ZootedGranny
08-25-2006, 09:42 PM
http://www.sportsline.com/nfl/story/9617662
You can't talk about the Kansas City Chiefs without talking about running back Larry Johnson. And when you talk about Larry Johnson, sooner or later you wind up talking about a 2,000-yard season.
Now, try addressing the subject to Johnson. I didn't because I didn't have to. It was Johnson who raised the idea.
Only he went at it from an unexpected direction: It wasn't the 2,000 yards he wanted to discuss; it was the celebration. And it wasn't the celebration of Larry Johnson but a celebration of all the backs that ran for 2,000 yards.
"If I had a chance to break it," he said of 2,000 yards, "I would put on the old Eric Dickerson goggles and try to break it like that. Then, afterward, I would want to show tribute to those guys who did it before.
"You see, nobody was really talking about 2,000 yards, and nobody was talking about Eric Dickerson until now. And I want to keep that fresh in everybody's minds.
"Running backs always have a chance to break records, and if we bring back someone like Jim Brown, Eric Dickerson, Barry Sanders or Emmitt Smith that brings them to the forefront."
Now I know what you're thinking: Who cares if they're at the front now when they were there decades ago? Well, I know one guy who does, and I was talking to him. Larry Johnson isn't just knowledgeable about the history of his position; he's passionate, too, eager to discuss Hall of Fame backs from 30, 40 or 50 years ago.
Marion Motley? He knows all about him. Walter Payton? He has him down, too. The same goes for Jim Taylor, Dickerson and Sanders. And Brown? Not only has he studied him, he watches him weekly, thanks to a DVD he picked up at NFL Films, compliments of Steve Sabol, and packs for road games.
In fact, when I asked him if he could have his choice of one back -- any team, any era -- for his football team, he didn't hesitate.
"Jim Brown," he said. "Hands down. When he ran the ball, everybody was scared of him."
Larry Johnson would like to have people say similar things about him, but first things first: How about starting an entire season? I know it seems as if he did a year ago, especially when you look at numbers that eclipsed everyone but Shaun Alexander and Tiki Barber.
But Johnson started the year behind Priest Holmes and stayed there until Holmes bowed out with a neck injury in the ninth game. That's when the Chiefs turned the ball ... and their offense ... over to Johnson, and he didn't stop until he produced nine straight 100-yard games, including two 200-yard performances; averaged 5.2 yards a carry; scored 21 times and accumulated 1,750 yards rushing.
Now, take his figures from just his final nine starts and project them over a 16-game season. What you wind up with is Larry Johnson in Eric Dickerson goggles, with 2,402 yards rushing and 30 TDs.
Johnson isn't impressed. It's not yards and points that interest him. It's a Super Bowl ring. It's making history and carving out a place alongside the Hall of Fame backs he studied since he was a kid growing up in Pennsylvania.
"I want to be like an old-school back," he said, "and bring that into the new era. You don't see that today. You see running backs going out of bounds to save their bodies, but I remember what Jim Brown said: That going out of bounds makes you weak; that you build a defense's ego when you go out of bounds. I want to keep that old-school mentality and bring it to a new generation of backs."
I'm not sure how that flies with new coach Herman Edwards' philosophies, but I know where Johnson fits in with Edwards' plans for this year -- and for the years that follow. He's the centerpiece of an offense that will lean heavily on the run and that will try to grind out drives to keep the defense fresh.
I don't know if he runs for 2,000 yards, but I know he'll carry over 300 times. Maybe well over 300. That's not only Edwards' style; it's his history. Look at how he handled Curtis Martin when he coached the Jets: Martin averaged 322 carries a year in his first four seasons under Edwards, including a career-high 371 in 2004.
"If you leave your defense on the field over 30 minutes a game, that's not good," said Edwards. "You have to change the mindset here."
Edwards will rely on quarterback Trent Green. He will rely on tight end Tony Gonzalez, too. Mostly, though, he will rely on Johnson, and you would, too, if you wanted to control the clock. Not only is the guy talented; but Edwards believes you win by running first, throwing second.
And if that's old-school, so be it. All I know is that one of these days your grandkids might be studying DVDs of Larry Johnson, which is how the Chiefs running back would like his story to end.
"I'm excited about this year," he said. "I'm going to take it like my college season, when I had 12 games, and try to make something happen. And if I get to 1,700 or 1,800 again, maybe, just maybe, I can crack that magic number."
Hopefully LJ puts his stunna shades on.
You can't talk about the Kansas City Chiefs without talking about running back Larry Johnson. And when you talk about Larry Johnson, sooner or later you wind up talking about a 2,000-yard season.
Now, try addressing the subject to Johnson. I didn't because I didn't have to. It was Johnson who raised the idea.
Only he went at it from an unexpected direction: It wasn't the 2,000 yards he wanted to discuss; it was the celebration. And it wasn't the celebration of Larry Johnson but a celebration of all the backs that ran for 2,000 yards.
"If I had a chance to break it," he said of 2,000 yards, "I would put on the old Eric Dickerson goggles and try to break it like that. Then, afterward, I would want to show tribute to those guys who did it before.
"You see, nobody was really talking about 2,000 yards, and nobody was talking about Eric Dickerson until now. And I want to keep that fresh in everybody's minds.
"Running backs always have a chance to break records, and if we bring back someone like Jim Brown, Eric Dickerson, Barry Sanders or Emmitt Smith that brings them to the forefront."
Now I know what you're thinking: Who cares if they're at the front now when they were there decades ago? Well, I know one guy who does, and I was talking to him. Larry Johnson isn't just knowledgeable about the history of his position; he's passionate, too, eager to discuss Hall of Fame backs from 30, 40 or 50 years ago.
Marion Motley? He knows all about him. Walter Payton? He has him down, too. The same goes for Jim Taylor, Dickerson and Sanders. And Brown? Not only has he studied him, he watches him weekly, thanks to a DVD he picked up at NFL Films, compliments of Steve Sabol, and packs for road games.
In fact, when I asked him if he could have his choice of one back -- any team, any era -- for his football team, he didn't hesitate.
"Jim Brown," he said. "Hands down. When he ran the ball, everybody was scared of him."
Larry Johnson would like to have people say similar things about him, but first things first: How about starting an entire season? I know it seems as if he did a year ago, especially when you look at numbers that eclipsed everyone but Shaun Alexander and Tiki Barber.
But Johnson started the year behind Priest Holmes and stayed there until Holmes bowed out with a neck injury in the ninth game. That's when the Chiefs turned the ball ... and their offense ... over to Johnson, and he didn't stop until he produced nine straight 100-yard games, including two 200-yard performances; averaged 5.2 yards a carry; scored 21 times and accumulated 1,750 yards rushing.
Now, take his figures from just his final nine starts and project them over a 16-game season. What you wind up with is Larry Johnson in Eric Dickerson goggles, with 2,402 yards rushing and 30 TDs.
Johnson isn't impressed. It's not yards and points that interest him. It's a Super Bowl ring. It's making history and carving out a place alongside the Hall of Fame backs he studied since he was a kid growing up in Pennsylvania.
"I want to be like an old-school back," he said, "and bring that into the new era. You don't see that today. You see running backs going out of bounds to save their bodies, but I remember what Jim Brown said: That going out of bounds makes you weak; that you build a defense's ego when you go out of bounds. I want to keep that old-school mentality and bring it to a new generation of backs."
I'm not sure how that flies with new coach Herman Edwards' philosophies, but I know where Johnson fits in with Edwards' plans for this year -- and for the years that follow. He's the centerpiece of an offense that will lean heavily on the run and that will try to grind out drives to keep the defense fresh.
I don't know if he runs for 2,000 yards, but I know he'll carry over 300 times. Maybe well over 300. That's not only Edwards' style; it's his history. Look at how he handled Curtis Martin when he coached the Jets: Martin averaged 322 carries a year in his first four seasons under Edwards, including a career-high 371 in 2004.
"If you leave your defense on the field over 30 minutes a game, that's not good," said Edwards. "You have to change the mindset here."
Edwards will rely on quarterback Trent Green. He will rely on tight end Tony Gonzalez, too. Mostly, though, he will rely on Johnson, and you would, too, if you wanted to control the clock. Not only is the guy talented; but Edwards believes you win by running first, throwing second.
And if that's old-school, so be it. All I know is that one of these days your grandkids might be studying DVDs of Larry Johnson, which is how the Chiefs running back would like his story to end.
"I'm excited about this year," he said. "I'm going to take it like my college season, when I had 12 games, and try to make something happen. And if I get to 1,700 or 1,800 again, maybe, just maybe, I can crack that magic number."
Hopefully LJ puts his stunna shades on.