The New York Jets don't see Chris Johnson as a skill player creeping into the decline phase of his career.
The former Titans star who once barreled his way to 2,000 yards in a single season no longer fit the plan in Tennessee, but Johnson's new position coach called him a candidate to top 1,200 yards come September.
"That's up to him," Anthony Lynn told Manish Mehta of the Daily News. "He's definitely going to get the ball. So, it's what he does with the ball. ... He can have as many yards as he wants."
Most expect the Jets to pound away at defenses with a combination of Johnson and Chris Ivory, but Lynn pointed away from a 50-50 split.
"We've always played the hot guy," Lynn said. "It doesn't matter who it is. If you go in there and produce, you usually stay in."
After studying Johnson's game film from last season, Lynn believes "he's got plenty left in the tank," arguing that CJ2K "obviously played hurt last year."
Fair enough, but Johnson no longer stands out as three-down back material. Despite 1,661 total yards per year during his six seasons in Tennessee, we still expect Ivory to see plenty of action.
Judging by Lynn's words, though, Johnson has the chance to be that "hot hand" out of the gate.
In the latest edition of the "Around The League Podcast," the heroes talk "Hard Knocks" before delving into a new batch of rookie whispers.
