Five Reasons Against Larry Johnson

Although not official yet, it appears that the Bengals will sign former Chiefs' running back Larry Johnson, likely as insurance in the case Cedric Benson's hip injury worsens. This, folks, isn't a good move. It isn't one that will kill the team (or at least I hope not), but still, even if Larry gets a minimum-NFL contract, I'm strongly against it. Here's why:

1. Larry Johnson's Age
This week, Johnson will turn thirty years old. Sure, the effect aging has on a running back once he's thirty has been overstated, but there is still a clear trend towards decline after the age of twenty-eight. Especially considering Johnson's impressive but damaging attempt numbers during his Kansas City days (416 carries in 2006), the chances of him going back to even a decent Y/A of 4.3 or slightly below are poor.

2. Larry Johnson's Performance
This correlates with reason number one, obviously. Johnson, since 2005, has been a player who has either benefited from a large number of carries, leading to deceptive counting stats, or has been out because of injury. Frankly, Johnson has proven that even when he is "on" -- and obviously the bar has been set lower for what is considered good performance from him, on account of his age and injuries -- his value lies primarily in being able to handle a heavy load. Besides that, Johnson really isn't a great pass blocker and hasn't made an impact as a receiver since '06. If Marvin Lewis, during his press conference today, was truthful in his claim that Larry would serve as the fourth running back, it seems to me that not taking advantage of his one noticeable quality would make the risk the Bengals would make signing Johnson unnecessary and foolish.

3. The Bengals' Offensive Philosophy
Bob Bratkowski, for as much crap as we give him, has focused on running the football this season. This is evident in the many unbalanced lines and two tight-end/full-back sets we've seen the offense come out in.This makes life easier for the running back, who not only gets holes created for him, but also acquires assistance in the second level of a defense. Because of these favorable conditions, one might think that the Bengals don't have to risk money and a roster spot just because a guy could have some talent left. This situation simply does not necessitate drastic moves, as the running game should be kept afloat even without Benson or another premier back due Brat's heavy run-blocking schemes.

4. The Overall Situation
When would the Bengals need insurance at running back? On its surface, that's an absurd question; no team really knows when they'll need their insurance-type players. But looking further into it, this seems to be the time for Marvin to use backs besides Benson, for a variety of reasons. Benson's hurt, and given the amount of carries he's gotten so far this season and the weak slate of opponents scheduled for the next three weeks, handing the ball off to him in excess of ten to fifteen times in these upcoming games isn't ideal or smart. Larry Johnson, even if he signs now, probably won't be able to play yet; he'll have to sit out at least one or two games in order to study and master the playbook, especially with his responsibilities in the offense's unique zone-blocking runs. Bernard Scott and Brian Leonard should therefore receive their fair share of touches, whether Johnson is signed or not, in November, meaning that by the time Larry is fully aware of how to run effectively in the offense, Scott and/or Leonard should be settled in and able to handle a heavier load. If Lewis and Mikey Boy are looking to plug in someone new right now, or at least add stable depth, why not bring someone who already knows what to do in? Why not DeDe Dorsey?

5. Chemistry, Image, Teamwork, Etc
Really, do I need to spend time on this? We all know what Johnson has done, and we all know the risk he brings. Based on the above, I don't see the point in potentially damaging the team by bringing him in. No, I'm not one who believes in team obliterators (wow, that abbreviates out to TO-- you're a clever one, Skip Bayless); the notion that one man can bring fifty-two other players down seems like the material an analyst devoid of any actual insight brings. But still, I don't completely ignore the problems a troubled player can spread. Mikey Boy shouldn't either.

Thoughts?

Comments

[Sly Vramavomovich]

DeDe damnit. Mikey Boy probably doesn't want to buy out his miniscule UFL contract.

[CurseofBoJackson]

All decent points, but let me tell you why I am less upset about this signing than you are. (I am leery, but not totally against it)
1. Scott's dinged with a knee issue, and Leonard is a (great) third down back, but a third down back all the same, not a load carrier. Therefore, I would like to see a light load for all three backs this week if Benson plays, no more than ten carries a pop, this can work with three backs as we can still go run heavy without risking too much.
2. Aside form the O-line (this is pure conjecture but I think accurate all the same) RB is the most likely position to be hit with injuries, and depth is never a bad thing, especially when the depth at the bottom has shown he can carry a load, which brings me to my next point
3. Larry is gonna sit largely at the bottom unless his services are needed (hopefully not, annoyed with the parentheses though?)
4. I REALLY like Dede, I wanted to keep him, as well as leonard and scott, and I was initially very excited about it when he went practice squad. But Dede is a change of pace back, not a guy you can give the ball to twenty times a game. In other words, we have NO bell cow type back after Benson, and as I said earlier, the three headed monster is something i don't want to have to use out of necessity during a playoff run.

Again, I am leery about this, and as I said in a thread yesterday, Whit, Carson and Bobbie better be willing to knock this cat down a few pegs if necessary, I have heard too many good things about the chemistry in this locker room to not be worried about the effect larry might have. I hope my worries are unfounded. I also hope he never has to touch the ball more then two times per game.

[CurseofBoJackson]

Sorry, point four has a misleading sentence. I DIDN'T say earlier in post that I dodn't want to have to use a three headed monster during a playoff run, but i don't, there I said it.

[Rick]

I think it good move on the Bengals side u need somebody to help when Benson is tried after running then u put Scott in there also put Benson & Johnson in the back the defence won't know who getting the ball.

[Mockenrue]

Again, if I'm DeDe, I don't want to come back to the Bengals. I wouldn't make much more (if any more) as their third or fourth stringer, and I'm almost guaranteed to be waived again. Why not make the same cash, not have to move, and be a total stud in the UFL? For all we know they reached out to DeDe and he said "Cut me once, shame on me. Cut me twice, shame on you. Cut me three times, and I swear I will cut you back."

[Offensive Liability]

Look on the bright side - if you're a woman in the Cincinnati area, you're chances of getting slapped in a bar just went up, at least a little bit.

Oh wait...that's not positive at all. In fact it's probably a bad thing.

Now, if you're a fag on the other hand...

[Brock]

Almost every good running team has two 'workhorses' in the backfield. Miami, Baltimore, New York (giants). While LJ is getting old and has very little production, what if Cedric goes down again toward the end of the season? Do we want Bernard scott (as much as i love him) carrying 20 times+ a game? I'll give him a shot, and hope the bengals run a few 2-back-sets, or even the wildcat once or twice a game with LJ and Cedric.

If he starts to cause problems, axe him, though.

[TheCarlPickensClause]

Brock --

Great point. Nobody is saying anything about Ricky Williams being too old in Miami. Dude has had a Renaissance of his career and is playing damn good ball right now. Nobody realizes that the LJ move was made for the playoffs and for the 3 other AFC West teams that they still have to face. He'll be a decent citizen for half of a season and will probably only contribute here or there, but I'd rather have an insurance policy like LJ on the 53 man roster than a waste of space like Orien Harris.

[Wyatt]

Brock and Rick,

What you guys apparently don't understand is that the Wildcat works best if one of the guys in the backfield can throw the ball, because it adds a whole new dimension to the formation - will they run with a direct snap to the running-only running back, run with a direct snap to the throwing running back, or throw with the throwing running back?

To date, neither LJ nor Ced have shown that ability, so putting both of them in the backfield wouldn't be much different than putting Ced and Leonard back there, other than the fact that Leonard has blocked as a fullback before, while LJ hasn't shown he can block AT ALL.

[Brock]

Wyatt,

That's true concerning the blocking, but I'm not saying that Benson and lj have to be out there at the same time, just that having them in the backfield on the Depth Chart would probably help the offense.

Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw, for example in New York.

Ray Rice and Willis McGahee in Baltimore.

Even though most of those guys can and do block, their running game, especially at the goal line in the singleback is still good. If Benson's hip acts up again, or he didn't give it enough time to heal and goes out, I'd rather have Brian Leonard blocking for LJ than for Bernard Scott at 3rd-and-goal on the 1-yard-line.

[Wyatt]

Brock,

Quoting your post here, buddy: "I'll give him a shot, and hope the bengals run a few 2-back-sets, or even the wildcat once or twice a game with LJ and Cedric."

So, you did say have them on the field at the same time, hence my comment. Had your comment just said depth chart, I wouldn't have addressed you. Even still, it's nothing personal, just trying to better understand your position.

[Andy UnoDos]

I don't completely hate this move because it gives us someone who can go in and take a beating towards the end of these next slate of games when we should have a sizeable lead and just want to run out the clock and end the game. So his slumping performance won't be that big of a deal because most RBs at that point in the game won't be getting more than 3 yards per carry when the other team knows a run is coming.

This problem arose against Chicago when Cedric had to come back into the game after a B. Scott injury and ended up with 37 carries even though the game was over by halftime, if not earlier. Giving your stud back 37 carries in a blowout win is not the best way to ensure that you keep playing into late January.

Another thing is that we still have games against the Raiders and Chargers (two teams that LJ knows well from playing them twice a year) as well as a week 16 date with KC which could possibly have some seeding/homefield implications.

Finally, it give Hobson the opportunity to use the awesome "Bengals fire depth charge" headline

[WEOWN...PENNSTATE]

SO MANY JOHNSON'S!!!

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/291969-the-bengals-love-their-johnsons-a-look-at-the-best-johnsons-this-decade-and-where-larry-fits-into-the-picture

[max montoya]

They are making it so goddamn hard to be a fan.
I will not root for assholes.

[Mockenrue]

Wow, WEOWN, that link contained so many apostrophe misuses I nearly shot a fag in disgust.

[Brock]

Wyatt,

True.