Larry Johnson... 10 Things Every Chiefs Fan Wants To Know

Dear Larry Johnson,

After four games in 2008, you were averaging nearly five yards per carry and had 22 or more carries in three of the team's first four games.  After a week five blowout at Carolina, where you only had seven touches, you sat out three games for off the field issues.  

Upon your return, you only had one game where you were given 20 or more carries, in week 13 at Oakland.  That game also happened to be the last game the team won, with the team’s only other victory coming back in week four against the Broncos when you had your best game of the season with 28 carries for 198 yards.

Since you played a key role in the only two games the team won last season, how confident are you that the team could have won more games down the stretch if the coaches had made you a bigger part of the offensive game plan?

While it’s been well publicized about the off the field issues that led to your missing those three games last season, have you had a chance to think about how the season may have gone differently if those events had never happened?

Did you feel as if you were abandoned by the front office and coaching staff when you came back, particularly in those last four games where you only averaged just over 12 carries a game?

Looking back at the entire season, including the off the field stuff, what was the most disappointing thing for you in 2008?

 

At the end of last season, you made it abundantly clear in a radio interview that you were ready to get out of Kansas City and start fresh with another team. A few months have passed, and your agent was quoted in the Kansas City Star in April as saying that you were “excited about the direction the team is going in” and that you are “a member of the Kansas City Chiefs and want to help them win a Super Bowl.”

Your agent also mentioned that your attitude about the team had absolutely nothing to do with the decision made by the league about your contract.

What was the key thing that changed since the end of last season that has changed your mind about wanting to be a part of the 2009 Kansas City Chiefs?

How important is it for you to prove to all those skeptical Chiefs fans out there that the off the field problems are behind you and you’re ready to lead this team back into the playoffs?

 

Your offensive coordinator remains the same this year in Chan Gailey, but you have a new Head Coach and a new General Manager who have added several new faces on offense including Matt Cassel, Bobby Engram, and Mike Goff.

How excited are you about running behind a line that includes Goff, Brian Waters, and an improving Brandon Albert?

 

There was speculation that Coach Haley would bring his pass happy attack with him from Arizona to the Chiefs, but he recently said that “we’d like to have balance on offense” and that he wants to “utilize the players that we have to the best of their ability.”

What does that mean to you as far as what you anticipate your role to be in 2009?

 

Ever since you joined this team as a rookie in 2003, you’ve been fortunate enough to have an All-Pro tight end in Tony Gonzalez to help take some of the defense’s focus off of you and the running game.

How do you think losing Tony, combined with adding players like Cassel and Engram, will change how effective this offense can be this season?

 

And finally, a few years ago you made a pretty bold prediction about rushing for 2,000 yards and leading the league in rushing.

Any predictions for this year?

 

Good Luck in 2009,

KC Chiefs Fans