In hindsight, the whole “cars for yards” campaign might have been a little ambitious. Then again, ambition has never been one of Chris Johnson’s weaknesses.
And that’s probably a good thing, considering the five names the Tennessee Titans running back is chasing: Eric Dickerson, O.J. Simpson, Barry Sanders, Terrell Davis and Jamal Lewis(notes). Those are the only five players to break the 2,000-yard rushing barrier in the NFL. If Johnson, who leads the league with 1,396 rushing yards, continues on his current pace of 126.9 yards per game, he’ll break the 2,000 yard mark in Week 17. Oh, and he’ll also owe all of his offensive linemen a new car.
That’s the pledge Johnson made last month, when he promised a nondescript set of wheels for each of his linemen if he can burst his way into rarified air. But while some of his linemen are likely thinking big – Mercedes, BMW, Lexus, perhaps even Bentley territory – Johnson’s gift-giving will likely have a cap.
“Probably some Hondas or something like that,” a smiling Johnson told reporters last month.
At the time it was a snappy joke – Johnson had only 824 rushing yards, and the CJ2K platform was more of a far-fetched dream than anything. Sort of like guaranteeing an 0-6 team could rattle off 10 straight wins and make the postseason. As we all know, Johnson made that declaration, too. Four wins later, his soothsaying abilities look only more impressive, as the Titans have rallied to 5-6, and Johnson has averaged 143 yards per game during the last month. That has actually strengthened his shot at both 2,000 yards and uncharted territory. Now it looks like he could get within distance of Eric Dickerson’s all-time rushing mark of 2,105 yards and Marshall Faulk’s(notes) record for yards from scrimmage (2,429).
According to yahoo sports
