There were a number of alarming things about the Jets’ run-then-run-then-run-some-more game plan last week against the Dolphins — beginning with its existence.
But though it will be lost in the rubble of their season, last week showed that running back Chris Johnson still has some pop.
He might not be CJ2K anymore, but the veteran back did run 17 times for 105 yards last week, and that made him reflect on the what-ifs.
“There’s a part of me that wonders what this season could have been for me,” Johnson said, via Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. “When you look at what I’ve done and the yards per carry, I think I could have had a big year.”
Instead, he’s playing 36 percent of the snaps, as Chris Ivory (perhaps deservingly) has taken the bulk of the running load. That’s a new role for the once-dynamic back, who is on pace for just 145 carries this year, and will set a new career low in rushing yards despite a solid 4.6 yards per carry average.
“Some [games] you come out and you say, ‘Geez, I wish we would have got it to him a few more times,’” offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg said.
“Of course I wish I was in a situation where I was the lead guy,” Johnson said. “But right now at this point there’s nothing I can do about it. I can’t go back and change anything. I have enjoyed my time here with the guys.”
That time is likely short, as the Jets could save $3.5 million in cap space by cutting him this offseason.
“I don’t have no regrets,” Johnson said of signing with the Jets.
Perhaps they do, if only not using him more often, on a roster not exactly overflowing with offensive weapons.