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Jeff Fisher expects old Chris Johnson to return in '12

His former coach Jeff Fisher doesn't believe it's a difficult one. He expects the old CJ2K.

"I didn't watch all that much of him last year, but that kind of thing doesn't happen overnight," Fisher told the Tennessean on Tuesday when asked if Johnson had lost it. "C.J. is still a tremendously talented running back and he's still got a lot ahead of him."

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We tend to agree, although we don't think Johnson's 2011 decline is as simple as Fisher lays out.

"You had coaching changes, you had philosophical changes, you had a lockout and you had no offseason," Fisher said. "So you just delete last year and move on with high expectations."

You also had a contract dispute and a player who perhaps showed up to work out of shape. You also had a league that keys on Johnson more than ever before. You had a player no longer making people miss in the open field. All of the factors that Fisher mentioned -- all the change -- certainly hurt Johnson.

But the Tennessee Titans running back has shown he could be a generational-type talent. Those types of players make adjustments as their NFL career progresses. They take their game to another level. Johnson needs to show he can elevate his play regardless of what's going on around him.

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