Just Another Game To LJ (Now), Palmer Says Otherwise
December 24th, 2009 | by Ryan Jones |When Larry Johnson signed with the Cincinnati Bengals following his release by the Chiefs, perhaps you remember his thoughts on the Week 16 matchup with Kansas City.
First he took to Facebook.
Gonna gallop all over the Chiefs. Cleat prints on the chests. Mud in the face masks.
Then in his introductory press conference he was slightly more diplomatic… barely.
I’d be lying if I said I ain’t looking at that game (as one) I want to definitely play in … if that happens, it would be the best Christmas gift I could get.
But to listen to the infamous Kansas City club goer now, this is just another game.
It will be kind of like me practicing against my friends. A lot of those guys I haven’t seen in six or seven weeks. It will be great to get out there and play for real… What’s going on with this team is bigger than me versus the Kansas City Chiefs. It’s basically us trying to put ourselves in a great position to get to the playoffs and hopefully get to the Super Bowl.
To anyone that follows the Chiefs, this sort of waffling by Johnson isn’t a surprise. There has always been a “good” and “bad” LJ. Immediately after he was released he was more than happy to let a bit of the bad LJ out, but with free agency approaching he is making sure only to give out vibes from his alter ego.
When the Cincinnati press approached Bengals quarterback about Johnson and if this game has extra importance to the mercurial running back, there was no delay.
Absolutely… I’m not sure what specific game plan we’ll have for him this week, but I know he’ll be ready to play.
With the Bengals still looking to lock up a playoff spot, Marvin Lewis isn’t going to try and do any favors for a backup running back. However, if this game gets out of hand, look for Benson to retire to the sidelines and it turn into the all-LJ show, which you know he will eat up.
If Johnson gets a chance to get upwards of 15-20 carries that means obviously he’s being very successful and I can promise you we’ll see more than a few glimpses of the “bad” LJ.
