He dons an armored uniform of red and gold, pulling on his helmet last before wreaking havoc on his enemies.
Currently, fans wonder if he’s the same old titanium-tough Merchant of Death we all got used to. Then again, the fans have never really gotten all that used to him. He’s never been as popular as his more-decorated peers. He’s always been less popular…and more misunderstood.
Whether it’s his urban sensibilities, his somewhat privileged roots, his playboy attitude or his standoffish demeanor towards the press, he’s never exactly been Mr. Popular with the average Janes and Joes. Envy (no, not Ty Brackenridge’s favorite hangout)? Maybe. A big-time disconnect between him and normal folks? Definitely.
Now that he’s fallen victim to injury, both the fans and the press are trying to bury him. Right now, he remains quiet, retooling and planning his resurrection behind closed doors. He will return, though, and with a vengeance, naysayers be damned. He knows it, yet the doubters remain. He doesn’t care, because he’s got a secret: he’s about to drop a couple of bigger, better sequels on us.
Tony Stark, aka Iron Man? No. I’m talking about No. 27, the Roc of Arrowhead, L.J. I’m talking about Kansas City’s Iron Man, the one and only Larry Johnson.
I hate to say it, but there seem to be a lot of fans–Chiefs fans even–who hope to see L.J. fall flat on his face in his comeback attempt. Some even speculate that the Chiefs are privately planning to move him, especially with the rebuilding project now in full swing and Jamaal Charles waiting in the wings.
I hate to break it to those folks, but that is the exact opposite of what is going on. The exact opposite.
First off, the fact that the Chiefs gave L.J. Peyton Manning money when they wouldn’t give NFL sack leader Jared Allen similar big bucks shows just how vital Johnson is to the team’s long-team plans. They knew they were going into a rebuilding period when they offered the contract, even if they didn’t admit so publicly. Remember, King Carl is the ultimate P.R. guy, the quintessential bullshitter.
Second, the team hiring run-heavy O.C. Chan Gailey is another surefire sign of their commitment to 2-7. Gailey isn’t Mike Martz, but he isn’t Mike Solari either–he’s previously engineered several successful run-oriented NFL offenses. He was specifically hired to engineer yet one more in Kansas City. The Chiefs could have easily went with a Brodie Croyle mentor, and looked at several. In the end, they choose Gailey.
Next, the selection of Jamaal Charles. Is Charles an insurance policy? You bet. Will Charles provide flashes of lightening to compliment L.J.’s rumbling thunder? You bet. But I believe the biggest reason Charles was drafted early is due to the Chiefs wanting to keep Johnson fresh. Not just this season either. I’m talking three, four, five years down the road. We’re making sequels here, and he’s K.C.’s Robert Downey Jr. The Chiefs need him at full force for long enough that Herm “Ball Control” Edwards can mold a winner around his Roc.
Besides, as I’ve stated before, L.J.’s injury was a freak one that had nothing to do with previous mileage. It could have happened to any of us jogging a cross country trail or playing drunken grabass. Additionally, he was a late-starter in both college and the pros. Other than his 416-carry season, he’s still a low-mileage running back when you consider his age. After all, he only put seven-and-a-half games and a blink in the preseason on the odometer in ‘07.
Here’s the deal: L.J.’s our Iron Man, and in the Chiefs’ grand scheme his story has only just begun. Expect him to be back and better than ever starting this upcoming season. You have two choices: A.) Keep drinking Haterade; or B.) Grab a bucket of popcorn and enjoy the show. Hell, we’re just getting through the previews. There’s a whole lotta Iron Man left to enjoy. Let’s just hope the brass surrounds its star with more Iron Chiefs.
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bcool sorry but what did you actually say with logic and reason?
I’d like to put my $.02 in on this ‘rough patch’, so be prepared to read. While it’s true the Patriots were caught in week 1 (versus the Jets) with a man on the sidelines, videotaping signals, Matt Walsh, in his just-done interview with the commish, Goodell, said that Belichek, and I know I spelled that wrong, but Belichek told him, on games that started clear back in 2002, to NOT GET CAUGHT.
Those were the 3 biggest words in this whole ordeal. At first, old Bill said that he didn’t know it was against the rules, and that he wasn’t using it for that game, but instead using it for future games. But if he was telling the camera-men to NOT GET CAUGHT, then that blows this whole thing out of the water. He knew what he was doing, knew that it was against the rules, and his whole act thus far has been a sham. Secondly, it HAS affected teams in-game, ask the Steelers the year they played them in the AFC Championship. The Steelers publicly claimed that New England players were calling out their plays as soon as they had one signalled in, knowing exactly what they were going to do.
They also taped the Chargers, in 2002, and didn’t play them again until 2005… That’s not taping for further use, that’s for help in the 2nd-half, my friends. Ever wonder why Billy B. has such a reputation of being ‘a badass game-planner, coming out with changes in the 2nd half?’ In my mind, it’s because he sent his camera-men, WHO WERE NOT TO GET CAUGHT, to get signals in the first half, during that time, and during half-time, the formations and signals were analyzed, and the code was cracked, leaving the Patsies free reign to dominate when they knew where the team was going.
Thirdly; Yes the QB’s (and now a defensive leader as well) have radio-installed helmets, but they are not 100% foolproof. Crowd noise/radio malfunction/confusion in the play being called, are just 3 possibilities of things that can hamper a play using the radios. It seems like once a week; if you watch the head-coach confrences, they say that the radio malfunctioned at some point during the game. But I do get what you are saying.
And fourthly, the Super Bowl was a fluke? How about the close-call they had with the Ravens, the lucky plays they had go their way against a handful of other teams? Or how bout the fact that the Giants nearly beat them in a ‘meaningless’ regular season game, in which all 22 starters (at the time) played for both teams, the whole game? They lost 37-34, but it was the closest margin the Patsies had encountered. It wasn’t as much fluke as it was heart and desire shown by the Giants. They had to fight, on the road, through the playoffs, against tough, capable teams (I thought the Packers would take them,) and ended up winning it all. Call it a fluke all you want, but the Giants got the W, when it counted.
And lastly, finally, as it feels I’ve been typing long enough to grow back some beard stubble, as much as I hate the Pats, none of you can deny that they DID have a badass season last year, and their offense was unmatched in the history of the league.
I hate Tom Brady with a passion, but the dude is still one of the best QB’s possibly of all time. I give them their props, but I still would put an asterisk next to their name and previous SB titles, as it was proven they started recording games as far back as 2002, seems a bit odd that that’s when their team really kicked it into gear, eh? But props to them, and I’ll end with a hearty LET’S GO CHIEFS!
I visit my old man for a couple of days and come back to Spygate Central. WTF?
@ xxxlp:
First of all, I’d like to express my appreciation for you presenting logical discussion and opinions in a reasonable manner. It’s refreshing.
Now –
Yes the Pats cheated. It was unfair and WRONG. However, I do not the believe recording defensive signals can affect the outcomes of the games all that much. Even though it does possibly grant unfair advantages, consider the following:
- All the videos I saw were of game footage (and the Pats were caught recording DURING A GAME). NFL teams change their signals every week. Hell, for Super Bowl XLI the Bears changed theirs at halftime.
- Players can and have figured out opponents signals, (again: Jake Delhomme against the Giants) so it’s not like taping would open some previously unattainable holy grail or something. Like I said earlier: this is over-predaredness to a fault. To the point of breaking the rules.
I really just think the whole thing has been blown out of proportion. They deserved to be punished, and were punished severely. At unprecedented levels. Why can’t people just let it go now?
As far as the Giants’ Super Bowl victory.. Yes, the Giants played their hearts out. They dominated throughout the playoffs and beat the Patriots fair and square. Congratulations to them. But I still maintain that the Patriots were the better team. 9/10 times it would have gone the other way. That’s all I’m saying.
No team will EVER take the place of the Chiefs for me. I’m part of the Red Seas until the day I die. But that doesn’t mean I can’t root for other teams too. I pull for the Packers and the Steelers too, if they aren’t playing the Chiefs. I pull for the Vikings right now because I like them as a team, and they are on the cusp of being something special. The same goes for the Cowboys.
And yes, I pull for the Patriots. They are the first dynasty I personally witnessed as a follower of the NFL, the “America’s Team” of my time, and that means something to me. They also play with more energy and heart than any team I have ever watched. And they play for eachother. It’s a team mentality in New England.
I know I can’t convince anyone here at this point, so just talk to me in January after they’ve dominated yet again, and then say their success is due to recording some defensive signals.
Oh yeah.. GO CHIEFS (and Fuck those greasy thugs in Oakland).
I got ur back Adam. I obviously agree with the points you made in the article. Swagger is a hell of a thing. Throughout his career, LJ has had to answer all the naysayers. Old School Joe Pa made him ride the pine until he was a senior. Old Schoold Dick Vermeil made him sit behind a franchise RB, but also Derrick Blaylock. I thank Vermeil for pissing LJ off to that degree. They told him he wasn’t ready because he didn’t know the offense well enough; instead of making the system make the player, they tried to make the player fit the system. Anyway, he finally got his shot to play when Priest and Blaylock were out, and showed that Peterson was right for overriding Vermeil in the war room. Who was he going to pick that year? Some bum whose name doesn’t come to mind right now.
All the haters are going to be sucking at the teet come reg season. Keep hating. It just adds fuel to the fire that lies within a very misunderstood but outstanding football player.
seanbcool – whatever logic you believe your argument possesses is totally dependent on your belief that the NFL is providing you with the complete truth.
The truth I know is that NFL is extremeful powerful, will do whatever they need to do to protect their image, will show the world what they want it to see, and cover up the really bad stuff. I consider accepting the NFL’s official propaganda about spygate to be naive. In any event, I am totally okay with letting it go because in spite of the bad stuff I really enjoy the overall experience that the NFL produces.
Back to the original point – what was intended by me as part humor / part slam about the Patsies obviously struck a nerve with you. I can’t help that and won’t apologize for attacking your loyalty to a team that I don’t care much for. I believe Herm Edwards is somebody who respects rules and that Bill Bellichek is somebody who does not and that has a lot to do with my opinion of the quality and character of each and the teams they respectively coach. Why anybody not from Southie would choose to defend him or his team is beyond me.
And just so you know, I’ve been following the CHIEFS and pro football since the days when the only bar-b-q one would smell around a CHIEFS stadium on game day was that which was being churned out down the street at a place called Arthur Bryants. Point is I don’t need any lectures or knowledge tests about this sport from you or anybody else.
You can have your Tom Brady man crush and love up on the Patriots all you want but as far I’m concerned the only conceivable good thing about Boston is the possibility that some CHIEFS fan might have the misfortune of being stuck there.
Now more than ever I can’t wait to watch the CHIEFS crush them.
Double D — it’s become apparent to me that you are not only a conspiracy theorist, but delusional. Additionally, you choose to ignore fact in favor of fantasy.
I’m done helping you screw this topic up, so like I said, just talk to me in January.
Oh, and you might want to check out the latest New York Times interview with Matt Walsh. Apparently NEw England isn’t the only team that cheats (surprise!)
Throw it down, Dr. Paine. That’s the prescription!
Yet Spygate mania continues…
The Walsh interview only further proves my point about the NFL doing its dead level best to keep its dirty laundry from showing. Also, until somebody proves to me otherwise, cheating is not in Herm Edwards nature much being a pathological flaw like it is with Bill Bellichek.
Also your point about me insulting you is bogus. What I said was that anybody who supports the Patriots can kiss my ass. Your choice to do so is on you. Moreover, I do believe you’re the one who responded by suggesting I remove my head from my ass. What you said to me sure sounds a lot more like a direct personal insult than the public offer I proposed.
Last point and then I’m done. I’m a Chiefs fan no matter how bad the weather is. I don’t get that same vibe from you.
much less
Wow. Accusing me of being a fair-weather fan. Now that’s funny. In fact, it’s so ludicrous it’s not even insulting.
The Royals are still my favorite baseball team for god’s sake, and their big accomplishment last season was that they didn’t lose 100 games.
I’m simply not closed minded enough to think that I can only cheer for one team.
(And about the insults, comment number 45 was pure insult and instigation. Pretty childish if you ask me.)
To me, it’s as easy as this; Bill Belichick learned everything he knows from one person – Bill Parcells. How many other of Bill Parcells’ assistant coaches have stayed with the family before branching off on their own?
Bill Belichick, New England Patriots
Tom Coughlin, New York Giants
Sean Payton, New Orleans Saints
Romeo Crennel, Cleveland Browns
Eric Mangini, New York Jets
Tony Sparano, Miami Dolphins
Al Groh, University of Virginia
Charlie Weis, University of Notre Dame
(there are others, and offshoots like Nick Saban who worked for Belichick in Cleveland). I’m not making blanket accusations here, but it seems like the ‘big three’ who turned the competitive advantage of taping signals into HUGE paydays are first and foremost Charlie Weiss, then Romeo Crennel, and Eric Mangini (who absolutely knew what was happening and is the one who eventually squawked on Belichick).
Perhaps the reason the NFL wants this to go away isn’t so much that it’s SO widespread among EVERY team, but that it’s so widespread amongst these disciples of Bill Parcells who is still a LUMINARY figure in the sport. I’m very surprised never to find this even hinted at in the media – and I suppose it’s because Parcells is such a sacred cow.
How hard is it to believe that Belichick wasn’t the innovator of this system? How hard is it to believe that other coaches (people like Herm Edwards, Tony Dungy and Mike Martz) refuse to really put the dagger in when talking about the scandal, because there’s not only a code amongst these guys – but that few people want to be the ones who bring down living legends… ?
Yeah so what? At comment 44 (you know, the one that came right before comment 45?) you called into question my understanding of the game AND suggested I remove my head from my ass. And now you want to pretend that I’m behaving like a child?
Yeah.
I can’t stand the Patriots & you can and this conversation has gotten beyond stupid so I say if only for the other reader’s sake we call it a truce and just move on.