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For the past two seasons, there’s been plenty of talk about the Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson and his ability to play football. Many wonder if he’s tough enough, and some wonder if he can carry the load at running back. Count Titans coach Sylvester Croom as part of the latter group, and he thinks the team should bring in another runner capable of carrying the load. In an interview with Paul Kuharsky on 104.5 The Zone, Croom spoke about the Titans running back situation.
“I truly believe if you’re serious about running the football, you’ve got to have two guys actually both able to carry the load during the season. If you’re going to really run, I’m talking 30-plus times a game, there aren’t many that can do that for 16 games anymore, their bodies can’t take it.”
Technically speaking, Croom is correct, and judging by the NFL in the past few years, there has been a trend towards a running back-by-committee approach. But, Johnson is one of the best backs in the league, and he doesn’t need to share tons of carries. Johnson was very effective taking the majority of snaps for the Titans this season, running for 1,243 yards, with six touchdowns and that was after a very slow start. Johnson also only had 276 carries, which is relatively low for a primary ball carrier.
I do agree with Croom’s thought process though: it never hurts to have a second running back capable of carrying the load if Johnson gets injured and to spell Johnson throughout the game. The Titans don’t have that player on their roster, and looking for an upgrade behind Johnson is a smart move. However, Johnson still needs the majority of the carries and he is more than capable of carrying the load. He’s only 27-years old, and hasn’t shown signs of wearing down yet.
The Titans should make the move to upgrade Chris Johnson’s backup, but CJ whatever K is more than capable of carrying the load.
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