Before the 2010 season, Titans running back Chris Johnson set a goal of 2,500 rushing yards, which would’ve shattered Eric Dickerson’s single-season NFL record. Johnson fell 1,136 yards short.
Before the 2011 season, Johnson lowered his goal to 2,000 yards rushing, a total he had surpassed in 2009. But Johnson fell 953 yards short.
On Twitter Saturday, Johnson announced that his 2012 goal is to lead the league in rushing.
“Save this,” Johnson said of his tweet.
While Johnson’s latest goal is perhaps more realistic than the first two, he might be better off focusing on running hard on a down-to-down basis rather than setting lofty annual expectations that his potential to meet are in large part out of his control. The Titans’ interior run blocking has been anemic for the past two years, and so has Johnson’s per-play production.
Whereas Johnson averaged 5.31 yards per carry during his first two NFL seasons, the average has dropped to 4.17 in the last two, and 3.87 over his past 22 games.
The best news for Johnson is that the Titans do seem intent on upgrading the offensive line this offseason. Johnson should also get in a full training camp after missing last year’s due to a contract holdout.