Chris Johnson News: Pro Sports Daily

Texans to catch Titans at worst possible time

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November 20

Houston Chronicle

"They've seen flash, as in running back Chris Johnson, and crass, as personified by owner K.S. "Bud" Adams' wandering digits. Most surprisingly, they've had a blast from the past in the unexpected return to form of quarterback Vince Young. But the primary elements of the Tennessee Titans' three-week revival after an 0-6 start have been the fundamentals that built a 10-game win streak in 2008 and, if you believe Johnson, are in place for another 10-game streak to wrap up the 2009 season. Game 4 of the long road back is Monday night at Reliant Stadium against the Texans, who helped launch the Titans down their road to 0-6 with a 34-31 win in September at Nashville. The crash ended with a 59-0 ..."

Texans look to contain Young

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November 18

Houston Chronicle

"The Texans admit they are ill-qualified to speak about Vince Young's troubled interlude. When Young fell so far from grace with the Titans and their fans in Nashville last season, finding himself on the far end of Jeff Fisher's bench adjacent to the dog house, all that meant to them was he'd be out of sight and out of mind for a while. But VY's strange exile is over now. He returns to Houston on Monday night re-born as Tennessee's starting quarterback and riding a three-game winning streak. As it happens, 3-0 is also the same run he's on against his hometown NFL team, which he last faced nearly two years ago. Time flies. The Vince Young who devolved into a head case in 2008 is a guy with ..."

Johnson express steamrolls over Bills

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November 17

Buffalo News

"Tennessee running back Chris Johnson had the spoils of victory proudly draped around his neck outside the Titans' locker room after Sunday's game. It was a Terrell Owens throwback jersey, which the Buffalo Bills receiver agreed Saturday to give Johnson if the Titans beat the Bills. "I actually didn't see him after the game, but he sent it over here, so a shout-out to T.O.," Johnson said after the Titans' 41-17 victory over the Bills. "Thanks for that." Apparently it was great motivation, because Johnson was even more spectacular than usual in spelling the Bills' doom. The second-year speedster rushed for 132 yards, caught 100 yards in passes and scored two touchdowns. He became the first ..."

Johnson express steamrolls over Bills

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November 16

Buffalo News

"Tennessee running back Chris Johnson had the spoils of victory proudly draped around his neck outside the Titans' locker room after Sunday's game. It was a Terrell Owens throwback jersey, which the Buffalo Bills receiver agreed Saturday to give Johnson if the Titans beat the Bills. "I actually didn't see him after the game, but he sent it over here, so a shout-out to T.O.," Johnson said after the Titans' 41-17 victory over the Bills. "Thanks for that." Apparently it was great motivation, because Johnson was even more spectacular than usual in spelling the Bills' doom. The second-year speedster rushed for 132 yards, caught 100 yards in passes and scored two touchdowns. He became the first ..."

Bills will be keeping fast company on Sunday

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November 14

Buffalo News

"The issue: Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson. The question: Can the Buffalo Bills stop him? "Easier said than done," said Bills coach Dick Jauron, whose team visits the Titans on Sunday. "We're working hard on trying to figure out what we can do to try to slow him down because it doesn't seem like that many people have success doing that." Johnson is the NFL's leading rusher with 959 yards, 122 more than Cedric Benson of Cincinnati. The second-year pro is just 269 yards shy of last season's rookie total and is on pace to challenge the single-season franchise record of 1,934 yards set by Hall of Famer Earl Campbell in 1980. Johnson also has a shot to become the sixth running back ..."

Titans' star Johnson thrives with extra carries

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November 10

Nashville City Paper

"Last year, the Tennessee Titans were careful not to overload Chris Johnson. The 2008 first-round pick had 251 carries on the season in rushing for 1,228 yards and even sat out the meaningless regular-season finale in Indianapolis. But as Johnson has reached the halfway point of his second season, he is leading the NFL in rushing with 959 yards, more than 100 yards better than runner-up Cedric Benson's 837. And wisely the Titans are beginning to warm up to the idea of having Johnson carry more of the load. In the 0-6 start, Johnson topped just 20 carries once in that span and averaged just under 16 rushes per game. In the Titans' two-game winning streak since the bye, Johnson carried the ..."

Titans' Chris Johnson distances himself

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November 10

Tennessean

"Chris Johnson isn't just running away from defenders these days. He's creating some distance between himself and the NFL's other top running backs - at a pace the league hasn't seen in quite some time. The Titans running back is averaging 6.7 yards per carry, the highest average for a rushing yards leader through nine weeks since 1970, according to the league. Johnson has 959 yards - well ahead of Cincinnati's Cedric Benson (837), St. Louis' Steven Jackson (784) and Minnesota's Adrian Peterson (784) - after rushing for 135 in last Sunday's 34-27 win over the 49ers. "He makes plays,'' quarterback Vince Young said. "If you want to get the ball in somebody's hands you give it to C.J." Going ..."

Has two straight come too late for Titans?

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November 9

Tennessean

"Johnson looked dead in the water, and for a while on Sunday, so did the Titans. Trailing and faced with a fourth down from the San Francisco 2-yard line midway through the fourth quarter, quarterback Vince Young turned around and pitched the football to Johnson on the outside. The problem: linebacker Parys Haralson was there, waiting for him. "I just had to make a play,'' Johnson said with a smile. "Like Kobe Bryant or LeBron, I wanted to make a play.'' The lightning-quick Johnson did that. He sidestepped the former Vol Haralson and eased his way into the corner of the end zone to give the Titans a lead they wouldn't relinquish in a 34-27 win over the 49ers at Candlestick Park. Along the ..."

S.F. quick to praise fast Tennessee back

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November 9

San Francisco Chronicle

"Only a successful replay challenge by the 49ers reduced Johnson's rushing total from 175 yards to 135. In the fourth quarter, Johnson took a handoff at the Tennessee 19-yard line, got around left end and sprinted into the end zone for an 81-yard touchdown. As the Titans were lining up for the extra-point try, several 49ers gestured wildly for coach Mike Singletary to throw the challenge flag. He did, the play was reviewed and it was determined that Johnson had stepped out at the San Francisco 40 after diving safety Michael Lewis altered his line slightly. The gain went into the books as 41 yards instead of 81. Johnson scored later on the drive from the 2-yard line, but linebacker Parys ..."

Titans send 49ers to fourth straight loss

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November 9

San Jose Mercury News

"With a fourth consecutive defeat Sunday, the 49ers fell to two games behind the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC West. Not that Mike Singletary is counting. "I don't care about the Cardinals," the 49ers coach thundered. "I care nothing about the Cardinals. I care nothing about anything else that's happening in the NFL. "The only thing I care about is this football team realizing that we can win games if we don't kill ourselves." That alone leaves Singletary plenty to think about. The Tennessee Titans exploited the coach's deepest concerns during a 34-27 victory at Candlestick Park. Singletary stresses ball security, but quarterback Alex Smith committed four turnovers that led to 24 Tennessee ..."

O-line holds the keys to CJ's 2,000 yards

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November 5

Nashville City Paper

"Chris Johnson is promising his blockers cars if he can gain 2,000 yards this season. / Mike Strasinger for The City Paper When Chris Johnson breaks a long run, the Tennessee Titans offensive linemen are certainly glad to be along for the ride. Johnson revealed on Wednesday that if he reaches 2,000 yards this season, then all his linemen will have a new ride to celebrate the milestone with him. Johnson, who currently leads the NFL with 824 yards rushing, said would buy cars for his linemen if he cracks the 2,000 barrier. "It's a goal of mine," Johnson said. "It's a real goal of the offensive line, because I told them that if I get 2,000 yards, I'd buy them all cars. So they're really trying ..."

Chris Johnson offers cars for yards

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November 5

Tennessean

"Titans running back Chris Johnson has plenty of incentive to get to 2,000 rushing yards. Only five NFL players have done it. Johnson, named AFC Offensive Player of the Week on Wednesday, said he thinks his offensive linemen want the milestone even more. "It's a goal of mine," he said. "It's really a goal of the offensive linemen because I told them if I get to 2,000 yards I'd buy them all a car. They want me to get 2,000 yards more than I want to get it.'' The second-year pro leads the NFL in rushing with 824 yards through seven games after racking up a franchise-record 228 last Sunday against the Jaguars. At his current pace, Johnson would finish just short of 2,000 yards. But with more ..."

49ers' Alex Smith, Tennessee's Vince Young resurface from similar rough roads

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November 5

San Jose Mercury News

"The son of a principal, 49ers quarterback Alex Smith is no dummy. He can spot the story line this week as if it were a wide-open receiver in the end zone. It's Smith vs. Vince Young, the two young quarterbacks with parallel career paths and a second chance at NFL success. Heck, even their career totals are identical. Smith has 23 career touchdown passes, just like Young. Young has 33 interceptions, just like Smith. It's their journeys, however, that forge the common bond between Smith and Young as they prepare for the game Sunday between the 49ers (3-4) and the Tennessee Titans (1-6) at Candlestick Park. Both are highly drafted quarterbacks who took unexpected detours to the bench. Both ..."

49ers rushing defense faces a huge test: Tennessee's Chris Johnson

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November 5

San Jose Mercury News

"The 49ers rushing defense has withstood Adrian Peterson, Steven Jackson and Michael Turner. Now, Chris Johnson gets his shot. The Tennessee Titans tailback is coming off a franchise-record 228 rushing yards, including touchdown runs of 52 and 89 yards. By now, the 49ers are accustomed to the challenge. They have faced three of the NFL's top 10 rushers this season. Next up: No. 1. Johnson averages 6.92 yards per carry, the highest average by an NFL rushing leader through Week 8 since 1970. "He's a great running back," 49ers cornerback Tarell Brown said. "He's got speed. He's a strong guy. "You look at the film, and it's not one guy bringing him down. We have to gang tackle him as a ..."

Titans' Johnson earns AFC honor

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November 4

Nashville City Paper

"Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts in Sunday's 30-13 victory over Jacksonville. Johnson rushed for a franchise record 228 yards and scored two touchdowns as the Titans earned their first victory of the season. Johnson leads the NFL in rushing with 824 yards this season."

Johnson enjoys record-setting day for Titans

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November 2

Nashville City Paper

"It's not often a running back goes for 177 yards and gets upstaged. But that's exactly what Titans star Chris Johnson did to his Jacksonville Jaguars counterpart Maurice Jones-Drew in Sunday's 30-13 Tennessee victory at LP Field. Jones-Drew had just eight carries in the game, but scored on runs of 80 and 79 yards in averaging 22.1 yards per run on Sunday in putting up his 177-yard total. Impressive to be sure, but still short of the totals put up by Johnson, who had a franchise-record 228 yards on the ground on 24 carries, including touchdown runs of 52 yards and 89 yards in the second half to seal Tennessee's first victory of the season, 30-13 against the Jaguars. The efforts of Johnson ..."

Joltin' Chris Johnson

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October 15

Boston Herald

"Titans running back Chris Johnson is among the league leaders in rushing, even nearing 200 yards in the second game of the season. He arrives Sunday in Foxboro, ready to attack a Patriots defense geared toward stopping him. Here is a look at Johnson's season, along with how the Pats have done against opponents' top running backs. Chris Johnson Week-Opponent-Result-Att-Yds-Lng-TD 1-Steelers-L, 10-13-15-57-32-0 2-Texans--L, 31-34-16-197-91-2 3-Jets--L, 17-24-22-97-30-0 4-Jaguars--L, 17-37-16-83-18-0 5-Colts--L, 9-31--9-34-8-0"

Patriots aware of Titans RB Chris Johnson

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October 15

Boston Herald

"Chris Johnson utters the phrase without boasting. The Tennessee Titans running back is not looking for a challenge. Facts are facts. "I'm the fastest guy in the NFL right now," Johnson said. That's it. A sparkling 4.24 time in the 40-yard dash at the 2008 NFL combine is all the evidence necessary to support the claim. Still, players are competitive, and some say they want to take him on. "But they're just playing around," said Johnson, a 5-foot-11, 200 pounder. "I don't think anybody is serious or ever put anything up that they could beat me." The Titans, the Patriots' opponent on Sunday, may be a baffling 0-5, but they do feature the NFL's leader in yards from scrimmage (594) and ..."

Defense earns Polian's accolades

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October 12

Indianapolis Star

"Bill Polian stood outside the Indianapolis Colts locker room Sunday night, pressing the flesh with his players as they filed past. The team president seemed a bit more upbeat every time he slapped hands with a member of his defense following a 31-9 whipping of the Tennessee Titans at LP Field. "Way to shut 'em down, big guys,'' Polian said. "Way to shut 'em down.'' The Peyton Manning-led offense provided the fireworks -- 367 total yards, including 309 yards and three touchdowns through the air by Manning -- but it was the defense that offered the muscle. It limited the Titans to just 245 yards and kept them out of the end zone. Most impressive was that the defense extended its stellar play ..."

Chris Johnson supports breast cancer awareness

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October 2

Tennessean

"The color pink rarely makes its way into the game of football, but Titans running back Chris Johnson will do his part to change that on Sunday in Jacksonville. Johnson plans to wear pink cleats and gloves, doing his part to support Breast Cancer Awareness Month. "It is not about manly and football, it is about breast cancer,'' Johnson said. "We are showing everybody out there who has breast cancer we support them.'' All NFL teams will display a lot of pink - everything from wristbands to towels. Coaches will wear pink caps and pink ribbon pins. Goal posts will be wrapped in pink padding. Pink coins will be used for the toss. Tight end Bo Scaife and quarterback Vince Young are among the ..."

Another week, another superstar

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September 22

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"For the second consecutive weekend, one player dominated the competition like no other. Fortunately for those of us who weren't blessed with the first pick in our fantasy draft, it was someone other than Adrian Peterson. Sunday, Chris Johnson put on a show of epic proportions, rushing for nearly 200 yards and two touchdowns, while adding nine receptions for another 87 yards and a third score. On any other day, Frank Gore's scoring runs of 79 and 80 yards would have made him the toast of Fantasyland. But Johnson's three trips to the end zone -- covering 57, 69 and 91 yards respectively -- made even Peterson's owners envious. Sunday also brought comfort to stakeholders in the Texans' passing ..."

Titans' Johnson put an all-world move on Taylor in '08 matchup in Tennessee

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September 10

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"Ike Taylor spends a large portion of his offseason training and working out at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Fla., trying to improve his speed, strength and technique. Among the many NFL players who train there is Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson, who, based on his speed, is probably faster than Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Johnson and Taylor are friends---- "He's a cool dude," the Steelers seventh-year cornerback said -- but they never discuss the play that changed a Dec. 21 game in Nashville, Tenn., the touchdown that propelled the Titans to a 31-14 victory and the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs. "He doesn't get on me, but I know it's in the back of his ..."

Smash and Dash welcome new member

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August 24

Nashville City Paper

"Smash, Dash and a nickname to be named later. Titans running backs LenDale White and Chris Johnson are both impressed with what they've seen from fifth-round pick Javon Ringer thus far in preseason, but that said, they aren't ready to bestow him with a nickname just yet. White and Johnson have both given themselves multiple monikers since Smash and Dash, but Ringer said he is fine without one for now. "I'm just Javon Ringer. I don't really have a nickname like they do. Maybe later on, I might develop one, but I'm just plain old Javon," he said. White, who seems to be the creator of most of the nicknames, said Ringer will have to bide his time and wait till the regular season. "You don't ..."

Johnson trades in 'Dash' for 'Dream'

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June 24

Tennessean

"The days of "Smash and Dash" are over, at least in Nashville. Chris Johnson said Tuesday he is branching out, leaving fellow Titans running back LenDale White to find his own nickname. Johnson, in fact, has already found a new moniker - "Every Coach's Dream.'' White might be leaning toward calling himself "Every Opposing Coach's Nightmare'' - at least that was his first reaction when told about Johnson's declaration of alias independence. "Smash and Dash have had a divorce - that's official,'' Johnson said. "I have to be my own guy, so no more Smash and Dash, that was last year. Every Coach's Dream, that's me. Because they say every team has its own identity. I feel for me, I can't be ..."

Titans' Johnson taking celebration suggestions

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June 24

Nashville City Paper

"The latest rage not only among NFL players but society in general is Twitter, which allows people snippets of the goings on in their lives for anyone who has an account to see. Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson is among those who has recently caught on to the Twitter craze. On his account, ChrisJohnson28, the Titans running back is soliciting fans suggestions for end zone celebrations that can rival those of Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chad Ochocinco and Buffalo Bills star wideout Terrell Owens. Last season, Johnson etched his name into the conversation of best end zone celebrations by playing the bongo drums after a long touchdown run against the Kansas City Chiefs. He was fined ..."

Brash back Chris Johnson raises personal goals

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May 13

Tennessean

"Chris Johnson's goals are pretty clear heading into his second professional season. "I want to be NFL MVP, and lead the league in rushing,'' the Titans running back said. "I want to be named to another Pro Bowl. I like to set my goals high, and everything is possible.'' The Titans are also imagining the possibilities. On the heels of his highly successful rookie season, the Titans want to put Johnson to work even more this fall. That could mean more carries and more catches, but also more creative ways to get them. Think of it as a "Where's Waldo?" approach that would leave defenses trying to find Johnson and stop him. "There's places we can move him, routes we can run with him, looks we ..."

Titans trying to get creative with Johnson

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May 13

Nashville City Paper

"The Tennessee Titans got a taste of what Chris Johnson could do for their offense during his rookie season of 2008. And last year's first-round pick did not disappoint, rushing for 1,228 yards and nine touchdowns, along with 43 receptions for 260 more yards. This off-season, the Titans are looking for Johnson to do even more and become a more complete player in the process. "I think he's doing what people thought Reggie Bush was going to do," fullback Ahmard Hall said of Johnson. "He can do it all. He just has to put all the small pieces together, and he can be one of the best to ever play." The key, according to offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger, is ensuring that Johnson devotes ..."