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KAPOLEI, Hawaii (AP)—Tennessee star Chris Johnson was stunned by coach Jeff Fisher’s departure from the Titans.
“It was a surprise,” the running back said Friday after Pro Bowl practice . “I thought it was going to be the quarterback (Vince Young(notes)) or the head coach and it was actually both of them. So I guess we’re kind of in the rebuilding process.”
That makes Johnson a little uneasy.
“To be honest, it’s crazy. I feel like I’m not ready for a rebuilding process. I’m ready to play in the playoffs, in the postseason,” he said. “I want to win a Super Bowl and things like that, but at the end day, I love where I’m at right now. I love Tennessee. I love my fans, so I’m willing to take on whatever and put the team on my back and try to get us there.”
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The Titans have decided to either trade Young or release him later this offseason.
The 25-year-old Johnson became just the sixth player in NFL history to run for 2,000 yards in 2009 and leveraged that into a pay raise for 2010. He ran for 1,364 this season, far short of his stated goal of 2,500.
Johnson said he has the same personal goal for next season, and Fisher not being there won’t make him adjust that lofty figure.
“It’s going to make me work harder to get it. I didn’t get it this year so it’s going to make me work even harder,” he said. “It’s going to be my goal every year I’m in the league, so I’ve got something to reach for.”
Johnson, who was drafted by the Titans with the No. 24 overall pick in 2008 out of East Carolina, can’t get the bigger pay raise he wants even with a new labor deal until at least July 22. That would be a year after they reworked his rookie deal.
Fisher and the Titans agreed to part ways after two difficult seasons. Tennessee went 8-8 in 2009, rebounding from an 0-6 start. This year, the team started 5-2 but won just one of its final nine games to finish 6-10.
“(Fisher) is a great coach. He’s the only coach I’ve played for since I’ve been in the league,” Johnson said. “He’s a guy that I feel a lot of players would like to play for. He’s a player’s coach. But I understand the business aspect of this game, so that’s how it goes.”
Tennessee kick returner Marc Mariani(notes), who was teammates with Fisher’s son at the University of Montana, called the news a “shocker.”
“Nobody saw it coming and no one had any idea, especially after the whole Vince and coach deal. Now to have neither, is crazy,” he said.
“We just want to win. That’s what everybody wants and I don’t think Fisher wasn’t the guy to do that,” Mariani said. “We were on the way up. But things don’t always work out the way you want them to.”
“It was a surprise,” the running back said Friday after Pro Bowl practice . “I thought it was going to be the quarterback (Vince Young(notes)) or the head coach and it was actually both of them. So I guess we’re kind of in the rebuilding process.”
That makes Johnson a little uneasy.
“To be honest, it’s crazy. I feel like I’m not ready for a rebuilding process. I’m ready to play in the playoffs, in the postseason,” he said. “I want to win a Super Bowl and things like that, but at the end day, I love where I’m at right now. I love Tennessee. I love my fans, so I’m willing to take on whatever and put the team on my back and try to get us there.”
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The Titans have decided to either trade Young or release him later this offseason.
The 25-year-old Johnson became just the sixth player in NFL history to run for 2,000 yards in 2009 and leveraged that into a pay raise for 2010. He ran for 1,364 this season, far short of his stated goal of 2,500.
Johnson said he has the same personal goal for next season, and Fisher not being there won’t make him adjust that lofty figure.
“It’s going to make me work harder to get it. I didn’t get it this year so it’s going to make me work even harder,” he said. “It’s going to be my goal every year I’m in the league, so I’ve got something to reach for.”
Johnson, who was drafted by the Titans with the No. 24 overall pick in 2008 out of East Carolina, can’t get the bigger pay raise he wants even with a new labor deal until at least July 22. That would be a year after they reworked his rookie deal.
Fisher and the Titans agreed to part ways after two difficult seasons. Tennessee went 8-8 in 2009, rebounding from an 0-6 start. This year, the team started 5-2 but won just one of its final nine games to finish 6-10.
“(Fisher) is a great coach. He’s the only coach I’ve played for since I’ve been in the league,” Johnson said. “He’s a guy that I feel a lot of players would like to play for. He’s a player’s coach. But I understand the business aspect of this game, so that’s how it goes.”
Tennessee kick returner Marc Mariani(notes), who was teammates with Fisher’s son at the University of Montana, called the news a “shocker.”
“Nobody saw it coming and no one had any idea, especially after the whole Vince and coach deal. Now to have neither, is crazy,” he said.
“We just want to win. That’s what everybody wants and I don’t think Fisher wasn’t the guy to do that,” Mariani said. “We were on the way up. But things don’t always work out the way you want them to.”
