With the lockout over and preseason football well underway, NFL players and fans should be getting back into the normal swing of things.
Except for Titans All-Pro running back Chris Johnson, that is.
Johnson is still holding out due to a contract dispute and has yet to touch the practice field for Tennessee.
The fourth-year back out of East Carolina has racked up over 4,500 yards rushing and 34 TDs in just three seasons in the league, including a 2009 performance that saw him win the NFL Offensive Player of the Year honors in the wake of breaking Marshall Faulk’s single-season record for total yards from scrimmage.
The Titans claim they are ready to make Johnson, whose 40-yard dash has been clocked at a ridiculous 4.24, the highest paid running back in NFL history. But here we are in September, and neither side has been able to come to an agreement.
At this point, it appears that both Titans fans and Johnson are getting a little anxious for the situation to be resolved. On Wednesday Johnson called for “fake Titans fans” to “STFU” via Twitter, adding further that “I don't have a regular job so don't compare me to you and I can care less if u think I'm greedy.”
If you didn’t get the message from that tweet, it looks like CJ isn’t going to take one dime less than he deserves.
Nor should he.
Great NFL running backs, like Johnson has proven to be, are a rare breed. Their career spans are incredibly short — an average of 2.6 years, according to the NFLPA, which is the shortest of any position.
If you’re on the top, like Johnson is right now, chances are you won’t stay there for long, as injuries and age are bound to derail your career. See Larry Johnson, Frank Gore and Shaun Alexander as recent examples of backs whose prime years were derailed by injuries.
This is the time for Johnson to cash in on his skills. He has proven himself to be one of the most dangerous offensive threats in the entire league.
Beyond that, he has carried a heavy load for the Titans; Johnson has a whopping 1,062 touches in three years, an average of 354 per season. That’s insane, and just going off that stat alone he deserves to get paid.
It’s as if today’s NFL running backs aren’t seen as men anymore, but rather as an expendable commodity. A fantasy stat. A workhorse. A guy to carry the load until his knees blow out, and then it’s on to the next man in line.
These NFL backs are starting to realize that, and let me tell you, they don’t like it one bit. Just ask Arian Foster. They’re going out every week and putting their body in the line of fire on just about every play — whether they are taking a handoff or standing in the pocket blocking a charging linebacker — and they’re getting a little angry with the way they are viewed by the owners and fans alike.
I have a feeling that pretty soon, Tennessee is going to cave and give CJ the money he demands. They need his quickness and scoring ability on the field against the Jaguars come Week One.
I certainly hope Johnson doesn’t miss any of the regular season because of this holdout, because who knows how many more years we’re going to get to see that dazzling 4.24-speed in action.
Reach the columnist at kyle.j.newman@asu.edu
