Bleacher Report - Chris Johnson

Vince Young Works To Silence Doubters As Titans Win Four Straight

Bryan Hollister — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 20:21:14 -0500

Sometimes people just plain misread things.

Such is likely the case when people insisted that Vince Young was not going to be the answer for the Titans in their previously abysmal season.

And yes, that includes yours truly. But you just can't argue with results.

With a performance that was patient, calculated, and electrifying, Young led the Titans to their fourth straight victory Sunday, after they began the season losing six straight.

Call it a fluke if you want; but from where I stand, he appears to be getting better every week.

Granted, he had help as Chris Johnson put on another clinic in his pursuit of NFL rushing glory, racking up better than 150 yards on the ground against a Houston defense that set out to shut him down and force Young to win the game with his arm.

Predictable, but apparently laughable.

What the Texans didn't, or more correctly couldn't, account for were the 73 yards that Young added on the ground, with two notable exceptions. Almost every time he took off he picked up, or nearly picked up, a first down.

If that's not sustaining drives, I don't know what is.

But the important thing is, he had plenty of other opportunities to run and didn't.

Instead, he stood calmly in the pocket, sometimes stepping up into it, and made throw after critical throw. When he did leave the pocket, he was just as likely to throw it as run it, as he did on his 13-yard strike to Kenny Britt for the Titans' first score of the game.

Problem was, the Texans had to respect his ability to gain yards on the ground, which opened up opportunities downfield.

Apparently the option is still, well, an option in the NFL.

Young knows he still has detractors. When asked about how he felt about all the people who said he couldn't do it, or the people who said that he doesn't have what it takes to make it as an NFL quarterback, he smiled, looked directly at the camera, and with a little laugh said, "I love y'all too!"

Then he jogged away, happy with his results.

Young hasn't lost yet this year. He hasn't had to face fickle fans demanding better performances for their dollar. But after seeing him handle the interview at the end of the game, it appears, on the surface at least, that he just might be better prepared for it whenever the Titans do lose again.

At least I hope that's what it looks like. I could be misreading that, too.

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Chris Johnson vs. Adrian Peterson: Who's the Best Running Back in Football?

Ruchir Pandya — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 19:39:59 -0500

Last year, Adrian Peterson became everyone's unanimous pick as the best running back in the NFL. However, this year, the argument has become more muddled with the emergence of Chris Johnson.

In his rookie season, Johnson went for more than 1,000 yards rushing as the Smash in Tennesee's "Smash and Dash" running attack. But, he had not shown the ability to be an every-down back.

Suffice it to say that that question has been answered.

As the NFL's leading rusher, Johnson has already eclipsed 1,000 yards on the season. People already knew about his blazing 4.24 speed, but Johnson also leads the league in yards after contact.

Despite being a bit undersized at 5'11", 200 pounds, Johnson has shown great strength and tackle-breaking ability. This has helped him evolve into a workhorse for the Tennessee Titans averaging a blistering pace of more than six yards per carry. His production has outstripped all other NFL running backs, including the great Mr. Peterson.

This of course, brings us to the subject of the article. We know Chris Johnson has caught up; has he surpassed Adrian Peterson? With all due respect to Maurice Jones-Drew, this is a two-man argument right now.

While Johnson's production has been better this year, his team has relied on him more than Peterson's, which has the benefit of Brett Favre at quarterback. Production is tough to use as the sole metric, because Peterson's offensive line is superior to Johnson's. So let's break down each facet of each back's game.

Breakaway Speed

Both Johnson and Peterson are elite in this category. Defensive backs are simply not going to catch up to these two if they get past the second level.

Johnson is arguably the fastest player in the NFL. One can attribute his lofty draft pick at least in part to his blazing 4.24 40-yard dash time.

However, Peterson is not far behind, with 4.4 speed. Neither has a problem running away from NFL defenses.

However, a slight edge here goes to Johnson.

Size/Bulk/Strength

The gap here is bigger.

Adrian Peterson has prototypical running back size ad 6'0", 225 lbs. Johnson is smaller, built like Brian Westbrook at 5'11", 200 pounds. However, Johnson has shown the ability to break tackles and leads the league in yards after contact.

However, he seems to gain yards after contact more by taking a hit and refusing to go down rather than inflicting damage on the player attempting to tackle him, which is what Peterson does.

So, I give the edge here all day to Adrian Peterson, who is a nightmare to bring down in the open field.

Juking ability

This is probably the most remarkable aspect of each player's game. They can each cut on a dime, making players miss with ease. They can go around you or through you.

This one is a push.

Receiving ability

Johnson is a favorite target of Vince Young. He has good hands and is a dynamic player that has to be accounted for on third down.

However, the same can be said for Peterson, and his size makes him almost like an H-back coming out of the backfield. Defensive backs do not like seeing this guy in the open field.

Still, Johnson's explosiveness makes up for this.

One again, I call this a push.

Blocking ability

Both are actually pretty willing blockers, especially for younger players. Both players stay in the game on passing downs, and even get downfield to throw blocks for quarterbacks when the play breaks down.

However, due to his size, I'll give this one to Peterson.

Ball security

This one is not even close. If Peterson has a weakness, it's fumbling. It has been a nagging concern for him, and although he doesn't fumble frequently, it does happen more than he'd like.

In contrast, Johnson has lost just one fumble this year.

Overall

Chris Johnson is the most exciting player in football. He can score from anywhere in the field, he makes defenders look silly, and he can also carry the ball 30 times a game. He is intelligent about taking hits to his smaller frame, and is a tenacious runner. He has a bright future in this league.

But, this is Adrian Peterson we're talking about. He has everything you want in a running back. An unmatched combination of size, strength, speed, shiftiness, and hands. He is the prototypical running back. He will take care of the ball better.

So, as you could hopefully tell from the picture, I'll call Adrian Peterson No. 1, and Chris Johnson 1-A. It really is splitting hairs though, as you can't go wrong with either one.

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Chris Johnson Stays Underrated Despite Another 150 Yard Performance

Joe Huber — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 10:01:30 -0500

In 1997, Barry Sanders, arguably the greatest running back of all time, rushed for 150-plus yards five times through 16 games.

Through 10 games in 2009, Adrian Peterson (of Minnesota), arguably the best running back of this era, has rushed for 150-plus yards once. Peterson did it three times in 2008.

Chris Johnson, of the Tennessee Titans, has rushed for 150-plus yards three times through 10 games so far in 2009, and only did it once in 2008.

Let me make this clear, Peterson is the better running back of the two. Johnson is unquestionably having the better season.

I won't make the mistake of saying that defenses don't know Johnson or that they aren't aware of his presence. The scheme of "eight men in the box" frequently proves that.

Johnson deserves to be talked about in the MVP conversation, but you really don't hear much about him on national radio. Granted, on ESPN radio this morning, Mike Golic and Mike Greenberg both talked about how good Johnson is, but that also had the prerequisite of a 151 yard performance on a Monday night game.

This isn't about whether or not Johnson is better than any other player in the league, in large part because he's played in a whopping 25 NFL games.

This is about a player being in the midst of a phenomenal season. Johnson's already rushed for more yards in 2009 than he had in 2008.

Johnson should be more than just discussed when it comes to the MVP talks as well.

Behind the bad offensive line that resides in Nashville, Johnson has rushed for 1,242 yards (that's more than 200 yards between him and second place), has scored eight rushing touchdowns so far, and played exceptionally well even when the defenses he was facing were focusing on him alone.

He has even helped play a vital role in the passing game, giving Kerry Collins an outlet when he was playing terrible, and allowing Vince Young a check-down option who just needs the ball to make something happen.

With 30 receptions so far this season, he has more catches than Laveranues Coles, Lee Evans, Braylon Edwards, and Roy Williams (of Dallas). He has 262 receiving yards, which isn't great, but averages at 8.7 yards per catch.

That's just higher than Peterson with 8.6. It's also higher than LaDanian Tomlinson (4.4).

Johnson has played his team out from the abyss of an 0-6 start, to the glimmer of hope that they have now. 4-6 is not a good record, but it's a step in the right direction.

I won't pretend like Vince Young isn't a big reason the Titans are clawing their way back into the playoff picture, but Johnson was the only thing the fans in Tennessee were smiling when they lost 59-0 to New England.

Think about this, in a 59-0 game Johnson rushed for 128 yards. In a game where the Titans were throwing for the large part, he rushed for 128 yards.

That was on 17 carries.

Johnson isn't going to win the MVP though, not this season. Not with a 4-6 record, not with the media darlings in Peyton Manning and Brett Favre playing better than good football (Manning actually deserving of the award).

So instead of dwelling on who should win a trophy for being awesome at the end of the season, I urge you to start watching Chris Johnson be awesome the rest of the season.

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Stafford and Lions, Young and Titans: What We Learned from NFL Week 11

The Sportmeisters — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 03:16:36 -0500

By Ryan of The Sportmeisters

The home stretch is near! Who’s gunning for the playoffs, and who’s gunning for a good draft spot?

The Best Game No One Watched

It was a “family and friends” game, meaning, only family and friends would watch Cleveland face off against Detroit in the race for the No. 1 pick. Well, it became a game full of energy, comebacks, and a game-winning drive, as the Lions edged the Browns 38-37.

Cleveland took a huge 24-3 lead to start the game, showing an offensive firepower sorely missed the first 10 weeks of the season. Detroit, led by rookie QB Matt Stafford, climbed back, until Cleveland QB Brady Quinn led a scoring drive to make it 37-31 with under five minutes to go.

Enter Stafford, who got the team to midfield before launching a Hail Mary with less than 10 seconds to go, which was intercepted and ended the game.

BUT WAIT!

A pass interference call let Detroit have one final untimed play, where a now-injured Stafford found fellow rookie TE Brandon Pettigrew for the 38-37 win.

They say it takes one play in one game to turn a team around. For Detroit, that might have been the turning point, even with Stafford unlikely to play this week against Green Bay. The Browns can take some positive in the offense that showed up, but are miles away from any signs of competitiveness.

A Bucked Bronco

A month ago, the Denver Broncos, despite all their offseason turmoil, were 6-0 and kings of the AFC West. They held a 3-and-a-half game lead over the Sand Diego Chargers. Now, as we move to Week 12, the San Diego Chargers hold a one-game lead over Denver, thanks to a five-game winning streak that culminated in a 32-3 drubbing of the Broncos on Sunday.

It was just another case of two teams changing since Denver won the first matchup.

San Diego seems to be on all cylinders, with QB Philip Rivers managing the offense, and even RB LaDainian Tomlinson having a solid performance (20 carries, 73 yards, touchdown).

Denver is falling apart at the wrong time, and three turnovers and nine penalties don’t make it any easier. The Broncos have an early game this week against the NY Giants, and have to get back on track now, or risk watching the season end before their very eyes.

Remember The Titans

I usually write this on a Monday, but due to scheduling conflicts, I got to take in the Monday night game and add it to my recaps. I picked a good week to have a scheduling conflict, as behind 151 rushing yards from Chris Johnson and 189 all-purpose yards from Vince Young, the Titans squeaked out a 20-17 victory over the Houston Texans.

The Titans, who were the source of ridicule a year removed from 13-3, have now won four straight, and while they are still a ways away from any playoff talk, now seem like they are on the right track.

Using the same method that worked last year (punishing running game, dominant defense), they no longer seem in over their heads. Against Houston, they had 228 rushing yards, and the defense had four sacks, and held Houston to 57 rushing yards.

Tennessee is clawing back, slowly but surely.

Contenders and Pretenders

The playoff picture is getting clearer, so who is in the snapshot?

The New Orleans Saints, after a few weeks of questionable football, quieted the critics with a complete performance in a 38-7 drubbing of Tampa Bay. The Saints take their perfect record against New England on Monday Night Football this coming week.

What does a 4-2 record over the last six weeks get you? For the Miami Dolphins, it’s some playoff chatter, as last years AFC East Champions beat the Carolina Panthers to get back to .500. RB Ricky Williams had three touchdowns in place of injured RB Ronnie Brown.

The Indianapolis Colts are making it happen, squeaking out another close victory, this time against the Baltimore Ravens 17-15. The Colts ran their record to 10-0, their eighth straight 10-win season, and have won 19 regular season games in a row, second only to the New England Patriots (21 wins from 2006-2008).

Pretenders come in all shapes and sizes:

Bills coach Dick Jauron was given the boot, hoping to spark something in Buffalo. Despite Terrell Owens showing up for the first time all season, the Bills still lose, 18-15 to Jacksonville. The Bills are now 3-7.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are defending Super Bowl champions, but they’re not playing like it. They lost their second straight game, this time to the Kansas City Chiefs, 27-24 in overtime. They are fighting injuries, which is a contributing factor, but they need to get their act together if a repeat Super Bowl appearance is in the cards.

After starting 4-1, the Atlanta Falcons have taken a nosedive, with their latest, a 34-31 overtime loss to the New York Giants, running their record to 5-5.

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Chris J. Nelson's Week 11 NFL Game Predictions

Chris J. Nelson — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 11:27:03 -0500

After a handful of mediocre weeks, I rebounded somewhat with a 10-correct showing last weekend.

One game has already been played this week, and I'm sorry to say I picked the Carolina Panthers at home against a Miami Dolphins team that struggled against a pretty poor Tampa Bay squad the week before. Oops.

Last week's record: 10-5
Season record: 96-48 (66.7%)

Cowboys over Redskins — Dallas lost a tough on in Green Bay last week, but there's still a lot to like about this team—especially if Washington is without their defensive anchor in Albert Haynesworth.

Lions over Browns — Well is this the game of the week or what? Somebody has to win (well, probably) and I think there's a little more to like about the Lions than there is the Browns right now. Regardless of who wins though, it's going to be an ugly one.

Packers over 49ers — An interesting matchup, this one is tough to pick because the Niners are better than people thought, and the Packers are worse than people thought. I still like the Packers at home against Alex Smith.

Steelers over Chiefs — Kansas City simply is not there yet, and I don't expect the Steelers to have any problem winning this one.

Vikings over Seahawks — Seattle hasn't been very consistent this year, and they just don't have the talent to match up with the Vikings on either side of the ball.

Giants over Falcons — Both of these teams have been a bit disappointing at times this season, but I have a hard time totally buying New York's slide. The G-Men are too talented to lose for this long, so I'm predicting they rebound at home today.

Saints over Buccaneers — New Orleans has been playing with fire for weeks now by playing down to some weaker opponents, but they still should be able to beat a pretty bad Tampa Bay squad.

Jaguars over Bills — The first team to fire they head coach this season, the situation in Buffalo is an absolute mess. Jacksonville is very inconsistent, but they could explode against the Bills today.

Colts over Ravens — This should be a very good game, but I like the Colts in this one. It's hard enough to put pressure on Peyton Manning no matter who you have, and missing Terrell Suggs could be problematic.

Cardinals over Rams — Arizona has been a bit of a disappointment this season after an NFC Championship in 2008, but you still have to like that offensive firepower against a shaky Rams defense. I expect a big game from Cardinals rookie running back Beanie Wells.

Chargers over Broncos — I probably would have always picked San Diego in this one because I just didn't fully buy Denver's hot start, but I especially like the Chargers with what has to be a very rusty Chris Simms at quarterback for the Broncos.

Bengals over Raiders — Cedric Benson is being extremely overhyped—the result of a high number of carried to accumulate yards and a good team around him—but the Bengals should have no problem handling the Raiders. Expect a big game from rookie running back Bernard Scott in Benson's absence.

Patriots over Jets — A great divisional battle between a hot New England offense and a tough Jets defense, I think the Pats rebound from their Monday Night Football controversy with a strong win here.

Eagles over Bears — The Bears have Devin Hester, but the Eagles have two or three players just like him on their offense. Chicago just isn't playing well right now and I don't think they can keep up with Philly.

Texans over Titans — Tennessee has done a good job limiting Vince Young's responsibility and relying on stud Chris Johnson, but I still think Houston has the better team and I like them to win Monday night.

Chris J. Nelson is a journalism major at Georgia State University. He operates his own Miami Dolphins web site, The Miami Dolphins Spotlight , and can be followed on Twitter here .

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Why Chris Johnson Plays Football Like His House Is On Fire

Voodoo Magic — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:01:56 -0500

I’ve recently come to realize why I love Tennessee’s Chris Johnson.

No, it’s not because he’s ridiculously fast. No, it’s not because he’s got good size. It’s not even because he’s so been productive that a ton of teams would take a serious mulligan on passing him up in the 2008 NFL Draft, where he went 24^th . 24^th ! Do you think, if the draft were to be redone, he would go any lower than the fourth pick (where the Raiders took the once heralded Darren McFadden)?

No, it’s because Chris Johnson plays football like his house is on fire. He plays the game like, as another writer on this site has put it, every carry will be his last in the NFL. He is the kind of player that every coach loves, the one who sees a difficult situation and says, “There is no freaking way I am letting my team go down like a bunch of chumps. Hop on my back, everyone, and I will carry you.”

Yes, Chris Johnson is One of Those Guys.

Let’s take a brief look at his stats, shall we? Through Week 10 he leads the NFL with 1,091 yards rushing, never mind the fact that he’s done so while maintaining an obscene 6.4 yards per carry average. But there’s more to it than just that. In fact, I’d like to use the New England game as proof that Chris Johnson is One of Those Guys:

In week six, the Titans were absolutely lambasted by the New England Patriots 59-0, a score that easily could’ve been worse had New England had vengeful score to settle. While the Titans were being humiliated, what were Johnson’s stat lines? 17 carries for 128 yards, a clip of 7.5 yards per carry.

As someone who’s been around the game for a while now, I can say from experience that many players would just give up on their team when the score got that bad. But Chris Johnson? Chris Johnson apparently doesn’t understand giving up. Chris Johnson is One of Those Guys.

During their bye week, the Titans switched quarterbacks and went back to Vince Young. Since that time, the Titans have gone 3-0. Perhaps Young has made the difference. Or maybe it’s Johnson’s 495 yards rushing, six touchdowns, and 6.6 yards per carry average during that three-game winning streak.

The Titans have gone from possibly the worst team in all of football to a team that may or may not make the playoffs (8-8 looks like the ceiling, as I doubt they’ll beat Indianapolis and San Diego). Why? Because they have a guy on their team who won’t quit. They have a guy on their team who deserves to be league MVP (where would the Titans be without Johnson? 0-9?).

Indeed, the Tennessee Titans have One of Those Guys on their team.

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Titans vs. Texans: May the Best Defense Win

Dave Stanley — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:33:33 -0500

At least this time, the Tennessee Titans know what they're getting into.

The Houston Texans can flat-out play.

When they want to.

As per their usual, consistency, or lack thereof, has plagued this otherwise talented franchise. They followed their best-ever 5-3 start with a tough loss to the Indianapolis Colts, and now find themselves in "do-or-die" mode.

Both the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee are resurgent as of late; Monday night's matchup—along with the Jags' success or failure on Sunday—will go a long way in determining who the runners up to the Colts will be in the increasingly interesting AFC South.

For the Titans to emerge victorious, they'd be wise to hedge their bets and assume that the Texans of Week Two will show up.

Chances are, this battle will hinge on defense. Tennessee's offense can keep pace in most shootouts, but isn't really strong enough on defense to come out on the winning end of such contests (see: Titans vs. Texans, Week Two).

So, how can the Titans, who will no doubt find a way to get their points, keep the potentially explosive Texans in check?

In essence, they should play the pass. To heck with the psychology of "but what if they run?" The Texans' ground attack is downright anemic this year and Tennessee's rush defense, in spite of their other woes, has been decent (when not facing the Jags' Maurice Jones-Drew, of course).

Odds are, they won't get burned by daring the running game.

On the other, parallel side of the ball, the burning question remains: can Houston stop Titans' running back Chris Johnson? All year long, teams have been stacking the line to stop him, knowing the limitations of Tennessee's passing game.

And yet he still is on pace to rush for over 2,000 yards. A while ago, he was merely a bright spot on a bad team. But, in light of the Titans' recent winning streak, the MVP murmurs are beginning (but more on that later this week).

Even if the Texans manage to bottle him up as a rusher and "limit" him to, say, 70 or so yards, he still remains a volatile and dangerous receiving threat.

In addition, Vince Young poses a whole new set of challenges for opposing defenses. Now, does he necessarily make it any harder for those defenses? Well, frankly it depends on which Vince shows up.

But if he plays like he has been recently, then things bode well for Tennessee.

On Monday, two teams on the way up will square off. At the end of the day, one will go home to their proverbial drawing boards with their spirits deflated.

With both offenses clicking and displaying their fair shares of explosiveness, the smarter, more tenacious defense will win. Look for mistakes and turnovers to play a large role in this matchup.

It will all come down to whoever allows the least big plays. On Monday, simple fundamentals will take center stage.

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