! Maybe there is hope for Herm yet??

priest had field vision like no one's business. And he could really put away the nachos.