Hat Trick Posted May 5, 2006 Share Posted May 5, 2006 http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/s...fs/14504170.htm L.J. TALKS AWAY... The Kansas City Star ■ On coach Herm Edwards telling him he would be the starting halfback: “I’m not used to having a coach do that, especially not knowing if Priest (Holmes) was going to return or not. It was new to me. I thought I’d have to wait and wait and wait before I’d find out if I was starting or not. But he stepped up.” ■ On whether his struggles early in his career made him a better player: “Not really. It just made me a little more frustrated. It made me a little bit more (mad) that I had to go into the season making up a lot of the ground I missed during my first two seasons here. I feel I’ve got to get the ball rolling because I feel like I’m still behind the eight ball.” ■ On whether he will miss departed fullback Tony Richardson: “Tony’s been a real good friend. I haven’t talked to many players on the team besides Tony. His locker is right next to mine. We’d kid and joke so much. It really hurts to lose a real good friend to another team.” ■ On whether rushing for 2,000 yards is a goal: “There’s only one goal, to get Will Shields and Willie Roaf and Trent Green and those guys a championship and a Super Bowl. (Two thousand yards) isn’t one of my goals. If it happens, it happens. If it doesn’t, I’ve got about four, five, six, seven, eight years ahead of me to try to get that record. Willie Roaf and Will Shields don’t have as much time left to get a Super Bowl ring. They don’t have championship rings for guys that get 2,000 yards.” ■ On whether he thinks the offense will change: “You don’t mess with greatness unless you have to. (Coordinator) Mike Solari knows the offense. We’re going to run the same offense we used to run ever since I was here.” ■ On whether he’s talked with Priest Holmes: “No.” ■ On whether he cares what Holmes thinks about playing behind Johnson: “No.” ■ On his thoughts about Solari being promoted to coordinator: “I was really excited because I had a little more relaxed relationship with Mike Solari than I did with Al (Saunders). Mike, being more of an offensive-line guy, I would talk to him about certain things as far as the offensive line and how they would block.” ■ On the Chiefs drafting a former Penn State teammate, Tamba Hali, in the first round: “My dad would know a lot more about him than I would. I only played with him for a year when he was a freshman. I knew he was a great kid.” ■ On playing in the Pro Bowl: “It was all right (except) I had to wait until late in the game to play.” ■ On whether he’s more content now being a starter and with Edwards coaching: “I’m never happy. I haven’t started a full season yet. I haven’t gotten this team to a Super Bowl. My career started off late, I feel. I can’t be overall happy where I’m at right now because I still have to play catch-up.” ■ On whether he’s satisfied with his contract: “When contract time comes, I’ll answer that. As far as right now, I’m just enjoying the offseason. I don’t have to get into contract talk until my contract is up. It’s not even something that I even care to get into.” Sounds as motivated as ever Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hat Trick Posted May 5, 2006 Author Share Posted May 5, 2006 and another: Hanging with celebrities hasn’t softened image By ADAM TEICHER The Kansas City Star DAVE HELLING/The Kansas City Star Chiefs running back Larry Johnson answered reporters' questions Thursday at Arrowhead Stadium. L.J. talks away: Excerpts from Thursday's news conference at Arrowhead The emerging face of Kansas City sports stepped in front of the cameras and microphones Thursday wearing a plain, white, wrinkled T-shirt, his arms folded tightly across his chest. Larry Johnson was defiant as ever. Johnson never once cracked a smile during his 15-minute question-and-answer session with the local media. No new ground was covered either in questions or answers. Still, nobody dared miss it. When Johnson talks, people listen. Johnson’s is more and more becoming the face associated with Kansas City sports. Longtime standard-bearers such as Priest Holmes and Mike Sweeney are falling off the map. Holmes is now a backup, if he ever plays again. Sweeney is on the disabled list, hitting .176, contemplating retirement at the end of the season and playing for a team sinking deeper and deeper into oblivion. Johnson’s Chiefs teammates, Tony Gonzalez and Trent Green, are still on the national radar. Gonzalez recently was a guest on ESPN’s “Quite Frankly with Stephen A. Smith” and a contestant on NBC’s “Celebrity Cooking Showdown.” Green again was part of ESPN’s draft coverage. Neither is as hot as Johnson. They’re not the ones who, as Johnson did, trotted off to Aspen last weekend to chill with rapper Jay-Z and pop star Beyonce and model for a catalog shoot for Jay-Z’s line of hip-hop clothing, Rocawear. Neither is the one who, like Johnson, recently appeared on ESPN’s “Cold Pizza,” was a contestant in the NFL’s “Battle of the Gridiron Stars” or is the subject of a feature article, possibly the cover story, in the next issue of ESPN The Magazine. All of which makes Johnson somewhat of an overnight celebrity. Nobody demanded his time last winter or spring. “I was (at his offseason home) in Vegas practically for three months,” Johnson said. “This time, I’m actually doing a little bit more stuff in the community and obviously doing a little bit more stuff mediawise. “I do different things (outside of football) that I never thought I’d be able to get into. I’m having fun in my offseason.” His brother Tony handles many of Johnson’s marketing and personal affairs, so he knows how full the schedule’s been. If it’s not something national, it’s something local, like his sponsorship of the recent Easter egg hunt at the Truman Sports Complex. “He’s kind of warmed up to it,” Tony said. “It’s kind of new to him. We knew everything was going to change. Hopefully, it’s going to change for the good. He’ll do everything and anything the Chiefs ask him to do.” He does a lot of things others ask, too. “When it comes to hanging out with Jay-Z and Beyonce and they’re having dinner, Larry’s the one that’s starstruck, believe me,” Tony said. “He’ll text me at midnight saying, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m eating dinner with Jay-Z and Beyonce, and she’s so beautiful.’ He’s still in awe of those kinds of things.” The sudden star status goes with the territory. Johnson eclipsed most of what Holmes — and almost every other runner in NFL history — had ever done with a spectacular final nine games last season. Projected over a full season, Johnson would have rushed for 2,400 yards and more than 28 touchdowns. Both would be NFL records. So he’s no longer anonymous, though that doesn’t matter to anyone regularly in the company of Jay-Z. Johnson spends time in New York with the rap star at Jay-Z’s 40/40 Club. “If I have one more person tell me they plan to draft me (in a fantasy draft), I should be rich by now,” Johnson said. “It’s fun when guys can recognize you. “I answer questions when I need to, do interviews when I have to. It really doesn’t bother me as far as the attention and stuff like that.” Johnson still comes across as angry in many of those interviews. On Thursday, he indicated he wasn’t content even though now he’s the starter and has a coach, Herm Edwards, who believes in him. He also pointedly said he hadn’t spoken with Holmes since the end of the season and didn’t care what Holmes thought of Johnson’s promotion to featured back. It’s as much Johnson’s deeds as his words. The rumpled T-shirt and the arms folded across the chest send a message, too. But neither the Chiefs nor Team Johnson have worked to soften his way in public. “L.J. is L.J.,” Tony said. “There are certain things that that’s the way people are. You’re better off not trying to change them, because then you can steer them in the wrong direction. “He always looks like he’s mean. But that’s just L.J. every day. That’s just how he is. It can be 5 o’clock in the afternoon, nothing’s going on and he might have this look like somebody just (ticked) him off. His demeanor looks like something’s wrong with him, but there’s nothing wrong. He’s fine, absolutely fine.” -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azazello1313 Posted May 5, 2006 Share Posted May 5, 2006 good, 'cause i'd really be worried if he was saying "frankly, i don't give a chit if we lose 15 games...and they should probably give priest the ball more than me." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seabronc Posted May 5, 2006 Share Posted May 5, 2006 Should the age of KCs O-Line hurt Johnson rank in Dynasty Leagues? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peepinmofo Posted May 5, 2006 Share Posted May 5, 2006 Should the age of KCs O-Line hurt Johnson rank in Dynasty Leagues? 1453953[/snapback] In short...Yes. How much though is unknown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hat Trick Posted May 5, 2006 Author Share Posted May 5, 2006 good, 'cause i'd really be worried if he was saying "frankly, i don't give a chit if we lose 15 games...and they should probably give priest the ball more than me." 1453851[/snapback] F U Rosie O'Donnell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loyalboyd Posted May 5, 2006 Share Posted May 5, 2006 LJ will get more O-Line help in next yrs draft I would assume. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Menudo Posted May 5, 2006 Share Posted May 5, 2006 Should the age of KCs O-Line hurt Johnson rank in Dynasty Leagues? 1453953[/snapback] In a Dynasty League, possible future O-Line issues or not, after what he did in half of a season last year, I don't know how he is not the #1 pick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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