royr17
10-10-2004, 08:08 AM
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/sports/football/nfl/kansas_city_chiefs/9880034.htm?1c
Itching to play
Chiefs' Johnson is eager for shot at proving himself in the NFL
By IVAN CARTER
The Kansas City Star
Larry Johnson won't be traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Miami Dolphins or any other running-back-hungry team this week or anytime soon, Chiefs team president/general manager Carl Peterson said.
The time for such a deal would have been during the Chiefs' bye week, but no team offered the kind of package that would have led Peterson to even think about pulling the trigger on a deal.
“If someone offered that (a first-round pick) I would consider it,” Peterson said by phone from Los Angeles, where he was scouting Saturday's Southern California/California game. “But I'm a Larry Johnson guy. That's why I drafted him. I believe that he will make a significant impact on the Kansas City Chiefs someday.”
A report out of Tampa Bay claimed that the Buccaneers offered to send veteran wide receiver Keenan McCardell, who is in the midst of a prolonged holdout over his contract, to Kansas City in exchange for Johnson, but that only proved to be a rumor.
“Even if they offered McCardell straight up, I wouldn't do it,” Peterson said. “Keenan McCardell is a good football player, but he's a 34-year-old possession receiver who wants to make something like $4 million . Why would I want to lose a very, very talented football player who we've invested a first round pick in? That wouldn't make sense.”
Such words hardly soothe Johnson, who is now 20 games into his NFL career without having taken a significant regular-season snap. Johnson, whom the Chiefs traded down to take with the 26th overall pick of the 2003 draft, has only been active for seven games and has seen action only as a special-teams player this season.
Even more frustrating to Johnson, he isn't even the backup to Pro Bowler Priest Holmes. When Holmes went out of the game for a brief rest during the second half of last week's victory at Baltimore, fourth-year back Derrick Blaylock came in and picked up 28 key yards in six carries.
Johnson, meanwhile, was limited to covering kickoffs. Obviously, that's not what he had in mind when he departed Penn State following a record-breaking senior season in 2002.
“I know what everyone says about being patient and waiting your turn, but that's not what I see for myself,” Johnson said. “I don't want to be three, four years into my career before I get a chance to be a starter. Running backs age fast in the NFL, and I feel like the clock is already ticking on my career. I want to get going.”
Anyone who has followed Johnson should not be surprised by such a statement. On the field, Johnson is big, strong and fast. Off the field, he is never afraid to express what's on his mind.
He bristled when Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil suggested, almost in a throwaway manner, that it was time for Johnson “to take the diaper off” when it appeared as though Holmes might not be ready to play against Houston on Sept. 26.
And during a rookie season during which he carried the ball only 20 times for 85 yards and one touchdown in mop-up duty, Johnson vocally questioned the Chiefs' decision to draft him in the first place.
“I don't know why they would bring me in here when they already had Priest,” Johnson said. “If you are not going to use me, why draft me?”
***
Johnson was just as outspoken during his time at Penn State, where his father is the Nittany Lions' defensive-line coach. Following a frustrating loss to Southern California during the 2000 season, Johnson turned heads by doing the unthinkable: He criticized legendary coach Joe Paterno.
“It's the system,” Johnson said. “It's entirely the system. We've got coaches that have been here for 30, 20 years, and it seems like things never change. We run the same offense, and teams that play us, they know what we're going to run. They can pull out tapes from back in '92, '93, and we run the same offense. It's the same plays, the same system, and guys guess that and they end up guessing right.”
The irony in Johnson's statements is that Vermeil once said very much the same thing while broadcasting a Penn State game for ABC during his hiatus from coaching.
Also, Penn State's decline as a national power and its offensive ineptitude in recent seasons led Paterno to replace longtime assistant Fran Ganter, who ran the Penn State offense since 1984, following the 2003 season.
Johnson's other problem with the Penn State system stemmed from the fact that he had to wait so long to be the featured back. When that opportunity came in 2002, Johnson exploded by rushing for 2,087 yards, a single-season Big Ten record.
During the past two seasons, Johnson has watched as backs from his draft class such as Minnesota's Onterrio Smith, Tennessee's Chris Brown and Cleveland's Lee Suggs have been featured.
Meanwhile, Johnson has continued to wait, albeit in an impatient fashion. “I don't look at as me being controversial or anything like that,” Johnson said. “But I believe you can either sit back and wait for things to happen or you can make things happen. I want to make things happen.”
Vermeil, who apologized to Johnson when his diaper comment made national news, has praised the second-year back's focus and maturity this season.
“Larry Johnson had the best week of practice he's had since being here,” Vermeil said leading into the Baltimore game. “Priest Holmes wasn't the only talented guy out there wearing 31.”
Vermeil's reference was to Johnson's work on the scout team as Ravens running back Jamal Lewis, who, like Holmes, wears 31. But even as Vermeil and Peterson praise Johnson, the question must be asked: How long can the Chiefs keep such a talented player waiting in the wings?
“Ultimately, and I think you could see it next season at this time, Larry will be playing a bigger role in our offense,” Peterson said. “It's going to come. I understand that he's frustrated with his role, but he has to be a professional. Right now, he's playing behind the ultimate example of that in Priest Holmes. Priest had to wait his turn, but when he finally got an opportunity, he took advantage of it. That's what Larry has to focus on.”
***
The great unknown regarding Johnson's future continues to be Holmes. With 1,276 touches in 50 games as a Chief, Holmes has been the NFL's hardest-working back for nearly four seasons.
Also, Holmes turned 31 on Thursday, has suffered three serious injuries since college and considered retirement last off-season.
Assuming that Holmes is human, which may be debatable considering the numbers he put up coming off hip surgery last season, the time will come when the Chiefs need a new featured running back.
The way Peterson sees it, they already have one.
“I've talked to him about how he was frustrated over having to wait in college, so I know that Larry's impatience comes from wanting to help us win games,” Peterson said. “I respect that, and you know what? I don't want Larry Johnson to be satisfied with not playing. That's what makes him the player he is. Larry is a very talented, very bright young man, and he's going to help the Kansas City Chiefs win football games. I'm confident about that.”
Itching to play
Chiefs' Johnson is eager for shot at proving himself in the NFL
By IVAN CARTER
The Kansas City Star
Larry Johnson won't be traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Miami Dolphins or any other running-back-hungry team this week or anytime soon, Chiefs team president/general manager Carl Peterson said.
The time for such a deal would have been during the Chiefs' bye week, but no team offered the kind of package that would have led Peterson to even think about pulling the trigger on a deal.
“If someone offered that (a first-round pick) I would consider it,” Peterson said by phone from Los Angeles, where he was scouting Saturday's Southern California/California game. “But I'm a Larry Johnson guy. That's why I drafted him. I believe that he will make a significant impact on the Kansas City Chiefs someday.”
A report out of Tampa Bay claimed that the Buccaneers offered to send veteran wide receiver Keenan McCardell, who is in the midst of a prolonged holdout over his contract, to Kansas City in exchange for Johnson, but that only proved to be a rumor.
“Even if they offered McCardell straight up, I wouldn't do it,” Peterson said. “Keenan McCardell is a good football player, but he's a 34-year-old possession receiver who wants to make something like $4 million . Why would I want to lose a very, very talented football player who we've invested a first round pick in? That wouldn't make sense.”
Such words hardly soothe Johnson, who is now 20 games into his NFL career without having taken a significant regular-season snap. Johnson, whom the Chiefs traded down to take with the 26th overall pick of the 2003 draft, has only been active for seven games and has seen action only as a special-teams player this season.
Even more frustrating to Johnson, he isn't even the backup to Pro Bowler Priest Holmes. When Holmes went out of the game for a brief rest during the second half of last week's victory at Baltimore, fourth-year back Derrick Blaylock came in and picked up 28 key yards in six carries.
Johnson, meanwhile, was limited to covering kickoffs. Obviously, that's not what he had in mind when he departed Penn State following a record-breaking senior season in 2002.
“I know what everyone says about being patient and waiting your turn, but that's not what I see for myself,” Johnson said. “I don't want to be three, four years into my career before I get a chance to be a starter. Running backs age fast in the NFL, and I feel like the clock is already ticking on my career. I want to get going.”
Anyone who has followed Johnson should not be surprised by such a statement. On the field, Johnson is big, strong and fast. Off the field, he is never afraid to express what's on his mind.
He bristled when Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil suggested, almost in a throwaway manner, that it was time for Johnson “to take the diaper off” when it appeared as though Holmes might not be ready to play against Houston on Sept. 26.
And during a rookie season during which he carried the ball only 20 times for 85 yards and one touchdown in mop-up duty, Johnson vocally questioned the Chiefs' decision to draft him in the first place.
“I don't know why they would bring me in here when they already had Priest,” Johnson said. “If you are not going to use me, why draft me?”
***
Johnson was just as outspoken during his time at Penn State, where his father is the Nittany Lions' defensive-line coach. Following a frustrating loss to Southern California during the 2000 season, Johnson turned heads by doing the unthinkable: He criticized legendary coach Joe Paterno.
“It's the system,” Johnson said. “It's entirely the system. We've got coaches that have been here for 30, 20 years, and it seems like things never change. We run the same offense, and teams that play us, they know what we're going to run. They can pull out tapes from back in '92, '93, and we run the same offense. It's the same plays, the same system, and guys guess that and they end up guessing right.”
The irony in Johnson's statements is that Vermeil once said very much the same thing while broadcasting a Penn State game for ABC during his hiatus from coaching.
Also, Penn State's decline as a national power and its offensive ineptitude in recent seasons led Paterno to replace longtime assistant Fran Ganter, who ran the Penn State offense since 1984, following the 2003 season.
Johnson's other problem with the Penn State system stemmed from the fact that he had to wait so long to be the featured back. When that opportunity came in 2002, Johnson exploded by rushing for 2,087 yards, a single-season Big Ten record.
During the past two seasons, Johnson has watched as backs from his draft class such as Minnesota's Onterrio Smith, Tennessee's Chris Brown and Cleveland's Lee Suggs have been featured.
Meanwhile, Johnson has continued to wait, albeit in an impatient fashion. “I don't look at as me being controversial or anything like that,” Johnson said. “But I believe you can either sit back and wait for things to happen or you can make things happen. I want to make things happen.”
Vermeil, who apologized to Johnson when his diaper comment made national news, has praised the second-year back's focus and maturity this season.
“Larry Johnson had the best week of practice he's had since being here,” Vermeil said leading into the Baltimore game. “Priest Holmes wasn't the only talented guy out there wearing 31.”
Vermeil's reference was to Johnson's work on the scout team as Ravens running back Jamal Lewis, who, like Holmes, wears 31. But even as Vermeil and Peterson praise Johnson, the question must be asked: How long can the Chiefs keep such a talented player waiting in the wings?
“Ultimately, and I think you could see it next season at this time, Larry will be playing a bigger role in our offense,” Peterson said. “It's going to come. I understand that he's frustrated with his role, but he has to be a professional. Right now, he's playing behind the ultimate example of that in Priest Holmes. Priest had to wait his turn, but when he finally got an opportunity, he took advantage of it. That's what Larry has to focus on.”
***
The great unknown regarding Johnson's future continues to be Holmes. With 1,276 touches in 50 games as a Chief, Holmes has been the NFL's hardest-working back for nearly four seasons.
Also, Holmes turned 31 on Thursday, has suffered three serious injuries since college and considered retirement last off-season.
Assuming that Holmes is human, which may be debatable considering the numbers he put up coming off hip surgery last season, the time will come when the Chiefs need a new featured running back.
The way Peterson sees it, they already have one.
“I've talked to him about how he was frustrated over having to wait in college, so I know that Larry's impatience comes from wanting to help us win games,” Peterson said. “I respect that, and you know what? I don't want Larry Johnson to be satisfied with not playing. That's what makes him the player he is. Larry is a very talented, very bright young man, and he's going to help the Kansas City Chiefs win football games. I'm confident about that.”