Chiefs plan to lessen Johnson's workload

KANSAS CITY – Larry Johnson tugged a baseball cap down on his forehead and shuffled his formerly busted left foot to the melody rising from his locker. Listening to a Jay-Z fusion of Frank Sinatra's "My Way" on Tuesday, he slid his shoulders toward the back of the room, drawing a few snickers from onlookers.

It was a poignant anthem for a player looking to re-establish a groove with the Kansas City Chiefs. His groove. His rhythm: 752 combined carries in 2005 and 2006 – including 11 30-carry games, before a prolonged contract holdout and broken foot broke the needle off the record.

Dwayne Bowe had a front row seat for Tuesday's return of the groove, but the young wideout pretended not to notice. In time, his smile would give him away. Seeing this from Johnson, how could it be anything but a good thing?

"I remember when he went out with the injury last year," Bowe said. "Everything changed. All of the sudden we were seeing a lot of Cover 2. They (opponents) used to have all these guys in the box, and the next thing you know, they were throwing an extra guy on one of the skill players like me or Tony (Gonzalez). It made a difference."

Johnson's season ended in Week 9 against the Packers.

(John Rieger/US PRESSWIRE)

Indeed, it made a difference – the way it makes a difference when a star at the center of a solar system collapses on itself. And when the Chiefs lost the warm center of their offensive universe, the 2007 season was over as they knew it: Nine straight losses to end the season; the firing of offensive coordinator Mike Solari; and a new commitment to dividing up carries in the backfield and protecting the franchise running back.

At least, that's what the Chiefs say about the latter goal – curbing the clobbering on Johnson this season. On a day when he flashed a coltish step in an offseason practice, the franchise was careful to say all the right things: talking about lessening his load, being careful about rushing him back too soon, and balancing out the burden around him with a developing passing game. It's a typical page from the playbook of an aging running back's career (Johnson turns 29 on Nov. 19). But in reality, the celestial alignment looks far from perfect.

In a season when an exceedingly young Chiefs team needs Johnson more than ever, they are talking about using him less. With new offensive coordinator Chan Gailey, who has historically streamlined his system through one running back, Kansas City coach Herm Edwards is talking about relying heavily on a No. 2. And in a year when cohesion is an absolute top priority, the unit's load-bearing pillar is being brought along in measured increments, primarily because of a foot injury that could have significantly altered his career.

So yes, it's a marriage of conflicting needs and plans.

"I think Larry, we have a pretty good rapport," Edwards said. "He trusts me. He trusts what I'm going to ask him to do. He knows he's going to get the ball. … He's going to touch it a lot, but those other guys (backups Kolby Smith and Jamaal Charles) are going to touch it some, too.

"Larry is not going to carry the ball 40 times. He'll be lucky to get 30."

Edwards is sold on the protection order, regardless of the fact that dominant veteran players typically want to forcefully reassert themselves when returning from an injury. It's worth noting that Johnson didn't always share the backfield with Priest Holmes with absolute aplomb. And now he's got a situation where the team has drafted a player in Charles who could be his eventual successor. As it stands, the two are on great terms, with Johnson urging the team to put Charles' locker next to his. But when the real games start, and Johnson is looking to lay claim to himself being the same player he was in 2005 and 2006, what happens if Johnson blanches at the thought of surrendering the "10-12 carries" Edwards has planned for Charles?

"If it happens, it happens," Edwards said. "But I don't worry about it."

Not that it's a certainty. If anything, the plan to give Charles upwards of 160 carries next season can be chalked under the "best laid plans" category. Gailey's offense has never afforded a No. 2 running back that kind of opportunity on the NFL level. In fact, during Gailey's time as an offensive coordinator with the Denver Broncos, Pittsburgh Steelers and Miami Dolphins, and his stint as a head coach with the Dallas Cowboys, a No. 2 running back has surpassed the century mark in carries just once. Sammy Winder logged 110 totes for the Broncos in 1989.

Instead, primary running backs have been far and away the biggest winners in Gailey's system. Bobby Humphrey posted back-to-back 1,000-yard campaigns with Denver in '89 and 1990. Bettis put up the two best seasons of his career in Gailey's offense, rushing for 3,096 yards and 18 touchdowns in 1996 and 1997. Emmitt Smith had his typical Pro Bowl level output under Gailey in 1998 and 1999, while Miami's Lamar Smith rushed for 2,107 yards and 20 touchdowns in Gailey's two seasons as an offensive coordinator for the Dolphins.

"I believe in running the football," Gailey said. "I believe you have to be a physical football team to win. It's a tough game for tough people. … I don't think you temper expectations (because of Johnson's injuries). I think you temper how quickly you move him back into full speed, all-day, everyday work."

Two months from the opening of training camp, Johnson already appears to be ready for that load. While Edwards and the staff have been careful about resting him during the voluntary offseason practice regimen, Johnson didn't appear to show any issues with fatigue or foot soreness on Tuesday, showing good burst and cutting ability.

"Body-wise, I'm 100-percent," Johnson said. "… They wouldn't even have me practice if they weren't sure I was able to play or even practice.

"I'm already ready to play. I think (Tuesday's workout) was just more of a fantasy draft or combine workout – you know, making sure everybody knew my foot was all right before they put their fantasy teams together."

All the work left now on offense is largely out of his hands – learning Gailey's relatively simple system; bringing along young quarterback Brodie Croyle; getting Bowe to the point where he's ready to take the leap in the elite echelon of wideouts; and settling down an offensive line that will have three new starters (including a pair of new tackles in Damion McIntosh and rookie Branden Albert).

And maybe that's the point of Edwards' nonchalance when it comes to Johnson's return. No matter his number of carries, if his centerpiece running back is healthy, he's the least of the team's concerns.

"It's like Kolby having a 100-yard game last year," Edwards said, stopping and shrugging for emphasis. "Larry Johnson is the running back. He's an All-Pro running back. Kolby is another guy. Charles is a guy who, he's going to get the ball maybe 10-12 times a game, because he can't take the pounding."

So in effect Larry Johnson is going to be Larry Johnson, just an abridged edition – leaving the 30-carry performances as a thing of the past.

Edwards grinned at the notion.

"I say that now, but we'll find out. You'll add them up and in Week 2 be calling me up talking about how, 'hey coach, he's averaging 32 carries a game."

One way or another, the groove is on the way back. And regardless of the plan, you get the feeling Larry Johnson will be doing it his way all over again.