QUOTE: “Consistency is contrary to nature, contrary to life. The only completely consistent people are the dead.” -- Aldous Huxley
The Larry Johnson era has finally ended in Kansas City, which is not a surprise. But what is a surprise is that it happened in November, not last April. When the new administration of general manger Scott Pioli and head coach Todd Haley took over the Chiefs in February, it was a safe bet that Johnson was not their kind of player, and the fact he remained on the roster for 10 months was a huge surprise to many.
APIt's a wonder Larry Johnson stayed on the Kansas City roster this long.
Johnson does not have a smooth or easy personality -- in fact, the last three coaches he has played for have all had unpleasant experiences. His first coach, Dick Vermeil, who is well known for his kindness toward his players, called Johnson’s personality “complex.” All three were very different in their styles of coaching, so it’s safe to conclude that no matter what kind of coach is in Larry’s future, he will struggle with their relationship.
But forgetting all the personality issues, Larry as a football player is not the same player he once was in 2006. He doesn’t have the burst, acceleration or power in his lower body that would lead you to believe he can come in and help a team. I write this all the time, but running backs are not able to regain their burst, their explosive movement and their ability to break tackles with their legs (see Clinton Portis).
For example, when Seattle signed Edgerrin James, it was very clear to most observers (except the Seahawks) that James had seen better days. He has no power, no burst, and borrowing a Bill Parcells line to describe a bad running back seemed to fit James: “We have to knock them down twice to get four yards.” James was turning four-yard gains into two yards before he went to Seattle, then he proved it when he got there. Whatever tape the Seahawks watched before signing him must have been from his better days with the hope he could regain his old form. But in reality, it was gone.
When watching Larry Johnson, there have to be two concerns for any team. The first is dealing with a moody, declining player. The second is how much help can a team expect at this point in the season? Where the Chiefs made a mistake in keeping Johnson 10 months too long was their evaluation of his overall talent. They traded tight end Tony Gonzalez, who is a model citizen on and off the field, because they wanted to get younger as a team and wanted to change the culture in their locker room. If that was the mission statement of the new regime, why did they keep Johnson?
APJohnson's play has steadily declined since 2007.
Going back to the start of 2007 until now, Johnson has scored only eight touchdowns running the ball, and his average per attempt has steadily declined. The fundamental question that should be asked is: Is this because of their offensive line and its inability to control the line of scrimmage, or is it because 30-year-old runners tend to wear out? My sense is both, but what’s alarming to me is that even when the Chiefs get behind in games and their opponent couldn’t care less about yards gained on the ground because the game is out of reach (this is where the Raiders made a living promoting their running game – third-and-20, run the ball for 15, helps the stats, but it doesn’t help you win the game), Johnson was still not very productive. He just doesn’t show the zip or burst to make you believe it’s coming back any time soon. So why deal with his moody personality? The risks far outweigh the rewards.
The Chiefs made the right decision on Johnson, but my fault with them lies in their decision not to make this call when they first arrived. Even Todd Haley in his press conference Monday (Doesn’t he looks like he’s half asleep when he’s talking? He needs to realize that he has to exude some sense of confidence at the presser to the players watching.) said that the decision to release Johnson was not based on one thing but on events that happened before he arrived in Kansas City. So the front office knew what to expect by keeping him on the roster. To trade or cut him -- had they wanted to do so -- the Chiefs would not have faced any salary cap obstacles since they had enough room to absorb any signing bonus accelerations. It made no sense to send the message to the locker room that you want Johnson but don’t want Gonzalez. And all that crap about trading Tony because he wanted to go to a winner and he was unhappy, is just that — crap. Why give away good players when you don’t have enough of them? Makes no sense at all. Keeping Johnson is similar to what the Memphis Grizzlies did, signing Allen Iverson to be a role model on a very young team. How does that work? It doesn’t.
It seems like every decision the Chiefs have made this year indicates they are learning on the fly — that both Haley and Pioli are struggling to be consistent with their thoughts and actions. There isn’t a decision that seems “football-principle based,” but rather based on the moment or the situation. For example, they want to be a young team but then sign older players like linebacker Zach Thomas and wide receiver Bobby Engram — both of whom had seen better days. They preach character and hard work yet keep Johnson, trade Gonzalez and then draft some questionable character players. What’s the message they’re sending to the rest of the NFL?
If you’re Chiefs owner Clark Hunt, you have to be wondering the same thing I am: Where’s the plan? Clark has to hope that the investment made in Pioli and Haley will pan out in the long run, because in the short term, it looks confused. It looks more like hope than an actual plan.
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Is pioli another mangini, guys who got where they are by attaching themselves to belichick?
Curious how Pioli picked up a lot oF guys who failed as patriots. Maybe those we the players belichick allowed pioli to pick
Thank you for a great article.
I used to be quite naive in how things worked in the NFL and thought that a once great player was always a great player. Remember wishing the Bears would pick up Shaun Alexander or Deuce McAllistor because of all the hype they garnered in the past.
It's much more than Madden ratings....
@Tommy,
Great point. NFP is an excellent venue for intelligent, thoughtful analysis (man, that line even seemed intelligent!).
Another item that I agree about is Johnson's waning output and value. Then again, I was ready to say Cedric Benson was done for and he's in the right situation for a great season. Is Johnson still able to turn it around if he goes somewhere a team can throw the safeties off the line?
Was Seattle still looking for a back?
Never have I been a fan of Johnson as a blocker for his quarterback or as a pass catch back. If you want feature money those items need to be part of your game.
They acted too late but much later than just this year. They should've let him go before signing him to a $45M with $12.5M signing bonus and $19M guaranteed contract in August of 2007. Another example, like the Seahawks with Alexander of paying an aging back for past performance rather than what they have left in the tank.
Better a grad class than empty-headed opinion/screed
Pioli and Haley are in complete rebuild mode. The team they inheirited has been absymal for 2 seasons. Moving Gonzales was a move for the future. They knew going in, as did anyone with an ounce of football knowledge, that that team was not going to be even marginally good this year. You sign a guy like Engram for two reasons. One; you are desperate for WR help. Two; he is a solid pro. Someone for Dwayne Bowe to emulate in his route running and work ethic. Same with Zach. He'd lost it, though, and they realized that in training camp. I'm sure he still rubbed off a little with the young guys before he was cut.
As far as Larry goes. He'd been a good soldier up to the point where he called out Haley. Running backs are hard to come by in the NFL. He had zero trade value and said he was buying into the system. Remember, it was the last regime who gave him that cap-busting deal. How bout we give any new regime in the NFL at least two drafts before we declare them inept. Haley, Mangini and Spagnulo did not have the luxury of taking over stable, talented teams like Tomlin, Harbaugh, McDaniels and Caldwell have. They've taken over teams that were flawed to their core. Institutionally and athletically challenged. As Mangini( the rat b*stard) pointed out, had all the "experts" had their way Belichek would have been fired after the 2000 season. He was inept. He was surly. He had no idea how to run an organization. He was a train wreck about to unfold. Surely anyone who loves quotes as much as Mike, remembers the one about not learning from history.
Just as soon as everybody is ready to condemn the Broncos to hell (not me!), we see that teams like the Chiefs have things much, much worse.At least the Broncos have integrity to what they are, even when they do meet adversity, which is precisely why, starting against the Redskins, we're getting back on the winning track. McDaniels>>>>>>>>Haley, to say the least. Thanks again, Lombardi. I'd say I feel sorry for the Chiefs, but that would be disingenuous.
Parcells line “We have to knock them down twice to get four yards.” is funny but he's taken some chances in his career with backs clearly on their last legs, for ex Marion Butts who averaged 2.9 yrds per carry in 1994 -- so even great talent evaluators are not immune to making bad personnel decisions. Getting back on LJ, I feel it's a question of motivation and starting fresh with him. He is definitely the type who has a personality that will wear on coaches and teammates after a while but for 1-2 yrs and his talent I feel like a team can get good production out of him with limited outside distractions. Definitely a min salary type deal. KC has a weak O-line and no threats at all anywhere else on the field on offense so LJ has no help. You can't look at stats when analyzing if he has anything left. Don't get me wrong he's not LJ circa 2006 but he can still be productiive if he can get some room to work with and in a structured environment.
Yeah , before we call LJ a total wash up lets see how he looks toting the rock for a contender . He has beaten women , belittled his coaches , & made several gay slurs to random people . That being said , he still might have some talent .
As far as the old veterans signed in the off season , haven't the Patriots been doing that for years . I personally would rather have Bobby Engram & Zac Thomas than Joey Galloway & Junior Seau . The Chiefs record doesn't matter this year . If these vets can teach the youth on the team a little about how to succeed in the NFL then good . As far as Tony G. being let go , they did get a 2nd round pick for him .
Nice insight! I figured that the Chiefs kept Johnson because of salary cap issues. Was there a free agent back that they could have gotten, that wouldn't have costed him much money?
LJ is past his prime, but he might still have some effectiveness for the Vikings? I'm sure Chester Taylor's contract is nearing to an end, and he could probably get more $$ from another team than what the Vikings can afford to pay? It doesn't seem like the Vikings are effected by egos too much, since everyone in the organization knows that Favre and AP are the big dogs.
I agree with every single sentence ....
dont forget what new england had during their super bowl run. a committed owner, intelligent and seasoned front office execs (a lawyer and an MBA) smart cap guys, experienced personnel scouts, a great head coach, innovative offensive coordinator,(okay, reaching on that one) experienced defensive coordinator(crennell helped belichick as much as belichick helped parcells) excellent position coaches, (leagues best OL coach),the leagues best qb, smart and overachieving players. what im saying is that a pioli or/or a haley is not going to turn around the chiefs without a total makeover of and commitment from everyone in the organization. you've said it many times lombardi, as did your uncle vince and coach walsh; it takes a total organization to consistently win in the nfl.
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Nov 10, 2009
12:28 PM
Seems like Lombardi has some valid points. Is it just me or does reading NFP make you feel like you're taking a graduate class in the NFL