Tennessee Titans: Johnson To Touch The Ball Less?
By Shawn Eagle
I was just reading an article today that talked about how Tennessee Titans OC Chris Palmer thought 25 touches for CJ would be, “pushing it” and I couldn’t help but wonder if this is a good move. Let’s discuss.
Although I think CJ is still the best weapon for a rapidly improving offense, if he gets the ball 25 times a game then there is something wrong with the other guys. I know it may sound weird but I think this could easily set it into a less is more situation with CJ still having a phenomenal year by actually not touching the ball as much as he has in previous seasons. I’ll explain.
If you look across the board at our offense you will find talent that can stretch the field at every position. Yes, Kenny Britt is coming off an ACL injury and that could be tricky, but he injured his knee in the 3rd game of last season and he’ll have rehabbed for close to a year when the season starts. Before the injury he was all-pro, then we have Nate Washington who had his beast season as a Titan with his first 1,000 yard season. Followed by Kendall Wright, our first pick out of Baylor, who by all accounts is looking great in OTAs. Damian Williams and Lavelle Hawkins round out the Titans’ WR corp.
At TE, Jared Cook had a breakout season with over 700 yards. If CJ is the focal point of our offense then that means less chances for everyone else and it also will be much easier to game plan for us. Do I think there will be games where CJ gets 27 touches in a game? Yes!
Do I think there will be games where he gets twelve touches? Absolutely.
The best thing about it though is that finally, finally this team is evolving offensively. I can see CJ gashing defenses more this season due to the fact that if a defense wants to commit eight to the box. With that happening, we’ll just audible out and throw it. The most beautiful aspect of this is that we now have the weapons to play like this. CJ not touching the ball as much as he has in previous seasons also will allow him to remain fresher as the games and season wear on.
Make no mistake, CJ is still our very best weapon offensively. But with Palmer and Munchak having looked over film of the early 90’s Oilers they’ve remembered that you can pass the ball to get first downs and heck, even TDs! Now believe me, I know Hasselbeck and Locker both combined would not equal the greatness that was Warren Moon but they are both effective and with CJ and our receivers we can have a very explosive offense for years to come.
Shawn Eagle
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