joewilly12 Posted February 16, 2015 Share Posted February 16, 2015 Just two days after the Jets declined to pick up his contract option for 2015, effectively making him a free agent, Chris Johnson sounded a lot like a guy who's eager to get the heck out of Florham Park. "I think I went into a situation where I was told one thing, and it was another," Johnson said Monday afternoon during an appearance on "The Rich Eisen Show." The old bait and switch, eh? More on that in a bit. Last April, at the time Johnson signed with the Jets after six years with the Titans, he said he understood he'd have to share the loadwith Chris Ivory and Bilal Powell, as was the plan. But Johnson's opportunities more or less fell off a cliff early in the season, an outcome he blamed on interference from general manager John Idzik, who was fired along with head coach Rex Ryan the day after the regular season ended. Johnson, who will be 30 in September, rushed for only 663 yards and one touchdown and caught just 24 passes for 151 yards, all of which were career lows by wide margins. He did, however, average 4.3 yards per carry. And he only got roughly half the opportunities to run the ball—9.7 attempts per game—as he had annually with the Titans. "Basically, it was a situation where I was going there to be the guy or whatever," Johnson said. "It was still said, yeah, both guys [Johnson and Ivory] were going to get playing time. I think it was like after the [third] game or something like that, it just switched over and I started getting less and less playing time, and not knowing where it came from." Johnson finished the season with 155 carries to Ivory's 198. But from Week 4 through Week 12, Johnson had more than seven carries in a game just twice. In December, Johnson expressed frustration about his role to NJ Advance Media's Darryl Slater. In his interview with Eisen, Johnson acknowledged he had tried to keep from going public with how much things had bothered him last season. "I never wanted to be a cancer in the locker room, or be the bad guy, so all I could really do is take advantage of my opportunities, talk to Rex, talk to [Anthony Lynn] the running back coach," Johnson told Eisen. Johnson then said he felt like Ryan's hands were tied the whole time. "Throughout the whole thing, I think last year, with that organization, I think a lot of the stuff was out of Rex's hands," Johnson said. "A lot of the things that we were doing I think it was out of Rex's hands. Don't nobody know but it was a [bad] situation." Eisen then asked if it was it Idzik who took things out of Ryan's hands. "Yeah, like a lot of things, probably, I guess, calling the shots, as far as with the team and things that goes on on Sundays, and whatever," Johnson said. "I think a lot of it was out of Rex's hands because when I sat down and talked to Rex before I signed with the Jets, my role and my situation were explained to me totally different to what actually happened. That's just what it was. It wasn't never a type of thing where I was just being outplayed or anything like that. It was never a situation where I got the opportunity to show my talents and be used the way that I was supposed to be used." Johnson's assessment dovetails somewhat with a report Thomas George did for SB Nation back in December that described a "toxic" culture over at One Jets Drive. The Jets have since cleaned house by replacing Ryan and Idzik with Todd Bowles and Mike Maccagnan. By declining to exercise Johnson's option, the Jets won't have to pay Johnson a $500,000 option bonus toward his $3.5 million base salary for 2015. And because that money was not guaranteed, the Jets can wipe that $3.5 million off their cap charge for the coming year, though they are expected to have an estimated $50 million in cap space. Johnson, meanwhile, will now become a free agent on March 10, the first day of the new league year. Last year, the Titans didn't release Johnson until April 4, more than three weeks after free agency had begun, thus limiting his options. But thanks to the way his deal with the Jets was structured, Johnson won't have that problem this time—and he's happy about that, even if his age and his lack of production last year might be used against him at the negotiating table. Johnson also still has an open case pending for his arrest on a misdemeanor weapons charge last month in his home state of Florida. He has pleaded not guilty. "It just didn't jell; it just didn't work out," Johnson told Eisen of his time with the Jets. "That being said, I think it was a good thing I did my contract how I did it. Basically, I was on a one-year deal with an option of a second year. I know how I feel when I'm working out and all those types of things, so I'm just very excited to see what lies ahead. "This year, I'm a free agent earlier on and I'll be able to go through the process like everyone else, and I think this time I'll be able to put myself in a better situation than what I was able to do last year. I was kind of forced on going somewhere because I didn't have the right opportunity as everybody had when it was time to hit free agency." Dom Cosentino may be reached at dcosentino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @domcosentino. Find NJ.com Jets on Facebook. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RutgersJetFan Posted February 16, 2015 Share Posted February 16, 2015 Yeah, definitely John Idzik's fault that you ran the ball like a guy with vaginas attached to his ankles instead of feet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Neuman Posted February 16, 2015 Share Posted February 16, 2015 Idzik may have sucked, but the plan probably went out the window as soon as Johnson played like crap. No accountability on this loser. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joewilly12 Posted February 16, 2015 Author Share Posted February 16, 2015 What angers me more is why didn't Bilal Powell get an opportunity play more Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T0mShane Posted February 16, 2015 Share Posted February 16, 2015 Rexcountability. I'll miss it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Schroy Posted February 16, 2015 Share Posted February 16, 2015 But he speaks so well though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BurnleyJet Posted February 16, 2015 Share Posted February 16, 2015 More crap leaving the building, Harvin next. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faba Posted February 16, 2015 Share Posted February 16, 2015 Maybe it was Ivory was so much better Chris. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joewilly12 Posted February 16, 2015 Author Share Posted February 16, 2015 More crap leaving the building, Harvin next. Harvin did nothing wrong as a member of the NY Jets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flushing Roots Posted February 16, 2015 Share Posted February 16, 2015 But he speaks so well though. Yes. Shocked he's not the president of the player's association. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bealeb319 Posted February 16, 2015 Share Posted February 16, 2015 Harvin did nothing wrong as a member of the NY Jets. I agree, Harvin acted as a professional, played decently, and had no locker room problems while on the Jets roster. The problem is the 10 million we would have to pay him and the 4th round draft pick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tinstar Posted February 16, 2015 Share Posted February 16, 2015 The blame for this should fall on none other than Woody Johnson for hiring a man and forcing him to work with a HC he didn't want. Unfortunately, John Idzik shares his part of the blame because he took the dumb Job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flgreen Posted February 16, 2015 Share Posted February 16, 2015 What angers me more is why didn't Bilal Powell get an opportunity play more Agree At this point in their careers Powell is a more valuable player then Johnson. They tried way to hard to force the ball to Johnson. Can't imagine why he is crying. he got way more touches then his performance called for Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drdetroit Posted February 16, 2015 Share Posted February 16, 2015 Idzik may have sucked, but the plan probably went out the window as soon as Johnson played like crap. No accountability on this loser. So 4.3 ypc and 800 yards from LOS as a backup is crap Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRy56 Posted February 16, 2015 Share Posted February 16, 2015 Idzik is the devil and I hate him Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BurnleyJet Posted February 16, 2015 Share Posted February 16, 2015 Harvin did nothing wrong as a member of the NY Jets. It's Johnson who's crap, Powell liked much better subing for him. Harvin is just to expensive for a gimmick/slot guy, even if he plays the good solider. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FidelioJet Posted February 16, 2015 Share Posted February 16, 2015 I think it's pretty clear things were dysfunctional with Rex and Idzik but this was clearly damage control for Johnson. He's clearly lost his explosiveness, but placing blame might increase his value. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slats Posted February 16, 2015 Share Posted February 16, 2015 The blame for this should fall on none other than Woody Johnson for hiring a man and forcing him to work with a HC he didn't want. Unfortunately, John Idzik shares his part of the blame because he took the dumb Job. It was the model that was stupid. If Woody was so enamored with Rex, he should've put him in charge of everything, and let him hire a personnel guy to work under him (a la Chip Kelly's gig). Keeping Rex, and hiring a new GM to be his boss was just a terrible dynamic from the start. The fact that he hired someone so far in over his head as Idzik only compounded the problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joewilly12 Posted February 16, 2015 Author Share Posted February 16, 2015 Woody Johnson did the right thing in cleaning house Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JetsFanatic Posted February 16, 2015 Share Posted February 16, 2015 Rexcountability. I'll miss it. Rex is not accountable for anything that went wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JetsFanatic Posted February 16, 2015 Share Posted February 16, 2015 Woody Johnson did the right thing in cleaning house Absolutely Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Troll Posted February 16, 2015 Share Posted February 16, 2015 So 4.3 ypc and 800 yards from LOS as a backup is crap Did you watch him play? Also, if you take out ONE RUN, his average drops from 4.3 to 4.0. That said, it was about what should have been expected. I'd hoped that getting cut by the Titans would be a wakeup call, but instead we got the same half-effort Chris Johnson that's been around since 2009. It really is a shame, as he could have been an all-time great if he only had any desire whatsoever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clementi49 Posted February 16, 2015 Share Posted February 16, 2015 I'm done bashing someone not here anymore. Who cares. Idzik for what it's worth doesn't line up. People who make excuses like this only hurt themselves in the long run. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CanadienJetsFan Posted February 16, 2015 Share Posted February 16, 2015 "It wasn't never a type of thing where I was just being outplayed or anything like that. It was never a situation where I got the opportunity to show my talents and be used the way that I was supposed to be used." I fell off my chair after reading this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JiFtheOracle Posted February 16, 2015 Share Posted February 16, 2015 Idzik was the worst thing to ever happen to this team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Integrity28 Posted February 16, 2015 Share Posted February 16, 2015 Ivory outplayed this bum, but if he thinks this is the path to his next contract... rather than being good at football... so be it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clementi49 Posted February 16, 2015 Share Posted February 16, 2015 Player blaming a GM for him not producing on the field. Makes perfect sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T0mShane Posted February 16, 2015 Share Posted February 16, 2015 Player blaming a GM for him not producing on the field. Makes perfect sense. Technically, it was the coach blaming the GM for the player not producing on the field. #leadership Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saul Goodman Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 I'm disappointed in Chris Johnson. He really didn't trash Idzik enough (at all?). Pretty mild. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clementi49 Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 Haha I guess. It just seems real convienent for a guy who played terr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clementi49 Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 ...played terribly to blame a 'toxic culture'. Which I'm pretty sure the jets are no more toxic than Seattle with Harvin and lynch and whatever else. The whole jets culture BS is a cop out by players and lazy writing by writers and analysts and really untrue on most accounts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt39 Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 Didnt think he came off bad here...he should have been getting more touches down the stretch, but the season was already over at that point anyways. Ivory sucks, but Johnson wasnt going to be the long term answer either...the signing should have never been made to begin with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatsFanTX Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 Didnt think he came off bad here...he should have been getting more touches down the stretch, but the season was already over at that point anyways. Ivory sucks, but Johnson wasnt going to be the long term answer either...the signing should have never been made to begin with. Exactly, why do the Jets think these over-the-hill RB's are great FA signings? RB's in the NFL go downhill after the age of 27. Did the Jets miss that memo? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Integrity28 Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 Didnt think he came off bad here...he should have been getting more touches down the stretch, but the season was already over at that point anyways. Ivory sucks, but Johnson wasnt going to be the long term answer either...the signing should have never been made to begin with. I feel like I say it every off-season, and this year I'm saying it about CJ Spiller... don't be the team that gives out 2nd and 3rd contracts to RBs. ESPECiALLY in a year where the draft is loaded at RB. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt39 Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 I feel like I say it every off-season, and this year I'm saying it about CJ Spiller... don't be the team that gives out 2nd and 3rd contracts to RBs. ESPECiALLY in a year where the draft is loaded at RB. Exactly my thoughts too...idk why were all giddy over Spiller when this draft is loaded with younger better backs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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