Tribal Warfare
07-31-2009, 11:22 PM
Chiefs running back Johnson is once again a happy camper (http://www.kansascity.com/sports/chiefs/story/1358269.html)
By KENT BABB
The Kansas City Star
RIVER FALLS, Wis. | Chiefs training camp has started, and that means running back Larry Johnson is optimistic and happy again. The possibilities are exciting to him, and he sees the new season as a fresh start.
He says he has changed. That there is a new LJ lining up in the backfield this season.
The thing is, he said a similar thing at this time last year. He declared that the 2007 season, when he missed half the Chiefs’ games because of a broken foot, was behind him. He was looking ahead, and he saw nothing but good things on the horizon.
Then he had some legal problems last year, a benching and suspension, and the Chiefs ran an offense that made it clear that Johnson was an afterthought. He was angry again. He wanted to be traded or released. Then he went on the radio and said that Kansas City hasn’t felt like home in a long time.
Then …
“A lot of things are different,” Johnson said Thursday after the team arrived at training camp. “A lot of things are going to be a lot different this year, the way I run it, the way I go about a lot of things.”
Last year, it was the Chiefs’ decision to emphasize youth that made Johnson smile. This year, Johnson said, it’s that first-year coach Todd Haley and general manager Scott Pioli seem more interested in winning than the previous group.
Last year, Johnson liked that former coach Herm Edwards was willing to overlook the previous season and that LJ was becoming known more for his mood swings than impressive runs. Now, he likes that Haley and Pioli don’t seem to care about what happened in the past, as long as the future is successful.
“That’s the way they’ve treated me so far,” Johnson said Thursday. “I haven’t had any problems with them.”
Last year, he talked about getting back to the kind of performances that made him one of the NFL’s elite rushers. Now, he’s going further back in time.
“You may see 2002 LJ,” he said, referring to the year he was a Heisman Trophy finalist at Penn State.
It’s all a convincing display, and it was last year, too. So forgive Haley if he needs more evidence that the “new” LJ won’t end up looking like the same old LJ.
“I don’t know if the actual talk is important,” Haley said. “That’s more important to all the fans out there, but I know myself, as a coach, I go by what I see.
“That’s what I’m interested in. Not really what they’re saying, more what they’re doing.”
So Haley is going to wait and see what happens when Johnson faces some adversity. When the Chiefs aren’t winning, or Johnson isn’t getting the number of carries he thinks is appropriate. It’s early, but Haley said Johnson has been a model citizen — so far.
“I have not had an issue with Larry Johnson and what he’s done,” Haley said.
But he isn’t ready to announce Johnson as the likely starter, a careful approach that Haley is taking with all positions. He’s reserving judgment and starting jobs until he sees something, rather than just hearing it.
That’s why some of the Chiefs’ running backs spent the offseason fine-tuning their workout habits and preparing to be the starter, just in case. Jamaal Charles said he heard about the offseason drama surrounding Johnson, and the second-year rusher from Texas was ready to assume the team’s every-down load.
“I thought about that a lot,” he said. “I’m ready more than I was last year. I’m ready to take that on. I want it a lot. I want to be the man.”
Johnson said he wants to be the man, too, which is why he backed off wanting to be let go and adjusted his attitude during the last several months. Instead of telling reporters about how unhappy he was, he kept quiet.
“I didn’t have too much to say,” he said.
He said he was invigorated after meeting Haley and Pioli, who made it clear to Johnson that the old way wouldn’t fly, and neither would the idea that winning a handful of games is an acceptable or simply unlucky fate. Johnson liked hearing that.
“Those guys coming in,” Johnson said, “the dedication to winning and not the dedication to things that happen off the field and things like that, concerning ourselves with things that don’t concern winning.
“It was about (being comfortable), as far as where we want to go as far as the Super Bowl and making things happen to put ourselves in position to win more than just two games last year. Obviously, Todd and Pioli coming in here, their dedication to winning more than two games made me happy.”
By KENT BABB
The Kansas City Star
RIVER FALLS, Wis. | Chiefs training camp has started, and that means running back Larry Johnson is optimistic and happy again. The possibilities are exciting to him, and he sees the new season as a fresh start.
He says he has changed. That there is a new LJ lining up in the backfield this season.
The thing is, he said a similar thing at this time last year. He declared that the 2007 season, when he missed half the Chiefs’ games because of a broken foot, was behind him. He was looking ahead, and he saw nothing but good things on the horizon.
Then he had some legal problems last year, a benching and suspension, and the Chiefs ran an offense that made it clear that Johnson was an afterthought. He was angry again. He wanted to be traded or released. Then he went on the radio and said that Kansas City hasn’t felt like home in a long time.
Then …
“A lot of things are different,” Johnson said Thursday after the team arrived at training camp. “A lot of things are going to be a lot different this year, the way I run it, the way I go about a lot of things.”
Last year, it was the Chiefs’ decision to emphasize youth that made Johnson smile. This year, Johnson said, it’s that first-year coach Todd Haley and general manager Scott Pioli seem more interested in winning than the previous group.
Last year, Johnson liked that former coach Herm Edwards was willing to overlook the previous season and that LJ was becoming known more for his mood swings than impressive runs. Now, he likes that Haley and Pioli don’t seem to care about what happened in the past, as long as the future is successful.
“That’s the way they’ve treated me so far,” Johnson said Thursday. “I haven’t had any problems with them.”
Last year, he talked about getting back to the kind of performances that made him one of the NFL’s elite rushers. Now, he’s going further back in time.
“You may see 2002 LJ,” he said, referring to the year he was a Heisman Trophy finalist at Penn State.
It’s all a convincing display, and it was last year, too. So forgive Haley if he needs more evidence that the “new” LJ won’t end up looking like the same old LJ.
“I don’t know if the actual talk is important,” Haley said. “That’s more important to all the fans out there, but I know myself, as a coach, I go by what I see.
“That’s what I’m interested in. Not really what they’re saying, more what they’re doing.”
So Haley is going to wait and see what happens when Johnson faces some adversity. When the Chiefs aren’t winning, or Johnson isn’t getting the number of carries he thinks is appropriate. It’s early, but Haley said Johnson has been a model citizen — so far.
“I have not had an issue with Larry Johnson and what he’s done,” Haley said.
But he isn’t ready to announce Johnson as the likely starter, a careful approach that Haley is taking with all positions. He’s reserving judgment and starting jobs until he sees something, rather than just hearing it.
That’s why some of the Chiefs’ running backs spent the offseason fine-tuning their workout habits and preparing to be the starter, just in case. Jamaal Charles said he heard about the offseason drama surrounding Johnson, and the second-year rusher from Texas was ready to assume the team’s every-down load.
“I thought about that a lot,” he said. “I’m ready more than I was last year. I’m ready to take that on. I want it a lot. I want to be the man.”
Johnson said he wants to be the man, too, which is why he backed off wanting to be let go and adjusted his attitude during the last several months. Instead of telling reporters about how unhappy he was, he kept quiet.
“I didn’t have too much to say,” he said.
He said he was invigorated after meeting Haley and Pioli, who made it clear to Johnson that the old way wouldn’t fly, and neither would the idea that winning a handful of games is an acceptable or simply unlucky fate. Johnson liked hearing that.
“Those guys coming in,” Johnson said, “the dedication to winning and not the dedication to things that happen off the field and things like that, concerning ourselves with things that don’t concern winning.
“It was about (being comfortable), as far as where we want to go as far as the Super Bowl and making things happen to put ourselves in position to win more than just two games last year. Obviously, Todd and Pioli coming in here, their dedication to winning more than two games made me happy.”