In Chris Johnson’s perfect world, the football finds its way into his hands 25 times a game — 20 carries and five pass receptions.
“To say you’re going to get a guy 25 touches a game is pushing it,” Titans offensive coordinator Chris Palmer said. “That’s 400 touches over the course of a season. He’s certainly capable of that, but what does it mean for the team? Does it help us win?”
Johnson remains a key element, but Palmer is more inclined to spread the field with receivers and throw the ball.
“We can’t allow people to come up and jam the box and make it difficult to run,” Palmer said. “In an ideal situation, you’d like to be 45 percent pass, 55 percent run. But depending on whom we’re playing, it may switch to 60 percent pass, 40 percent run. Or it can be a higher percentage of passing depending on the score.”
Better offensive balance should mean more room for Johnson to run. We're expecting a mild bounce-back season, but his performance in 2011 is still a big concern.
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