New Jets running back Chris Johnson says he’s confident the team will keep feeding him the ball this season. Given the way Jets offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg talks about Johnson, that seems like a safe bet.
According to Mornhinweg, Johnson isn’t just a good running back. He’s an all-time great running back.
“He’s a first-ballot Hall of Famer,” Mornhinweg told ESPN.
That statement is, frankly, ridiculous, based on what Johnson has accomplished so far. Johnson has 7,965 rushing yards in his career, which is nowhere near enough to merit Hall of Fame consideration. (Jerome Bettis has almost 6,000 more yards than Johnson and has been voted down by the Hall of Fame Selection Committee.)
Maybe Mornhinweg means he thinks the 28-year-old Johnson will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer after a great few seasons with the Jets. Johnson considers himself capable of another 2,000-yard season, which would make him the only player in NFL history to top 2,000 rushing yards twice. If Johnson does that, we can start talking seriously about his merits as a first-ballot Hall of Famer.