Speedy Johnson Has Dolphins' Attention

[DKphin]

Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson has had that effect on a lot of teams this year as he continues his assault on the record books with his sprinter's speed and on-field quickness. Last week he put that speed on display again in a 47-7 rout of the St. Louis Rams when he took a simple screen pass and turned it into a 60-yard touchdown.
"He just juked out the entire team - twice. I think he juked out 22 people," Crowder said. "If you watch him, he's the best back in the game, period. He'll kill a pursuit lane. Half the team's got to over pursue and half the team's got to under pursue and hopefully he doesn't split the middle. You know how I like to talk about players and say they're good but then I'll put a little something on the end that he can't do. He has it. Whatever ‘it' is he has it as a running back and he is amazing."
Johnson enters Sunday's game averaging 6.0 yards per carry and is on pace to surpass 2,000 rushing yards. His three touchdown runs of at least 85 yards are more than any other running back has had in an entire career and he is 480 yards shy of breaking Eric Dickerson's single-season rushing record of 2,105 yards. Johnson stated his primary goal is to break Dickerson's record and he also wants to be named the NFL MVP.
The Dolphins would rather Johnson not further his case for the league's top honor against them up in Nashville, especially with a spot in the playoffs still very much within their grasp. They are coming off of a game in Jacksonville where they held another explosive back in Maurice Jones-Drew to just 59 rushing yards on 18 carries and the defensive line has been stout against the run all season.
Head Coach Tony Sparano, who once coached Darrell Green with the Washington Redskins when Green held the title of the "NFL's Fastest Man," pointed to Johnson's ability to run the ball in between the tackles as a trait of his that is equally as impressive as his speed and quickness in getting to the edge and turning the corner. Teams also have to be aware of Johnson as a receiver out of the backfield, as he showed on that screen pass, so Sparano has tried to keep the message to his defense rather simple.
"I think we have to be very disciplined in this ballgame and I think we've got to tackle well first of all," Sparano said. "I think we've got to be disciplined and we've got to be able to set the edge of the defense and not let the ball get outside of us. It's something that they like they do and they do well. They have a little bit of a different scheme than Jacksonville, which was a little more of a power running team and a little bit more in between the tackles. ... This is more of a zone blocking scheme that we're playing this week, so they stretch you. They try to get the ball on the perimeter more and there are a lot of things we need to be prepared for."
Crowder talked about the importance of gang tackling and staying in your lanes as a defender and "just control the damage," because it has come to be expected that Johnson is going to break at least one long run during the course of a 60-minute ballgame. The outspoken fifth-year linebacker went so far as to say he'd put Johnson up against a cheetah and Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt.
Titans head coach Jeff Fisher played with the legendary Walter Payton when the two were on the Chicago Bears and though he isn't quite ready to compare Johnson to "Sweetness," being as this is just his second season, Fisher has been very impressed with everything his running back brings to the game.
"He has great vision. His speed allows him to use the cutback. Angles are flattened out because of his great speed on the edge, then he uses the cutback," Fisher said. "He uses his blocks well. He will hit it inside. I don't think people realize that a guy of his stature (5-foot-11, 200 pounds) can be as productive as an inside runner, but he hits the hole so quick. He does a great job of protecting the football and taking a hit. He just kind of gets ping-ponged around, jumps up with a smile on his face and comes back to the huddle."

http://www.miamidolphins.com/news/speedy-johnson-has-dolphins-attention-other-notes

 

[pags77]

Missed Tackles = Death against Chris Johnson

 

[Vertical Limit]

Johnson certaintly plays bigger than he really is. Reggie Bush should take notes.

 

[Avigatorx]

This is not a game we want to fall behind in.

Best bet is to score early and force Tennessee to start passing alot.

Whats the word on Vince Young?

 

[callaway1234]

This is not a game we want to fall behind in.

Best bet is to score early and force Tennessee to start passing alot.

Whats the word on Vince Young?

I read he didn't practice today but that probably doesn't mean much. Hopefully even if he does play, his injury will make it tough for him to scramble and make yards with his legs, something this team often has a hard time containing.

 

[josekareh]

I want to beat Tennessee so bad

 

[callaway1234]

I want to beat Tennessee so bad

They started 0-6 and the Patsies blew them out 59-0, I just hope the team is looking for ways to exploit them based on those older games as well as the more current ones where they have obviously been winning.

 

[frostyphin84]

They started 0-6 and the Patsies blew them out 59-0, I just hope the team is looking for ways to exploit them based on those older games as well as the more current ones where they have obviously been winning.

they were a different team though, almost literally. most of there db's were dinged up, kerry collins was the qb, they were still trying to give white the ball as more than just a spell to johnson.
almost a completely different team.

 

[Mr_Freezetag]

I'm not doubting Miami's defense but I can see Johnson on the screens hurting us more then anything. It's one thing when he's pushing to the outside on a toss but they are so good at getting solid blocks on the screens.

I can't begin to think of an effective way to stop this guy, hell not team has come close to stopping him since their bye-week (their comeback).

Add this to the fact that since the bye-week only San Fran has scored over 20 points against them (EDIT COLTS too). Combine that with the Titans outscoring their opponents 209-108 since the bye-week. So their defense's stats might be a bit misleading because they have showed up over the past 7 weeks.

Now, as for the Dolphins, they won't let them off that easy. They are going to show up to this game because all of those stats I mentioned above don't mean squat come Sunday. I cannot wait for this big test for our team. It's going to be a showdown.

GO PHINS!!!