I want LJ gone NOW ... (found on the KCSTAR board)

[royr17]

Like I said i found this on the star and I thought it be interesting to see what some people have to say on this matter :

I have to agree that I Larry Johnson has an undeniable amount of talent. How much that is, no one really knows... But I do know this... He is bad for the Chiefs. Larry Johnson is bad for this team, PERIOD. This morning on a radio interview he was asked if he would rather win a Superbowl or be inducted into the Hall of Fame. His answer? "Definately the Hall of Fame." Later on today when he was talking to the media he was asked about Jake Plummer's gesture to the fan in Denver and he replied that he does it all the time on the road. He pokes fun at the opposing fans and that it doesn't matter because he's "not starting."
I'm telling you guys.. LJ is bad for this team. He's not a team player and everything he does he bases on HIM not playing or HIM getting this or that. He's not a team guy. The Chiefs would be best suited by letting LJ run the ball, and his mouth, as it were, run up a lot of stats and then trade his a$s in the off-season. He's not a team player... I'd rather see the Chiefs win a Superbowl then watch a Hall of Fame running back on a 6-10 team.

[Chiefnj]

I still can't believe that after his first 40some odd yard TD against the Titans he was still delegated to the bench for a series.

LJ's got the burst that Priest lacks.

[philfree]

I can't believe that any Chiefs fan would want to trade Holmes or LJ after going through RBbc for so many years. We got one stud RB who is aging and one who is young. That seems lke the perfect scenario to me.

PhilFree

[Skip Towne]

Originally Posted by penchief

I don't dispute what you say at all. What I'm referring to is how it must have felt to have been a first rounder with the unique talent that Johnson has only to treated like a practice squad player.

Those long TD runs are not a fluke. That is his mode of operation. They will get longer. I'm still waiting for the first time he gets the ball on our own twenty after a touch-back and runs all the way to start a game. Just look at the statistics and you will see that there has never been a time that he didn't do what he does.

For me, the question is why an offensive genius like Saunders couldn't find a way to make use of LJ's talent in a system that prides itself in spreading the ball around. Can you imagine? If we had a top-notcher receiver think how impossible it would be to stop this offense. Find a way to get Priest, LJ, Gonzo, and a premier receiver in on the same play and it might not matter if we had a defense or not. Gamebreakers, all of them.

Heck, I love Kris Wilson, as well, but look at how differently he was treated than LJ. I mean he was already penciled in as our new secret weapon even before the season started. Whereas, Johnson was shat on by Vermeil (and apparently Saunders, too) from the moment his name left the lips of Paul Tagliabue.

The kid was a coaches son, he's a proud football player and a superb athelete. He's always played the game right, on and off the field. And he's always worked hard. He's had to earn everything he has.

And you know what? He lived every kids dream. He earned the right to be a first round draft pick in the NFL. All the hard work he and his dad had put in led to the realization of a that dream. To have finally earned him the respect he was due, "the old fashioned way." There has to be a lot of pride in a family like that.

The problem is that he expected to be welcomed by the team that drafted him. But he was made to feel unwanted. Even after all the negativity about drafting him, the kid decides he's just going to have to prove it. But when he gets to camp they tell him he's not going to get that chance because he needs to work on his blocking and learn how to play special teams before he can even think about showing off what he can do when you let him play.

In fact, that wasn't good enough for this coaching staff. They made him inactive for most of the season. So, not only did he not get to play, his hope of playing was seriously oppressed and he was most likely humiliated by the inactive status. To know that all you need is a chance to prove yourself yet you feel like you are being held back by the two most important people relevant to your success; that has to be a pretty tough situation for an eager young football player with his record-setting credentials. I might have felt some resentment, too.

Having said that, LJ needs to mature beyond those feelings if he is having them. He can still win the hearts of KC fans with his talent on the field and his demeanor off.

On the other hand, you have to wonder what Vermiel and Saunders were thinking when LJ is so obviously a potential impact player.

My sentiments exactly.

[penchief]

Originally Posted by tk13

I don't disagree that LJ should've gotten more carries and action than he has, but let's also not forget that one of the reasons he couldn't be used a ton is because he had problems in pass protection. I do think they could've found more ways to use him effectively, but until he was better in pass protection you just can't use him extensively because defenses would learn quickly we were running the football when he was in the game.

I do agree that there would have been plenty of plays that his pass protection would have been a liability, however, you don't bury a playmaking RB on the inactive list, IMO. You find ways to put him in a postion to succeed. That's what all good organizations do.

Look at how Saunders designs all of those gimmicky plays to get Dante the ball behind the line of scrimage with two or three blockers in front of him. Primarily that play where Trent does a quick three step drop, fires the ball to Dante with the tight end and a couple of receivers for blocking. Why not design a couple much simpler plays to get LJ the ball with a little space to run (i.e. draw plays, swing pass into the flats, quick slant, etc.)? I"m not so sure LJ couldn't have absorbed some of Kris Wilson's plays and done well with them. In fact, I'm not so sure that LJ couldn't do a damn good job with Dante's play.

In the end, maybe that's what this is all about. For Vermeil and Saunders to truly take advantage of LJ's skills they might have had to tweak the plays a bit more than they were willing to do after objecting to his drafting in the first place.

[bogie]

Originally Posted by Vlad Logicslav

There is LJ is behind a runningback that has proven he has Hall of Fame talent. He is where he is at backing him up until Priest decides to retire. It really is that simple.

Vlad is correct. It really is that simple. LJ was signed as a back-up.
I don't believe Priest needed very much back up.

[Alphaman]

Originally Posted by penchief

For me, the question is why an offensive genius like Saunders couldn't find a way to make use of LJ's talent in a system that prides itself in spreading the ball around. Can you imagine? If we had a top-notcher receiver think how impossible it would be to stop this offense. Find a way to get Priest, LJ, Gonzo, and a premier receiver in on the same play and it might not matter if we had a defense or not. Gamebreakers, all of them.

At the end of the day, it was LJ's play without the ball that kept him on the pine or in street clothes. The Chiefs are not the only team that will not put a RB on the field if he is going to get the QB killed. LJ has greatly improved his pass blocking and is now seeing more time. His intelligence and ability has never been questioned.

[penchief]

Originally Posted by bogie

Vlad is correct. It really is that simple. LJ was signed as a back-up.
I don't believe Priest needed very much back up.

True. But you can't ignore the fact that Johnson brings something very exciting to the table that Priest does not. I believe they are the perfect compliment to each other.

Priest is perfect at the 11 yard run (which I consider football's most beautiful play). On the other side of the coin, LJ is a home run hitter and a power back in one, nicely sandwiching the artistry of Holmes.

[penchief]

Originally Posted by Alphaman

At the end of the day, it was LJ's play without the ball that kept him on the pine or in street clothes. The Chiefs are not the only team that will not put a RB on the field if he is going to get the QB killed. LJ has greatly improved his pass blocking and is now seeing more time. His intelligence and ability has never been questioned.

But it is the coaching staff's job to take lemons and make lemonade. If you, as an offensive coordinator, knew that you had a dude that could break off an 80 yard run at anytime, you would try to find a way to make that happen.

Everybody has a weakness in their game. The job of coaching, IMO, is to accentuate the positive while working on the negatives. While this coaching staff makes excuses for EVERYBODY else on this team, they somehow manage to find fault with LJ even while he is the one player most responsible for SPARKING our team to its last two victories in a row.

Give LJ some credit. At least he's making the rest of this season worth watching.

[Logical]

Originally Posted by penchief

I do agree that there would have been plenty of plays that his pass protection would have been a liability, however, you don't bury a playmaking RB on the inactive list, IMO. You find ways to put him in a postion to succeed. That's what all good organizations do.

Look at how Saunders designs all of those gimmicky plays to get Dante the ball behind the line of scrimage with two or three blockers in front of him. Primarily that play where Trent does a quick three step drop, fires the ball to Dante with the tight end and a couple of receivers for blocking. Why not design a couple much simpler plays to get LJ the ball with a little space to run (i.e. draw plays, swing pass into the flats, quick slant, etc.)? I"m not so sure LJ couldn't have absorbed some of Kris Wilson's plays and done well with them. In fact, I'm not so sure that LJ couldn't do a damn good job with Dante's play.

In the end, maybe that's what this is all about. For Vermeil and Saunders to truly take advantage of LJ's skills they might have had to tweak the plays a bit more than they were willing to do after objecting to his drafting in the first place.

I do not understand the logic in tweaking the best offense in football over the last 3 years so one whiney young runningback who could not block gets more playing time. Let him sit and learn and improve through practice just as they did.

[Skip Towne]

Originally Posted by Vlad Logicslav

I do not understand the logic in tweaking the best offense in football over the last 3 years so one whiney young runningback who could not block gets more playing time. Let him sit and learn and improve through practice just as they did.

That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard you say. LJ owns the three longest runs of the season. While playing hardly at all. Yeah, he should sit and learn and improve through practice. Get a grip, Jim.

[Logical]

Originally Posted by Skip Towne

That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard you say. LJ owns the three longest runs of the season. While playing hardly at all. Yeah, he should sit and learn and improve through practice. Get a grip, Jim.

He should still be sitting if Priest were healthy. He should go back to sitting once Priest is back. I am all for seeing him until then.

[Skip Towne]

Originally Posted by Vlad Logicslav

He should still be sitting if Priest were healthy. He should go back to sitting once Priest is back. I am all for seeing him until then.

Thank you sir. Have you ever heard of a guy named Wally Pipp?

[Logical]

Originally Posted by Skip Towne

Thank you sir. Have you ever heard of a guy named Wally Pipp?

You ever heard of guy named Trung Candidate?

[Ultra Peanut]

Originally Posted by Skip Towne

Thank you sir. Have you ever heard of a guy named Wally Pipp?

[Skip Towne]

Originally Posted by Vlad Logicslav

You ever heard of guy named Trung Candidate?

Just barely. Let's see, he was a flop in St. Louis and someplace else back east.