Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Hannan / Sports Prima Donna Alert? Titans Chris Johnson Announces an End to Smash and Dash
Posted by Caleb Hannan on Wed, Jun 24, 2009 at 6:13 AM
Smash and Dash are no more, at least to hear Chris Johnson tell it to Jim Wyatt. The Titans' second-year running back, who felt he should have been offensive rookie of the year in 2008, is continuing to market himself. And to do that, he needs not to be part of a duo, but more individualistic. "Smash and Dash have had a divorce -- that's official,'' Johnson said after Tuesday's minicamp practice at Baptist Sports Park. "I have to be my own guy, so no more Smash and Dash, that was last year. Every Coach's Dream, that's me. Because they say every team has its own identity. I feel for me, I can't be noticed as a group any more. I am my own guy.''Without context, it's hard to know how to take this. On the one hand, in a league that treats its players like so much cattle, it's OK to root for a little mirth and whimsy. On the other, the NFL is littered with cautionary tales of self-aggrandizing prima donnas (Terrell Owens being the most recent example) who submarined team chemistry and ultimately had to be shipped off in order to calm the waters. So, is Chris "Every Coach's Dream" Johnson just trying to... A) Liven up one of a thousand interminable minicamp interviews or B) Will he soon be doing sit-ups in his driveway, sleeping in hyperbaric chambers, having his publicist explain away a pain pill overdose and demanding a trade? (And no, for the record, there is no "Option C." It's either one or the other.)
Comments (4)
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nick names shouldnt bother you as a player
and chris johnson is also an idiot it for thinking he should have had the rookie of the year award. will the only reason you looked good was cuz white helped you and the passing game was doing good. i bet if he was drafted by atlanta they would have only won 6 games
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I am not a LenDale White fan, on or off the field.
To say, however, as his Titans running mate Chris Johnson has intimated (look it up, Chris), that White was riding his coattails last year by suggesting a nickname for the running tandem, is inaccurate.
While Johnson had a nice rookie season, White rushed for 15 touchdowns, the 11th highest total in NFL history and a franchise second only to Earl Campbell's 19. And they were not all for less than five yards, another inaccurate slam aimed at White by others, not Johnson. And what if they were? It still requires a talent not every power back has in abundance.
In just now shunning last year's nickname, Johnson could have been a little more considerate.
Expect Johnson to start referring to himself in the third person any day now, as Vince Young has recently picked up on himself.
That said, also expect White to be an ex-Titan starting next season.
