Teicher: Raiders won't gloat over Johnson's departure from the Chiefs

[Tribal Warfare]

Raiders won't gloat over Johnson's departure from the Chiefs
By ADAM TEICHER
The Kansas City Star

The Chiefs, tangled in recent weeks in the storm surrounding the suspension and release of running back Larry Johnson, are trying to move past the controversy and find a way to win a game.

That will put things out of kilter Sunday when the 1-7 Chiefs play the 2-6 Raiders in Oakland. The Raiders have had a tumultuous season, even by their standards, but things in Oakland have been relatively peaceful the past couple of weeks.

The Chiefs aren’t strangers to controversy, particularly as it relates to Johnson, but normally that’s an area where they can’t compete with the Raiders. Oakland almost always had a drama or two keeping the Raiders occupied.

“We’re still the controversial team, whether we have a week or two off from the media,” said Oakland’s Pro Bowl cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha. “There’s still so much to pull from what we’ve had to deal with that we know it’s always going to be something that’s brought up. Whether the team we’re playing against has an immediate issue at that time, that still doesn’t overshadow the fact we’ve had our issues and people have taken their stabs at us and will continue to.

“You kind of grow numb to the stories. When there’s a story out there, it’s rarely a distraction because we hear stuff so often. It works in our favor … not in our favor, but it’s a bigger deal to everyone not involved in the organization than it is to us.”

That may be why the Raiders weren’t tempted to take pleasure from the Chiefs’ miseries surrounding Johnson. The next embarrassment might be their own.

“That stuff is someone else’s business,” Oakland coach Tom Cable said. “We’re just trying to get this team on the right track. I know they’re trying to do the same thing in Kansas City. I think we all kind of have the same battles going on.

“Both teams are fighting their rear ends off to find their niche, find their way of success.”

Cable was at the center of much of the controversy surrounding the Raiders this year. An assistant coach, Randy Hanson, alleged that Cable physically attacked him during a training-camp meeting. Cable denied Hanson’s story, and no charges against him were filed in the case.

A former wife and former girlfriend recently accused Cable of physical abuse.

Oakland’s season got off to a promising start. The Raiders almost upset San Diego in the Monday night opener, and they defeated the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium the next week.

Since then, the Raiders are 1-5 and scored only 45 points.

“I like our effort,” Cable said. “We’re playing hard. But there’s a difference in terms of execution. You’ve still got to be able to throw the ball, put points on the board and stop the run.”

The Raiders, like the Chiefs’ other AFC West rivals, are used to seeing Johnson in the Kansas City backfield. He had four 100-plus-yard games against Oakland, the most recent being in 2007.

Oakland will find it odd to see the Chiefs without Johnson, and Asomugha, for one, doesn’t necessarily think his departure will make the Chiefs automatically better.

“Distractions or not, you can’t hide the fact he was one of the top rushers in Kansas City Chiefs history and you can’t deny the things he brought to the table,” Asomugha said. “So I don’t know if it will help them to get rid of him. Some of those distractions will be gone. But as far as on the field, the Larry Johnson I know … has always put out his best on the field.”

The Raiders are familiar with Johnson’s replacements: Kolby Smith, Jamaal Charles and Dantrell Savage. Smith ran for 150 yards and two touchdowns in a 2007 game against Oakland while Johnson was injured.

Charles and Savage have played against the Raiders as reserves.

“(Johnson) was always the guy you had to key on, so it’s going to be different,” Asomugha said. “But they can still run the ball, and we haven’t been doing very well against the run.

“The difference between them and LJ is you can line them up anywhere and they can be utilized many more ways than LJ was able to be utilized.”

Cable said, “It will be different for a second. You just know they have good players there without Larry Johnson. To not see him out there right away is one thing, but you’ll figure out real quick they’ve got good players.”