Chris Johnson Questions Tennessee Titans Signing Of Shonn Greene
By Mike Dyce
Dec 30, 2012; Orchard Park, NY, USA; New York Jets running back Shonn Greene (23) during the game against the Buffalo Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Bills beat the Jets 28-9. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports
The Tennessee Titans have a dynamic running back on their roster in Chris Johnson, a man who rushed for over 2,000 yards in a season. So with a prominent running back like him, it was surprising that the Titans went out and signed former New York Jets running back, Shonn Greene.
While Titans coach Mike Munchak compared Greene to the physical Eddie George, he’s not limiting him to that role.
“We’re not going to have him as a short-yardage back, a goal-line back and four-minute back and that’s all he does,” Munchak said on SiriusXM NFL Radio.”We feel he can play all three downs. He may get a series where he gets going and we’re taking over the line of scrimmage and you want that runner in there and we leave him in there.”
Not so surprisingly, Chris Johnson isn’t thrilled about that.
“I have never been a big fan of the two-back system, so I don’t know how we plan on using him,” Johnson told Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean. “I’m not afraid of competition, but I was thinking we’d maybe get a draft pick for the other back. And you don’t give a guy that kind of money to be just a goal-line guy and in tough-yardage situations. So we’ll see what happens.”
But he isn’t worried about competition from Greene, but he definitely doesn’t want to split series. He wants to be the man.
“I’ll just roll with it. Of course I don’t want to carry the ball 30 or 40 times a game,” Johnson said. “And I don’t mind a guy getting a carry or two. But if I am the main guy and it is supposed to be my team . . . it shouldn’t be an issue.”