Is Jamaal Charles the best running back in Kansas City Chiefs history?
By Matt Conner
No. 4 – Larry Johnson – 2003-09
If you still have a bit of a sour taste in your mouth when you hear Larry Johnson’s name, we will understand. The LJ era is not only still clearly visible in the rearview mirror, but the entire six-year stretch was riddled with legal troubles of the worst kind, with multiple arrests marring his on-field play for domestic violence. It’s hard to separate the incidents off the field with the success on it.
That said, if we’re comparing one running back with another, it’s impossible to ignore just how good Larry Johnson was for the Chiefs. Originally taken in the first round as a luxury pick in case Priest Holmes could not return to form, Johnson provided a seamless transition for the team’s running game when Holmes was injured once again in 2004. Given the chance to start, he would never look back.
In limited duty in 2004 with only 3 starts to his name, Johnson still had 9 rushing touchdowns and another 2 touchdown catches. In the team’s final five games that season, LJ averaged 147 yards from scrimmage and 2 touchdowns per game. That promise forced the Chiefs offense to feature Johnson front and center the following year and they never looked back.
In 2005, Johnson ran for an incredible 1,750 yards and averaged 5.2 yards per carry in the process with a remarkable 20 touchdowns. He added another 17 touchdowns the following year as he led the NFL in rushing yards with 1,789 yards. Johnson had an incredible 4,292 yards from scrimmage in that two-year stretch and if not for the shadow of Priest Holmes looming over him in the years preceding Johnson’s arrival, we might remember LJ in a better light.
Unfortunately, the aforementioned incidents never stopped coming, and after signing a big money extension, Johnson was also never the same. The wheels came off after the team gave him 416 carries in 2006, injuries took over and the team even suspended him for “conduct detrimental to the team.” His constant friction with coaches and defamatory Twitter posts led the Chiefs to finally release Johnson, and he ultimately signed with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Johnson remains the sort of man off the field you would expect him to be, but there’s no denying he was a thrill to watch on the field. Check out the highlights.