Tennessee Titans coach Mike Munchak’s persistence with RB Chris Johnson pays off – NFL News
Tennessee Titans elite running back Chris Johnson has finally broken out of the slump performance shackles, running for 141 yards in the defeated game versus Houston Texans which almost equals number of yards of all previous three games of the season combined.
However, his 1.4 per carry average is nowhere near record of the player who had rushed for 2,006 yards in the 2009 season.
A day earlier, the star performer was criticised by the league’s commentators and analysts for lack of toughness this season. Coach Mike Munchak has also been under fire for Chris’s lack of form recently but his persistence with the player has finally paid
him off as the RB bounced back strongly in the last game.
Chris himself says of the game:
“It was a pretty good game running the ball. I feel like my offensive line went out there and did a great job from the first snap of just getting up on guys, pushing those guys back, recreating the line of scrimmage and just giving me somewhere to run. Like
I’ve said all year, I’m going to be as good as my offensive line. So they had a great, great game today and I feel like that’s why the running game did well.”
He added:
“I think today helped us take a step. Hopefully we continue to get better.”
Although the RB’s performance did not help his side avoid the humiliating 14-38 loss, it can be hoped that the player will stand crucial to the team’s victory chances in future.
Johnson is one of the most successful rushers in the league and has performed consistently well over the past few years. He is rather struggling since signing a new and hefty contract with the team and some commentators agree that he is yet to give a performance
to justify his deal numbers.
His slump in form had recently led to some questions about his place in the side, given the amount of pressure the coach was in from commentators and some former players. Now Johnson’s return to form is expected to ease the pressure to an extent, if the
RB remains consistent during the rest of the season.
His performance has become even more significant and noticeable given the first-year offence leader Jake Locker is struggling to give a match-winning performance.
Tags: