Where Does Larry Johnson Belong?

Larry Johnson wants out of Kansas City; however there are a few obstacles in leaving Kansas City. LJ has a massive contract which will cost any team who has him $8.2 million off of their cap. He also is facing two trials which, if he is found guilty could lead to suspension. LJ will also be 30 in November. All of this should be familiar to anyone with a slight interest in Larry Johnson. However, some may not know the positives about LJ. For instance, LT is a few months older than LJ and has had in 8 years 2,657 carries, not to mention an extensive college career. Larry in six years has had 1,243 carries and only received substantial carries his senior year at Penn State. At Penn State he also achieved the 2,000 yard in one season with fewer carries than any other back to achieve such a feat. Larry has had a relatively light load and so concerns over his age are not as critical. Also, behind a porous offensive line in Kansas City, he averaged 4.5 yards per carry. Most of the time LJ seemed to run into a brick wall, an unavoidable consequence of defenses stacking the box against a young QB. However, when a hole is opened up for LJ, he hits it at full speed. Larry is still as elusive as ever, still making people miss. The point is that Larry is still a dominant running back in the league in search of a home.

Johnson has never felt at home with Kansas City. Dick Vermeil once told him to take off the diapers and he was resented for his holdout. Then this season was a rough one with the quarterback carousel and the changing offense. Larry wants out and perhaps rightly so. People are discussing Detroit, Arizona, and Cincinnati as possible locations for LJ. Detroit and Arizona have shaky o-lines and inexperienced QB’s in the foreseeable future and LJ has had difficulties with these situations. Cincinnati may be willing to bring on LJ, but with Benson having a training camp under his belt and Palmer returning, they may be unwilling to use a draft pick to trade for LJ. So where should LJ go?

If LJ wants to enjoy success in his career, he needs to bite the bullet and play in Kansas City. Thigpen has been developing satisfactorily and will command more attention from the secondary in the years to come taking men out of the box. Also, Thigpen comes into next season as the starter, which means no QB carousel. Effective QB play from the beginning of the season will go a long way towards helping the running game. The o-line will have another season to mature and will be able to get acquainted with Johnson and Thigpen.

The two problems Kansas City has are hurting Larry and the Chiefs by extension. Kansas City’s defense was atrocious and lost many games for the Chiefs. When you allow 158 rushing yards per game it is almost impossible to win. Another off-season should help the Chiefs improve their defense. The second problem with the Chiefs is that they do not have a commitment to the run. Larry had ten carries against Cincinnati for 18 yards. In the first quarter Larry ran three times compared to 8 passes 4 of which were completed including second and third down incompletions on one drive leading to a three and out. A commitment to the run would go a long way towards helping Larry put up better numbers and help keep Kansas City’s defense off of the field. If Kansas City can improve their defense and run more and earlier the Chiefs could once again become a contender. Larry has already put in a considerable amount of time in at Kansas City. Although the offense left Larry behind this season, they are giving him a large payday to put up with their rebuilding. I doubt very much that LJ’s importance is and ability is lost on the coaching staff. They will make adjustments to incorporate Larry into the offense as their key playmaker. If no such adjustments are made, Kansas City has wasted Larry’s, the fans, and quite frankly everybody’s time. So, if LJ wants to have a valuable career, he needs to grit his teeth and look no further than Kansas City.