Chris Johnson - Underrated (1 Viewer)

[Jeff Tefertiller]

The only issue I have with Johnson is that he seems not to like to run inside. He bounces almost everything to the outside where his speed was dominant in college. This does not work as well in the NFL. IMO, Johnson will need to be a threat to run inside to play enough to satisfy his owners. His pass blocking is in question as well.

With Johnson's ability on returns, he might be a player that is more valuable to NFL teams than to fantasy owners. He sure is quick and very fast, but will need to work on some things. People always bring up Westbrook as a comparable, but Westbrook is a strong inside runner, which sets up other plays called for him (screens and draws) as well as play action.

 

[Chaos Commish]

All this talk about shifting their rankings almost daily is indicative of how fickle most people are.

I'm known to be proud of how fickle I am on this topic. I think it's an important quality. I have never wavered on McFadden though. EBF, good stuff. This is a fun class, and rabidfire brought up this agility issue I 've been wanting to explore, so I put a little effort into that post. When I do that it means I am not convinced of my own opinion. I have to clean a pool, but I'll get back to you in this thread.

 

[Rodeojones]

It's interesting to look at some of the great NFL backs when they were in college:

Alexander -

Boy Alexander was special.

 

[Poppa]

 

[EBF]

It's interesting to look at some of the great NFL backs when they were in college:

Alexander -

What stood out to me about those videos is how fast all of those guys were. I know they didn't all have 4.3 40 times, but they had a great burst and got moving in a hurry. There aren't many backs in this class who have that kind of acceleration. It makes sense though. Watching videos of the best college RBs and then watching videos of the best NFL RBs shows you that the competition at the top level is on another plane. I can't say say that any of this year's top dogs are as impressive as these vets were at the same stage of their development. It puts things into perspective.

 

[Chaos Commish]

As for Reggie Bush, I don't view him as a failure. It's too early in his career to call him a bust. Has he been a disappointment? Yea, but I don't think it's because of lateral running. I think it's because he can't break tackles. Plain and simple. He doesn't have the lower body power to survive contact. That's the main difference between him and MJD and the main reason why one has exceeded expectations and the other has disappointed.

Get this bit out of the way before I go...Actually, the dancing has killed him from the tailback spot many times, although I agree he isn't breaking tackles. Part of that comes from hitting the brakes too much, trying to make people miss. Part of it is the center of gravity issue. IF he'd just stop pressing so much and take what's obviously there he might find himself coming out the other side like MJD. I haven't given up on Reggie. I think Reggie can be the top PPR back in the NFL over the next five years if he just stops trying so hard to make people miss, tucks the ball away, gets low and turns on the jets. He needs to run more like McFadden and Johnson. I believe he's up to the adjustment, and in my failed effort to secure 1.01, I have offerred the same package for Reggie. So my criticism comes with a still strong belief that he will be great.

 

[EBF]

As for Reggie Bush, I don't view him as a failure. It's too early in his career to call him a bust. Has he been a disappointment? Yea, but I don't think it's because of lateral running. I think it's because he can't break tackles. Plain and simple. He doesn't have the lower body power to survive contact. That's the main difference between him and MJD and the main reason why one has exceeded expectations and the other has disappointed.

Get this bit out of the way before I go...Actually, the dancing has killed him from the tailback spot many times, although I agree he isn't breaking tackles. Part of that comes from hitting the brakes too much, trying to make people miss. Part of it is the center of gravity issue. IF he'd just stop pressing so much and take what's obviously there he might find himself coming out the other side like MJD. I haven't given up on Reggie. I think Reggie can be the top PPR back in the NFL over the next five years if he just stops trying so hard to make people miss, tucks the ball away, gets low and turns on the jets. He needs to run more like McFadden and Johnson. I believe he's up to the adjustment, and in my failed effort to secure 1.01, I have offerred the same package for Reggie. So my criticism comes with a still strong belief that he will be great.

I agree with that. It does seem like he's pressing a bit and trying to live up to the hype on every carry. Hopefully as the hype dies down and the media attention decreases a little bit he can settle into a groove and start playing up to his abilities. I think he can be a Tiki Barber type if the situation converges properly like it did with Barber later in his career.

 

[Chaos Commish]

Last comment for now

I tend to side with EBF in this one...

See there, Funk? I must be right on this one.

 

[rabidfireweasel]

I still think agility is hugely important. There have certainly been some great north-south runners at the pro level, but most of the elite backs in the NFL have the ability to shake a defender in open space. Think about guys like Tomlinson, Portis, Faulk, Westbrook, Edge, Ahman, Holmes, LJ, Alexander, Peterson, and F. Taylor. Those guys are the elite NFL RBs of the past decade. And while they definitely have the strength to bounce off hits, they can put a lateral move on a defender. They're responsible for some of the nastiest jukes I've ever seen.

While this is fair, it would be more fair if you were considering Johnson at 1.1 in a fantasy draft. Few, if any are ranking him above rb 4. I am as big a fan of his as anyone, and I am not expecting him to be LT or even Fred Taylor. What I am saying is, his lateral agility is more than good enough to succeed at the NFL level. It will not be his downfall. There is plenty of Chris Johnson footage if you know where to look- and I see nothing that indicates he lacks the lateral agility to perform at the next level.There is a term in poker that applies to guys that reach to deep into the playbook when it is not necessary. It is called fancy player syndrome. Guys make an unnecessary move in an effort to appear brilliant when it pays off. I think sometimes here when scouting players, people suffer from fancy scouting syndrome.

 

[Riffraff]

It's interesting to look at some of the great NFL backs when they were in college:

Alexander -

Side note: Tomlinson and Faulk both ran upright. Alexander and Ahman lowered their shoulders.

 

[Maroney=Speed]

I still think agility is hugely important. There have certainly been some great north-south runners at the pro level, but most of the elite backs in the NFL have the ability to shake a defender in open space. Think about guys like Tomlinson, Portis, Faulk, Westbrook, Edge, Ahman, Holmes, LJ, Alexander, Peterson, and F. Taylor. Those guys are the elite NFL RBs of the past decade. And while they definitely have the strength to bounce off hits, they can put a lateral move on a defender. They're responsible for some of the nastiest jukes I've ever seen.

WHile this fair, it would be more fair if you were considering Johnson at 1.1 in a fantasy draft. Few, if any are ranking him above rb 4. I am as big a fan of his as anyone, and I am not expecting him to be LT or even Fred Taylor. What I am saying is, his lateral agility is more than good enough to succeed at the nfl level. It will not be his downfall. There is plenty of Chris Johnson footage if you know where to look- and I see nothing that indicates he lacks the lateral agility to perform at the next level.There is a term in poker that replies to guys that reach to deep into the playbook when it is not necessary. It is called fancy player syndrome. Guys make an unnecessary move in an effort to appear brilliant when it pays off. I think sometimes here when scouting players, people suffer from fancy scouting syndrome.

Please use spell check. Thanks.

 

[rabidfireweasel]

I still think agility is hugely important. There have certainly been some great north-south runners at the pro level, but most of the elite backs in the NFL have the ability to shake a defender in open space. Think about guys like Tomlinson, Portis, Faulk, Westbrook, Edge, Ahman, Holmes, LJ, Alexander, Peterson, and F. Taylor. Those guys are the elite NFL RBs of the past decade. And while they definitely have the strength to bounce off hits, they can put a lateral move on a defender. They're responsible for some of the nastiest jukes I've ever seen.

WHile this fair, it would be more fair if you were considering Johnson at 1.1 in a fantasy draft. Few, if any are ranking him above rb 4. I am as big a fan of his as anyone, and I am not expecting him to be LT or even Fred Taylor. What I am saying is, his lateral agility is more than good enough to succeed at the nfl level. It will not be his downfall. There is plenty of Chris Johnson footage if you know where to look- and I see nothing that indicates he lacks the lateral agility to perform at the next level.There is a term in poker that replies to guys that reach to deep into the playbook when it is not necessary. It is called fancy player syndrome. Guys make an unnecessary move in an effort to appear brilliant when it pays off. I think sometimes here when scouting players, people suffer from fancy scouting syndrome.

Please use spell check. Thanks.

This from the master of the sentence fragment who whines relentlessly when he does not feel that others are contributing enough to his threads.People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.

 

[Maroney=Speed]

I still think agility is hugely important. There have certainly been some great north-south runners at the pro level, but most of the elite backs in the NFL have the ability to shake a defender in open space. Think about guys like Tomlinson, Portis, Faulk, Westbrook, Edge, Ahman, Holmes, LJ, Alexander, Peterson, and F. Taylor. Those guys are the elite NFL RBs of the past decade. And while they definitely have the strength to bounce off hits, they can put a lateral move on a defender. They're responsible for some of the nastiest jukes I've ever seen.

WHile this fair, it would be more fair if you were considering Johnson at 1.1 in a fantasy draft. Few, if any are ranking him above rb 4. I am as big a fan of his as anyone, and I am not expecting him to be LT or even Fred Taylor. What I am saying is, his lateral agility is more than good enough to succeed at the nfl level. It will not be his downfall. There is plenty of Chris Johnson footage if you know where to look- and I see nothing that indicates he lacks the lateral agility to perform at the next level.There is a term in poker that replies to guys that reach to deep into the playbook when it is not necessary. It is called fancy player syndrome. Guys make an unnecessary move in an effort to appear brilliant when it pays off. I think sometimes here when scouting players, people suffer from fancy scouting syndrome.

Please use spell check. Thanks.

This from the master of the sentence fragment who whines relentlessly when he does not feel that others are contributing enough to his threads.People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.

I just wanted to understand what you wrote thats all.I wasn't throwing any stones.

 

[EBF]

I still think agility is hugely important. There have certainly been some great north-south runners at the pro level, but most of the elite backs in the NFL have the ability to shake a defender in open space. Think about guys like Tomlinson, Portis, Faulk, Westbrook, Edge, Ahman, Holmes, LJ, Alexander, Peterson, and F. Taylor. Those guys are the elite NFL RBs of the past decade. And while they definitely have the strength to bounce off hits, they can put a lateral move on a defender. They're responsible for some of the nastiest jukes I've ever seen.

WHile this fair, it would be more fair if you were considering Johnson at 1.1 in a fantasy draft. Few, if any are ranking him above rb 4. I am as big a fan of his as anyone, and I am not expecting him to be LT or even Fred Taylor. What I am saying is, his lateral agility is more than good enough to succeed at the nfl level. It will not be his downfall. There is plenty of Chris Johnson footage if you know where to look- and I see nothing that indicates he lacks the lateral agility to perform at the next level.There is a term in poker that replies to guys that reach to deep into the playbook when it is not necessary. It is called fancy player syndrome. Guys make an unnecessary move in an effort to appear brilliant when it pays off. I think sometimes here when scouting players, people suffer from fancy scouting syndrome.

Will it surprise me if he's the best back from this draft in two years? Not really. But can I justify ranking him in my top 3? It's tough. I don't see any one guy who's head and shoulders above the fray. Like I said, I think the top 4 picks are about equal in value. And I think Chris Johnson should be a part of that conversation. He's the one prospect in this class that I've done a full 180 on. Frankly, I just didn't know much about him until recently. East Carolina doesn't get the ink or TV time of Illinois or Oregon. Johnson is pretty legit though. He has the best acceleration in the class, he runs with surprising power, and he makes some "wow" plays. He's a nice prospect. I actually think there's a strong possibility he'll be picked in the 20-30 range on draft day. I'm not worried about his agility at all. He doesn't make the sharp lateral cuts of a guy like Marshawn Lynch, but he's fluid. My advice to this year's 1.01 owners is trade down to 1.03 or 1.04, take your favorite back, and cross your fingers. I'm having a VERY tough time sorting out this top cluster of value.

 

[rabidfireweasel]

I just wanted to understand what you wrote thats all.I wasn't throwing any stones.

Fair enough. I did edit it, per your request.

 

[gianmarco]

The only issue I have with Johnson is that he seems not to like to run inside. He bounces almost everything to the outside where his speed was dominant in college. This does not work as well in the NFL. IMO, Johnson will need to be a threat to run inside to play enough to satisfy his owners. His pass blocking is in question as well.

With Johnson's ability on returns, he might be a player that is more valuable to NFL teams than to fantasy owners. He sure is quick and very fast, but will need to work on some things. People always bring up Westbrook as a comparable, but Westbrook is a strong inside runner, which sets up other plays called for him (screens and draws) as well as play action.

This is a guy whose speed may actually be dominant in the NFL too. This kid is video-game, Devin Hester fast in a RB's body. I would not be surprised at all if he's able to outrun NFL defenders like he did in these videos.

 

[JohnnyU]

I still think agility is hugely important. There have certainly been some great north-south runners at the pro level, but most of the elite backs in the NFL have the ability to shake a defender in open space. Think about guys like Tomlinson, Portis, Faulk, Westbrook, Edge, Ahman, Holmes, LJ, Alexander, Peterson, and F. Taylor. Those guys are the elite NFL RBs of the past decade. And while they definitely have the strength to bounce off hits, they can put a lateral move on a defender. They're responsible for some of the nastiest jukes I've ever seen.

WHile this fair, it would be more fair if you were considering Johnson at 1.1 in a fantasy draft. Few, if any are ranking him above rb 4. I am as big a fan of his as anyone, and I am not expecting him to be LT or even Fred Taylor. What I am saying is, his lateral agility is more than good enough to succeed at the nfl level. It will not be his downfall. There is plenty of Chris Johnson footage if you know where to look- and I see nothing that indicates he lacks the lateral agility to perform at the next level.There is a term in poker that replies to guys that reach to deep into the playbook when it is not necessary. It is called fancy player syndrome. Guys make an unnecessary move in an effort to appear brilliant when it pays off. I think sometimes here when scouting players, people suffer from fancy scouting syndrome.

Please use spell check. Thanks.

Isn't that really.

 

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

I'm not going to try and sort within tiers, but thought I'd have a stab at putting these guys into FF tiers pre-draft and list guys from similar tiers in years past (not player-to-player comparisons, just similar tiers). I don't watch film or mess with combine data - so YMWV if you do.

Stewart and Mendenhall (almost as safe as it gets, but not LT-style bulletproof - McGahee, Steven Jackson, Benson, Alexander)

Johnson, Rice, Jones, DMac (could be world beaters, but all have physical flaws and could whiff - not very many comparables, so it's pretty weird to have four guys in one draft who will all be selected relatively early - Michael Bennett, DeAngelo Williams, Tiki Barber)

Forte, Smith, Thomas Brown (should be solid pros, but FF relevance not assured - DeShaun Foster, Chris Brown, Marion Barber)

Parmale, Hightower, McRae, Simpson (one or two of them could surprise - relative longshots)

Choice, Boyd (think they'll both be career backups in the NFL, could flatter to deceive for short periods - Julius Jones and Tatum Bell)

Charles, Slaton, Hart (don't bother unless drafted early 2nd round, even then pretty risky - Amos Zeroue, Maurice Morris)

Allen, Forsett, Washington, Savage (don't bother at all - they're NFL washouts)

 

[JohnnyU]

I'm not going to try and sort within tiers, but thought I'd have a stab at putting these guys into FF tiers pre-draft and list guys from similar tiers in years past (not player-to-player comparisons, just similar tiers). I don't watch film or mess with combine data - so YMWV if you do.

Stewart and Mendenhall (almost as safe as it gets, but not LT-style bulletproof - McGahee, Steven Jackson, Benson, Alexander)

Johnson, Rice, Jones, DMac (could be world beaters, but all have physical flaws and could whiff - not very many comparables, so it's pretty weird to have four guys in one draft who will all be selected relatively early - Michael Bennett, DeAngelo Williams, Tiki Barber)

Forte, Smith, Thomas Brown (should be solid pros, but FF relevance not assured - DeShaun Foster, Chris Brown, Marion Barber)

Parmale, Hightower, McRae, Simpson (one or two of them could surprise - relative longshots)

Choice, Boyd (think they'll both be career backups in the NFL, could flatter to deceive for short periods - Julius Jones and Tatum Bell)

Charles, Slaton, Hart (don't bother unless drafted early 2nd round, even then pretty risky - Amos Zeroue, Maurice Morris)

Allen, Forsett, Washington, Savage (don't bother at all - they're NFL washouts)

Why would you put Benson in the same tier as Steven Jackson? Very soon he will be in the same tier as any other retired RB.

 

[Tecmo]

High risk pick as a feature back.

No one will draft him to be a feature back. Tiki wasn't taken to become one. Westbrook wasn't drafted to become on. . They earned it. (MJD still isn't one, but is a great NFL and FF player.) Johnson will have to earn it by outplaying the other backs on the roster.

He's been pegged as a COP back, but he's really more north/south than people are giving him credit for. Lots of those TDs are due to him deflecting hits and keeping his balance. His acceleration is awesome and he uses his blockers before he hits it too. I think he's more lightning paired with thunder rather than just a COP back and maybe in a couple of years he can bulk up and earn the starting gig. You just can't ignore this kind of upside if you're in a dynasty league.

 

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

Why would you put Benson in the same tier as Steven Jackson?

Because I'm looking at it as I would have before they'd played a down in the NFL. I know EBF hated Benson from the get-go (and was apparently right), but I wouldn't have written him off as a bum, so included him. All the comparables are guys that I would have pegged as similar BEFORE they played in the NFL. It will probably change slightly after the draft.

 

[bwpirate]

CJ is a special back ...... he's got the natural ability to see the field two and three layers ahead of where he actual is and he's got a gear other players only dream of. I've seen him play for the last four years and believe me some team is going to get a dynamite running back. On top of it all he's got his head screwed on correctly ... terrific young man.

Here is some more video I put together.

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[JohnnyU]

Why would you put Benson in the same tier as Steven Jackson?

Because I'm looking at it as I would have before they'd played a down in the NFL. I know EBF hated Benson from the get-go (and was apparently right), but I wouldn't have written him off as a bum, so included him. All the comparables are guys that I would have pegged as similar BEFORE they played in the NFL. It will probably change slightly after the draft.

Thanks for the clarification.

 

[Orgazmo]

CJ is a special back ...... he's got the natural ability to see the field two and three layers ahead of where he actual is and he's got a gear other players only dream of. I've seen him play for the last four years and believe me some team is going to get a dynamite running back. On top of it all he's got his head screwed on correctly ... terrific young man.

Nice. Would you say his improvement year to year was due more to o-line improvement/philosophy or Chris's digesting of coaching?

 

[Pickle Rody]

I drafted Johnson in the WSL4 (11th round) over in the Mock Forum but didn't really know anything about him. I'm beginning to think I might have landed a jem......at least if he gets drafted at the NFL level by a team that intends on using him fairly quickly.

I also have the 1.05 pick in my keeper league and knowing the big 3 will go prior to my pick, he's beginning to look promising.

All this talk just makes me want to learn that much more about him. Good thread.

 

[dmac37]

Once Johnson is drafted we will have to read between the lines on how he will be used in regards to FF. Odds are he will be picked higher than most are thinking as of now, but it very well could be for kick & punt returns and as a 3rd down back more than as a feature RB.

My concerns are:

A) Can he run inside the tackles?

B) At 197lbs, history is against him being a top back at this weight

C) Can he or will he be able to block well enough to stay on the field

In a ppr Reggie Bush still put up good FF numbers despite looking very sub par. If Johnson is used enough in the passing game he may have a fairly high floor even if he can't run inside as a feature back, or a very high ceiling if he used like Bush .

 

[renesauz]

I still think agility is hugely important. There have certainly been some great north-south runners at the pro level, but most of the elite backs in the NFL have the ability to shake a defender in open space. Think about guys like Tomlinson, Portis, Faulk, Westbrook, Edge, Ahman, Holmes, LJ, Alexander, Peterson, and F. Taylor. Those guys are the elite NFL RBs of the past decade. And while they definitely have the strength to bounce off hits, they can put a lateral move on a defender. They're responsible for some of the nastiest jukes I've ever seen.

That's really what I look for in a pro RB prospect. The combination of running strength and loose hips. Adrian Peterson and Marshawn Lynch both had it. Ray Rice has it. He's tops in this class when you talk about a combination of power and shiftiness. I think Stewart is probably the second best. He's a better physical specimen than Rice, but a stiffer runner. Mendenhall is more of a north-south runner than either of those two and that's reflected in his combine measurables (he didn't do as well as Rice and Stewart). McFadden is a real oddball as a pro running back prospect. What he does well, he does exceptionally well (straight line speed and acceleration). But that's it. That's all you get. The reason I think he could be a disappointment is because you rarely see him make a quick move to elude and he doesn't seem to have the leg drive of a top pro back. He's a long-legged upright runner. That's the polar opposite of the elite runners I listed in the first paragraph.

As for Reggie Bush, I don't view him as a failure. It's too early in his career to call him a bust. Has he been a disappointment? Yea, but I don't think it's because of lateral running. I think it's because he can't break tackles. Plain and simple. He doesn't have the lower body power to survive contact. That's the main difference between him and MJD and the main reason why one has exceeded expectations and the other has disappointed.

I've also been shifting my rankings around in the past few weeks. It's tough to get a handle on these guys since they each bring something slightly different to the table. I've almost reached a point where I think the top 4 rookie picks are identical in value. Even though I'm intrigued by McFadden's pedigree and his utter domination of an elite NCAA conference, I have to say that of this year's top backs he's the one who least resembles the NFL prototype. The two who most closely resembles the NFL prototype are Rice and Stewart, so I think they're actually my top two as of today.

But, those guys don't try to use those jukes on every run. Westbrook has the ability to break more ankles then anybody this side of Bush, but he generally only uses those "super-jukes" when he's mano a' mano, in OPEN space. Watch how he moves in traffic...it's more of a QUICK cut and straight speed. SOmetimes the defender gets a small piece, and another cleans up, but Westbrook has turned what should have been a 1 yard run into a 4 or 5 yard FIRST DOWN run by blowing past the first guy instead of juking around him. What a few guys here are arguing is that that quick-cut/speed burst run is a more valuable ability in the end then the sick open field juke move. The truly ELITE RUNNERS have BOTH, and know when to use them. That's why Bush has had such limited success to this point...he hasn't figured out when to use what skill. It's also why I'm not super high on McFadden. I don't even know if he has a juke move. I think he'll be effective if his body can hold up, but can he juke an NFL level defender in the open field?

 

[gianmarco]

I still think agility is hugely important. There have certainly been some great north-south runners at the pro level, but most of the elite backs in the NFL have the ability to shake a defender in open space. Think about guys like Tomlinson, Portis, Faulk, Westbrook, Edge, Ahman, Holmes, LJ, Alexander, Peterson, and F. Taylor. Those guys are the elite NFL RBs of the past decade. And while they definitely have the strength to bounce off hits, they can put a lateral move on a defender. They're responsible for some of the nastiest jukes I've ever seen.

That's really what I look for in a pro RB prospect. The combination of running strength and loose hips. Adrian Peterson and Marshawn Lynch both had it. Ray Rice has it. He's tops in this class when you talk about a combination of power and shiftiness. I think Stewart is probably the second best. He's a better physical specimen than Rice, but a stiffer runner. Mendenhall is more of a north-south runner than either of those two and that's reflected in his combine measurables (he didn't do as well as Rice and Stewart). McFadden is a real oddball as a pro running back prospect. What he does well, he does exceptionally well (straight line speed and acceleration). But that's it. That's all you get. The reason I think he could be a disappointment is because you rarely see him make a quick move to elude and he doesn't seem to have the leg drive of a top pro back. He's a long-legged upright runner. That's the polar opposite of the elite runners I listed in the first paragraph.

As for Reggie Bush, I don't view him as a failure. It's too early in his career to call him a bust. Has he been a disappointment? Yea, but I don't think it's because of lateral running. I think it's because he can't break tackles. Plain and simple. He doesn't have the lower body power to survive contact. That's the main difference between him and MJD and the main reason why one has exceeded expectations and the other has disappointed.

I've also been shifting my rankings around in the past few weeks. It's tough to get a handle on these guys since they each bring something slightly different to the table. I've almost reached a point where I think the top 4 rookie picks are identical in value. Even though I'm intrigued by McFadden's pedigree and his utter domination of an elite NCAA conference, I have to say that of this year's top backs he's the one who least resembles the NFL prototype. The two who most closely resembles the NFL prototype are Rice and Stewart, so I think they're actually my top two as of today.

But, those guys don't try to use those jukes on every run. Westbrook has the ability to break more ankles then anybody this side of Bush, but he generally only uses those "super-jukes" when he's mano a' mano, in OPEN space. Watch how he moves in traffic...it's more of a QUICK cut and straight speed. SOmetimes the defender gets a small piece, and another cleans up, but Westbrook has turned what should have been a 1 yard run into a 4 or 5 yard FIRST DOWN run by blowing past the first guy instead of juking around him. What a few guys here are arguing is that that quick-cut/speed burst run is a more valuable ability in the end then the sick open field juke move. The truly ELITE RUNNERS have BOTH, and know when to use them. That's why Bush has had such limited success to this point...he hasn't figured out when to use what skill. It's also why I'm not super high on McFadden. I don't even know if he has a juke move. I think he'll be effective if his body can hold up, but can he juke an NFL level defender in the open field?

You talking about a juke like this??:

 

[bwpirate]

CJ played for two coaches iat ECU .... it wasn't until Skip Holtz got here that they figured out how to use him. He was a track guy in high school ... he didn't start playing football until his junior year. CJ worked he fanny off in the weight room and watched alot tape bewtween his junior and senior year in college. He was a totally different running back his senior year. He turned himself into a master craftsman. He's got it all speed, balance, vision, and soft of hands. He's great in space give him a little daylight and he's gone.

You can see in the video he's just a natural runner. I saw in one of the posts that someone posted that opposing players take bad angles on him. The truth be known is they just didn't realize jsut how fast he is. As I said before he's got a gear no one else has. He's terrific on kick returns!

 

[ConstruxBoy]

Last comment for now

I tend to side with EBF in this one...

See there, Funk? I must be right on this one.

:finger:

 

[rabidfireweasel]

CJ is a special back ...... he's got the natural ability to see the field two and three layers ahead of where he actual is and he's got a gear other players only dream of. I've seen him play for the last four years and believe me some team is going to get a dynamite running back. On top of it all he's got his head screwed on correctly ... terrific young man.

Here is some more video I put together.

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These are the "Plenty of clips on the web if you know where to look" that I mentioned. Excellent work, and thanks for putting them up.

 

[Kleck]

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This is the kind of play I look for when watching film/highlights. Johnson should have gone down for a loss or no gain there, but he did an amazing job of getting away from and beating the defenders. It really shows a lot of his abilities and instincts all in one play.

 

[FUBAR]

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This is the kind of play I look for when watching film/highlights. Johnson should have gone down for a loss or no gain there, but he did an amazing job of getting away from and beating the defenders. It really shows a lot of his abilities and instincts all in one play.

The balance after he's already gained a couple yards impresses me even more.

 

[rabidfireweasel]

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This is the kind of play I look for when watching film/highlights. Johnson should have gone down for a loss or no gain there, but he did an amazing job of getting away from and beating the defenders. It really shows a lot of his abilities and instincts all in one play.

This is one of the plays I was referring to when I said he has more than enough lateral agility. It is also a play where he takes it right up inside despite having not a lot of room to operate.

 

[rabidfireweasel]

Seeing the bald coach point down field (as if Johnson is going to go in another direction) 20 seconds into the video always makes me smirk.

 

[Kleck]

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This is the kind of play I look for when watching film/highlights. Johnson should have gone down for a loss or no gain there, but he did an amazing job of getting away from and beating the defenders. It really shows a lot of his abilities and instincts all in one play.

The balance after he's already gained a couple yards impresses me even more.

Very impressive. Johnson's explosion and balance after being hit by the SS does make the play that much more exciting. #23 had the angle but couldn't keep up, and the power/drive at the goalline is a perfect end to a fantastic run.

 

[Tecmo]

CJ is a special back ...... he's got the natural ability to see the field two and three layers ahead of where he actual is and he's got a gear other players only dream of. I've seen him play for the last four years and believe me some team is going to get a dynamite running back. On top of it all he's got his head screwed on correctly ... terrific young man.

Here is some more video I put together.

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The second clip says a lot about him. He shows patience for the hole to open, actually stops. After the defender is out of the way, he has lots of daylight to the right for a big gain, but he stays within the play. Maybe his vision sees something, but I don't think his first reaction is to break it outside everytime. The outside LB is pretty stiff, he should of at least gotten a hit on him, but you see CJ's acceleration real good from stop to go. Love the spin move and balance, seems to be his specialty. Lowers his shoulder for the TDI really question his cutting ability though. His change of direction is so rounded, it'll give NFL defenders time to react. Westbrook cuts on a dime and accelerates. Teams are going to want to use him on the outside to get him in space. But imagine a sweep play stretching a defense, he doesn't have that sudden cut and boom he's upfield. I like this kid, but he needs to land on the right team. Tennessee is another team that would be a good fit, Pacman looks to be gone and they'll need a return man too

He's going to get drafted real high on draft day, his return ability is a huge plus and speed kills. He'll be overvalued after the NFL draft

 

[floridamike]

"But imagine a sweep play stretching a defense, he doesn't have that sudden cut and boom he's upfield."

I think he does have it but that play is not a big part of Holtz's offense. Watch some of his returns...he absolutely can cut and go from 0-smokin' in a flash.

I was a life-long Cowboy fan but I swore I would never pull for them as long as TO is on the team and I haven't. However, if CJ winds up there with Barber then I may have to rethink it (even as bad as I hate J. Jones).

 

[bwpirate]

Here's a video I put together of his junior and senior years. The first seven segements are of his junior year. The one segment I really want you to see is the last one in the video. It really highlights his power.

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