Jason Whitlock says maybe. Whitlock goes on and on about LJ's behavior in the locker room, describing him a possible cancer of the team. Jason Whitlock seems convinced that Larry Johnson is the next Terrell Owens.
We all know Larry loves to make headlines with tell-all interviews. He went on HBO this season and claimed that it was easier for him to play for a black head coach because Herm Edwards knows what it's like to, among other things, go to nightclubs in the 'hood.
I'm sorry but I just don't see it. I know LJ has his issues with his attitude etc. But to put him out there on the level as Terrell Owens is stretching quite a bit. My only answer to this is that I just don't see it. I'm not in the locker room but it seems like if LJ was as bad as Whitlock makes him out to be, something would have come up. Especially with the frustrating season the Chiefs had. I could be totally wrong on this but I think its a safe bet that LJ won't turn out anywhere near a T.O. level attitude.
I have to give Whitlock credit where it is due though.
Johnson carried the ball an NFL-record 416 times last year. In the history of the league, nine running backs have accumulated 390-plus carries in a season. Only one, Eric Dickerson, continued to ascend after toting the rock that many times. Everyone else faded quickly.
This is a legitimate concern of mine and probably most Chiefs fans. I don't believe you can objectively tie the 390+ carries from a previous season to a poor performance the next. But its still one of those Madden Curse phenomenon that after a while, you just start to believe it because it hasn't really let you down yet. We'll see...
While Whitlock has his points, I still can't see us trading Larry Johnson. I basically disagree with his conclusion entirely.