Are you ready for Chris Johnson's annual 2,000-yard prediction? Brace for it. Even if it's been three years and countless crushed fantasy football seasons since Johnson broke the NFL's record with 2,509 yards from scrimmage, he's confident that he can reach the milestone again.
"I know I have another 2,000-yard season in me," Johnson told "The Jim Rome Show" on Tuesday. "I would love to get 2,000 yards again, but I haven't been to the playoffs since my rookie year. I want to get back there."
Asked if he's lost his 4.28 40-yard dash speed, Johnson replied, "Have I been caught yet?"
Johnson has adopted bad habits behind a porous interior offensive line, failing to top 1,400 yards in any of the previous three seasons. The additions of veteran left guard Andy Levitre and rookie right guard Chance Warmack have Johnson thinking about a midcareer renaissance.
"I was like, 'Thank God,'" Johnson said. "(It showed) they're trying to put somebody in front of me and opening some more holes for me."
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The ingredients are in place for Johnson to return to stardom even if 2,000 yards is a pipe dream. Former offensive coordinator Chris Palmer shoehorned Johnson into a foundation-back role, forcing the undersized back to fight through wide bodies at the Maginot line between the tackles. New coordinator Dowell Loggains plans a run-heavy attack, but Johnson will be featured more in space with Shonn Greene handling the bulk of the interior runs.
Picture Johnson returning to his rookie-year "get the lead" role while Greene assumes LenDale White's old "keep the lead" role. It's an ideal setup for a Titans offense that struggled to sustain a rushing attack or stay on the field last season, but it also means Johnson won't accrue the volume necessary to flirt with 2,000 yards.
Follow Chris Wesseling on Twitter @ChrisWesseling.
