Haley Should Cut Johnson
 

Haley Should Cut Johnson


Todd Haley didn’t want to talk about Larry Johnson at Monday’s press conference. His only comment on the situation – a combination Twitter/locker room meltdown from Johnson – was to issue a canned statement about how he expects his players to behave.

“How our men conduct themselves and how they represent the Chiefs is very important to me personally, and to our owner and general manager,” he said. “So that’s what’s most important - how the Kansas City Chiefs represent themselves in the city of Kansas City and the country.

“I’m not going to go into that any further, because we are looking into the situation. I will reiterate again how our players conduct themselves with and through the media in a public setting is very important to us as an organization. We are gathering facts, so to speak.”

Haley really didn’t have to say much more, and in fact, his silence spoke volumes. That’s because Johnson has become largely irrelevant in Kansas City. That much is evident when the biggest headline he’s made this year is because of his words, not because of his actions.

Johnson hasn’t broken a run over 17 yards this season. He’s averaging only 2.7 yards per carry and hasn’t scored a touchdown. Sure, the Chiefs can’t block and the lack of a deep threat means the line of scrimmage is as crowded as can be. It’s not easy for LJ. That doesn’t mean Haley can’t find another running back to do what Johnson has done this year.

It’s time for Haley to cut Johnson. When a player doesn’t produce on the field and embarrasses himself, his organization and his fans, what other option is there?

Johnson has betrayed any trust anyone might have placed in him. Despite his past, Haley gave him a clean slate, started him in every game this season, handed him the ball more than anyone else, and he’s squandered that opportunity. Scott Pioli deemed Johnson’s talents suitable for his roster this season, but now Pioli has to be wondering why Johnson wasn’t the first player he cut during the offseason. Team owner Clark Hunt went so far as to express confidence in Johnson through the media, despite all his off-the-field troubles and comments about wanting to leave Kansas City.

Apparently all of that was lost on Larry as he fired up his keyboard and his mouth. He collectively slapped KC’s leadership in the face with a few Twitter comments and a homosexual slur in the locker room. Is that any way to represent the Chiefs?

Johnson’s coming apology, announced through his agent Monday, will be hollow and worthless, like his contributions on the field of play. We’ve heard it all before. Larry has apologized for all of his misdeeds, but they just keep on coming. So, we shouldn’t accept his apology.

Will Haley?

While he wouldn’t talk about his “star” running back Monday, he spoke at length on the subject Johnson trashed him over – his lack of experience playing football. Haley spent his college years playing golf for Florida and Miami. But he was clear in pointing out that it didn’t strike him as a negative, that plenty of great NFL head coaches lacked real playing experience.

“I’m very proud of the route that I took to get to where I am right now,” said Haley. “I’m very proud of being able to grow up around, in my opinion, one of the best football people that there are, and to be around the teams and the players that I was around on a daily basis. I think that that has given me great insight, as I’ve progressed in the coaching field, into what good and great is supposed to look like.”

“I think I’m here for a reason. I think I’ve earned what I’ve done in the NFL through hard work and through executions and results. I think if playing is a prerequisite for being a great coach, you can eliminate some names, so, like I said, I’m here to coach. I’m not here to play."

So it’s obvious Haley isn’t losing any sleep over Johnson’s comments. In fact, according to one report, he waltzed into KC’s team meeting Monday with a golf cap on, much to the amusement of his team – everyone except Johnson, who apparently wouldn’t even make eye contact with his head coach.

If Larry can’t even look Haley in the eye now, what future does he have with the Chiefs? Why does he have any worth to the team as the only running back in the NFL with more than 100 carries but less than three yards per carry? Even if he rips off 300 yards rushing and six touchdowns against the Jaguars after KC’s bye week, is it really worth it if he’s going to attempt to undermine the authority of his head coach in a public forum and shoot his mouth off in the locker room, inciting anger from the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation?

The only logical course of action for Haley is to cut Johnson. At the least, he should be deactivated and banned from Arrowhead Stadium for the rest of the season before being dumped in the offseason.

Not only does this rid the Chiefs of a huge distraction, it denies Johnson the chance to break Priest Holmes' franchise rushing record. Johnson doesn't deserve the record. If he breaks it (he only needs about 80 yards), he will have limped to it in the most pathetic way possible. Johnson is the antithesis of Holmes both on and off the field. It would be an embarrassment to everything the Chiefs stand for - hard work, loyalty and sportsmanship - if Johnson held a major team record for the next decade or two. It would be a blight on the history of the franchise.

Johnson has no value to the Chiefs that Jamaal Charles or Kolby Smith can’t provide (other than drama). Haley, of course, actually talked about Charles and Smith Monday.

“I’ll say this about Jamaal, I think Jamaal is starting to get it,” said Haley.

“I think Kolby Smith looks like a running back, and I like the way he works and the way he acts,” said Haley.

Is Johnson “starting to get it?” Does anyone currently like “the way he acts?”

Based on his behavior since Sunday’s game, it doesn’t appear so. Haley can save himself plenty of headaches by removing Johnson’s presence from KC’s locker room and preferably, the franchise as a whole. And then he won’t ever need to talk about him again.

I posted this 5 hours ago.

The "Right 53" is a ****ing load of horseshit if Pioli doesn't immediately suspend or cut Johnson.

And Clark should fire Pioli and Haley...

Nope, don't cut him, let him stew on the sidelines for the rest of the year

They gave him a clean slate and he blew it

Clark should fire himself.

I truly hope he's setting up this franchise with the new stadium improvements, Pioli & Haley etc., in order to sell it.

I think he's the worst owner in the NFL, bar none.

I would suspend or bench him, don't give his ass a chance to go somewhere else this season and have his way, or possibly go to a winning team.

Well he's no Al Davis or Dan Snyder thats for sure...

Say what you will about both of those men but they actually care about their franchises and are not absentee owners.

And the Raiders were in the Super Bowl this decade.

It's been four decades since the Chiefs could say that, going on five.

Not arguing the point.... Not thrilled either...

The facts can sometimes suck ass

Why cut him? He did nothing wrong

If he is planning on selling them... I wonder if he will force the owner to keep the team in the city.

Can you imagine?

L.A. Chiefs

*hurls*

Nah, the city now has a 20+ year contract with the Chiefs.

$400 million in renovations.

The Chiefs aren't going anywhere.

Just hopefully, the Hunt family.

There is really no need to rush this. You can bet the league is looking for substance in the allegation that LJ really did this. Once the facts are known, the hammer will fall and it will be obvious to all who has the self inflicted career wound. The Chiefs can take the "high" road with the lets find out the facts first routine.

If someone wants to commit career-suicide, maybe we should just get out of the way

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/38/10...db6171.jpg?v=0

Vee Cut Off Your Johnson!

Did someone hack your account?

Uh, his agent already admitted to it.

If true, good for Haley.

Screw cutting him or benching him that is what he wants. I would just play his worthless ass.
Posted via Mobile Device

There is enough proof in that he's ready to issue a meaningless apology.

Come to think of it....I want to see Haley throw him out of the game/stadium. Just publicly shame him. He's due.

It's not Haley's decision to make.

I know, I just have visions of profane tirades dancing in my head.

Agree 100% the gailey situation is all on clark trying to be cheap.I bet haley wanted gailey out from day 1.Ill bet thats why krumrie is still here also.
When is the last time on tv you have seen him. Most other teams you see a shot of the owner during the game he is stealth.And I agree I would take snyder in a ny minute over hunt any day.

Pretty funny and absolutely perfect.

Dude has a good sense of humor and seems to be pretty intelligent when he speaks, but this intelligence needs to translate to on-field decisions.

Perhaps when he has fewer responsibilities...

This is akin to LBJ lamenting the loss of Cronkite after Tet.

Kansas City should buy the Chiefs. And I'm serious. Like Green Bay has it, hell we paid for the stadium anyway.

If LJ comes out and plays off this BS as him trying to pimp his dad, not slinging shit at Haley, I'd be pissed. You ran your ****ing mouth, now man up and take the heat you POS punk ass wannabe thug.

Yeah, it's time to update this:

http://i35.tinypic.com/23koyfb.gif

I thoroughly heart Todd Haley.

People point out the bad play calls but alot of dropped passes/mis fired passes have f'd up GOOD calls.Against good defenses there were plays with guys getting wide open which to me you have to give some credit to play calling in those instances.

Jezas Kryst. When did you become the biggest drama queen I've ever seen in ChiefsPlanet?

Worst in the NFL?

That's just stupid. Massive stupid.

I agree, execution has been a major problem

Not it's not. Clark is a big reason why this mess is what we see every week.
He is terrible as an owner cheap and seemingly disinterested sans the occasional "everything is ok" presser.

One of your best paragraphs, ever.

This cannot happen.

And it twisted a knife in my gut to write it.

A month ago I couldn't wait for LJ to break it.

Now...it would be disgusting.

do we get anything if we cut him and someone signs him?

Holy shit.

I wan in DC this weekend running a marathon, had no TV or internet connection. I was able to catch the Chiefs score on a ticker at a bar...gross.

...boy did I miss a lot...so...LJ bad mouthing Haley? Wow what a surprise...not really.

This.

Cancer will continue eating away at the body until it's removed.

So, we are supposed to cut him and let him go to another team and slam the Chiefs at every possible opportunity, while still collecting his guaranteed paychecks from Hunt?

screw that, then he wins and gets to laugh about it.

deactivate him and let him hit the open market next year as a 31 year old RB that hasnt done anything in three years and has immaturity problems and cant block.

He would be lucky to ever play football again, if he did it would be for a 1 year vet min deal.

that is how the Chiefs should handle this imho.

BTW loved the golf hat thing, funny stuff.

you and me both.

Great thread, and article.

Relief. Peace. A chance to move on.

A chance to see what Charles can do.

A chance to see what body part Kolby Smith can injure next.

A fresh start.

Plenty of discussion about what running back we should draft with our first-round pick. :evil:

The revelation of my new man crush.

****! Thats all I got.

You know he will end up a Raider.

They have their own underperforming, overpaid running back.

Sweet. So, should I burn my LJ jersey? Or find another way to show off my hatred?

Maybe he's happy that LJ gave him a solid reason to get rid of Johnson. I mean, think about it. Even you, one of the biggest LJ fans I've seen recently, seem to want him gone. I don't know. When I've reached a difficult decision I usually feel better about it. Especially if an issue pops up that makes it a slam dunk.

And you think that would stop Al Davis from bringing in another one?

Make him block for Kolby. Make the team hate him for wiffing.

I think we should all burn our LJ jerseys and video tape the event for a youtube e-pyre en masse. Mine doesn't even fit me anymore (3X) so I don't even need it...

The sad thing is I don't even know what my next jersey is going to be because EVERYONE ON THIS TEAM SUCKS.

LMAO same here... I was thinking the other day about which chiefs players jersey I would want, I cant think of anybody. I dont even want a Flowers jersey yet until he starts making a few more plays.... I think im gonna pick up a nice Drew Brees or Adrian Puh Puh Peterson! jersey.

No one wants to sport a cornerback jersey. Boring.

I might get a Bowe if he signs a long-term deal. He's the only true stud. Wearing a Tamba Hali jersey is just pathetic...

Ive got a Bowe (with pink sleeves) :shake: ....But I dont want anybody else on this team unless we draft a stud playmaker in the draft like Taylor Mays or Eric Berry.

The only current player jersey I own is a D. Bowe white. Hopefully he will be with the team long-term because he is a shinning light on this team. I don't want another jersey right now because there is no one else on this team who I want to represent or has earned a portion of my money from the sale. Matt Cassel will likely be the next one though, probably in 2010, if the team and his play start turning around towards being something good.

Im all for cutting LJ, I highly doubt he will play or even be with the team against Jacksonville. Bye Bye Crybaby P.O.S. pathetic excuse of a human being!!!

The only white jersey I have is a LJ one. I have a total of 3 in my house. Maybe someone from the GLAAD would like to piss on it? lol

Last time the Chiefs were in the SuperBowl I was 5 months old. I think I've held up better than they have. What does that have to do with this thread? Not sure. :shrug:

change


hope


hope for change.

LJ to the curb, please!

I have a shit ton of Jerseys but right now none that I like to wear. Maybe a Flowers jersey is in the mix for my next buy, pretty boring though.

Clark's only real move so far has been hiring the most sought after GM candidte of the last 5 years.

My god this is taking stupid to 11.

you need to go into politics gc because you are quite possibly the biggest flipflopping hypocrite on the face of the planet. Spare me the bullshit about the OL, and LJ dissing his coach.

I hope you guys keep him. Cutting his barely over 2 YPC would be addition by subtraction.

Huh?

I've supported LJ for a long time. Now I'm done with him.

That's no flip flop.

Really?

Prove otherwise.

No more ****ing squirrely DC mumbo jumbo.

Douchetard

Bring it ON, Mother****er.

You are epic ****ing stupid when it comes to football

yesterday...YESTERDAY, you made every excuse in the book for LJ. Now 24 hours later you're saying cut his ass.

you have no integrity. its ok, nobodys perfect

Waaa ****in waaa who gives a flying ****? This whole team is a bunch of swollen nipples. For the 1st ****in time in over 40 years I care absolutely nothing about any player or coach or owner on this pathetic cesspool of an abortion.... So go **** yerselves and I hope you have a better ride than I did.

LJ didn't warn him when he pulled out an sprayed his face last night.

Had Claythan had time to prepare, he'd still be in love.

YESTERDAY no one knew LJ had called a reporter a bundle of sticks.

You lump that on top of what he did and...cut his ass.

Besides, people sleep on things.

Most reporters are creepy lil bastards

So let me get this straight...act like a malcontent your entire career, bitch slap/spit on women, get arrested, complain about being disrespected, holdout for contract extension, receive contract extension and vastly underperform said contract. Average less than 3 yards a carry, score exactly zero touchdowns in 7 games, blame everybody but yourself........ALL THOSE THINGS ARE PERFECTLY ACCEPTABLE.

Question your head coach and say the word bundle of sticks on stupid internet message board......GET THE **** OUT!!!!!


Yeah, that makes sense.

It's the Devil's work.

Be careful what you say...

Call it the straw that broke GoChiefs' back.

I wasn't happy with Larry when he was ****ing up by any means. But I was willing to overlook it.

Considering your 6 year hard-on for LJ, that must have been one big straw and one tiny camel.

I'm with you on this one. LJ's is the only jersey I own. I decided on it after the thanksgiving game where he was a beast. I think I cursed him cause it's all been downhill from there. I hoped for the best, but this is the final straw.
My LJ jersey is retired. I thought about incorporating it into a halloween costume. Maybe wear it with some depends??

Everyone is allowed an epiphany, a moment of clarity. I think CE deserves some small recognition for finally realizing and understanding the brevity of Johnson's most recent act of selfishness and stupidity, especially when coupled with LJ's past misdeeds.

That even C.E. has finally had enough speaks volumes.

It must have been a difficult article to write considering your past support for LJ and holding out hope that he would be able to come back around to the player he was in 2005 and 2006.

I don't think Larry has a single fan left anywhere.

Like I told someone on WPI, it wrote itself. It wasn't difficult at all. The hard one will be when he's actually cut, and we recap the tragedy that is LJ. It is very, very ****ing sad. And it wasn't all Larry's fault.

And we should listen to a sack of shit???

There is some angry bitches on this forum. Good article Go Chiefs, **** all them anger management whores.

Damn, when you turn on someone, you REALLY turn on them.

So glad you finally see the light, though. o:-)