The Facts:
The clock for NFL running backs moves faster than your watch does when you're racing to catch a flight. Twenty-seven is young by almost all job standards and even most football positions, but it's considered somewhat old by running-back standards. Johnson is 27 now. He's in his sixth season. Thirty is approaching fast. Just don't try and tell him he's at that running back crossroads, where the body starts to slow, the speed isn't what it was and the explosion is gone. "It's baffling to me when somebody can sit here and say I lost a step," Johnson said. "They don't know what they are talking about."
Reported by CBSSports.com
Fantasy Football Diehards Line:
As CBSSports.com's Pete Prisco suggests, however, the numbers might lead one to say that. Johnson ran for 2,006 yards in 2009, his second season in the league, but in the three years since his best total has been 1,364 yards. Last season he rushed for 1,243 yards. But as Prisco went on to point out, Johnson isn't getting the number of carries he used to. After getting 358 in 2009, he had 276 in 2012. In the first three games last season, Johnson ran for 45 yards, but averaged just 11 carries a game. Will he get more carries this year with Shonn Greene in the mix? Either way, Johnson will be running behind an upgraded offensive line. Not surprisingly, Johnson's goals in 2013 are this: Make the playoffs and become the first man to rush for 2,000 yards twice in a season. That's all. "It's doable," Johnson said. "Of course, it's doable. I can't do it getting 11 carries a game. What motivates me is I want to get to 2,000 yards again. Be the first back to do it. I've been to the playoffs once, and I want to get back there." Prisco added that coaches see a Johnson with a chip on his shoulder. And if you believe Johnson, it's not slowing him down at all.
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