NASHVILLE – It’s nice for the Tennessee Titans to have Chris Johnson as their starting tailback is nice. Heck, it’s far better than nice. It’s awesome topped off with a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.
For proof we refer you to CJ’s 76-yard touchdown run on Sunday against the Oakland Raiders at LP Field in the NFL season-opener for both franchises.
That run was the primary reason that Johnson finished with 142 rushing yards, which is also the 2009 NFL offensive player of the year’s 12th straight 100-yard rushing performance. He is now within two games of Barry Sanders’ NFL record of 14 straight 100-yard efforts.
That run, or the threat of that run, is also why the Oakland Raiders arguably spent too much time focusing on CJ.
So instead of covering Titans receiver Nate Washington as he ran down the right side of the field 10 minutes into the first quarter, the Raiders defensive backs bit on a fake hand-off to Johnson.
Seeing this, Titans quarterback Vince Young lofted a high, soft pass to Washington, who glided under it for a 56-yard touchdown that put the home team in front 7-3, a lead it would never surrender.
Later explaining this, Washington said at the close of this 38-13 Titans triumph, “A lot of teams in this league are fearful of what Chris can do. We have to be prepared to play off him. A lot of teams are going to come here prepared to stop Chris Johnson, but not the Tennessee Titans.”
That fear is also where Javon Ringer – the second-year running back out of Michigan State – may become almost as important to the long-term success of the Titans as Johnson.
It was Ringer who scored the Titans’ first rushing touchdown of the season, after all, a 15-yard thing of beauty inside the final four minutes of the opening half.
It was also Ringer, all 5-feet-9 inches and 207 pounds of him, who ran for 12 yards late on a 3rd-and-6 from the Oakland 40 to earn his team’s final first down of the game, a gain to ice a 1-0 start in the AFC South.
“That’s what football is all about,” Titans coach Jeff Fisher said afterward. “Be able to get that first down when you need it and then kneel down.”
Six straight opponents took knees against Tennessee at the start of last season, the Titans needing a bye week to right an 0-6 start on their way to an 8-8 finish.
Then a rookie, Ringer finished the 2009 campaigning with 48 yards and no touchdowns on just eight carries, looking like anything but his last name.
But against the Raiders he finished with 33 yards and a touchdown on just five carries. Against the Raiders he sent a message that you can’t stop Johnson alone and expect to stop the Titans’ ground game.
“He’s very explosive,” said Young. “You saw that today. But he’s also a quiet guy who just goes about his business at work, asks questions and knows his role.”
Johnson’s role is obvious. He’s the sizzling superstar of a Titans team that could again do big things if the third-year pro out of East Carolina stays healthy.
As offensive guard Jake Scott noted, “Every time (CJ’s) number is called there’s a chance to score. You don’t expect it every time, but you’re not exactly surprised when he goes for a 70-yard run like he did today, either.”
You might reasonably assume that after gaining 2,006 yards and scoring 16 touchdowns last season, Johnson might grow bored with excessively celebrating each of those scores.
Instead, when asked about such antics, Johnson replied, “Some of the coaches probably feel that way, but I don’t feel that way.”
But surely Ringer would celebrate similarly to Johnson after the first NFL touchdown of his career. Wouldn’t he dance in a ring around the goal post, or at least grab the football and hide it on the sideline, a keepsake to cling to for the rest of his life.
Said Ringer: “I just tossed the ball back to the referee and celebrated with my teammates, just like I always did at Michigan State. I never even thought of keeping that ball.”
Which is probably another reason why Fisher has never given a thought to not keeping Ringer around to get that first down when the Titans need it. Because quiet guys like him are what winning NFL football games is all about.
Contact Mark Wiedmer at mwiedmer@timesfreepress.com or by phone at (423) 757-6273.