Mitch
Crawled Through 5 FB Fields
Chris Johnson signed with the Cardinals for the veteran minimum of $870K with incentives: he can pocket $2M if he rushes for 1,300 yards and makes the Pro Bowl.
At first glance, one would think that if Johnson is splitting the carries with Andre Ellington, then there is no way that he is going to rush for 1,300 yards. Thus, it would seem the incentives in Johnson's contract are moot and more saccharine than real sugar.
But---what if this contracts suggest that Bruce Arians is more than willing to make Chris Johnson the alpha RB---what would this mean for the Cardinals' offense?
In the most simplest terms---it means that the Cardinals, who three years ago were one of the slowest offenses in the NFL---would now most likely be the swiftest offense on the planet.
Think of this quintet in a spread offense:
RB Chris Johnson
WR John Brown
WR J.J. Nelson/Michael Floyd
Slot WR Andre Ellington
Slot WR Larry Fitzgerald
Imagine what this lineup would be like for opposing defensive coordinators---
This is a lineup that would threaten the mighty Seahawks.
When you look back at how the Patriots spread the Seahawks' defense out in the Super Bowl last February and how difficult it was for the Seahawks to defend the Patriots' quickness in the slot and out of the backfield---it looks like the Cardinals have taken special heed.
Fitzgerald in this formation can be the Cardinals' version of Rob Gronkowski. Andre Ellington---Julian Edelman. John Brown---Danny Amendola. J.J. Nelson/Michael Floyd---Branden LaFell. Chris Johnson---Shane Vereen.
One could argue that the Cardinals have speedier options at all five spots. If they are anywhere near the kind of playmakers the Patriots' quintet is---watch out Seahawks and the rest of the NFL.
The spread offense takes SS Cam Chancellor out of the box---so one thing you do is---you motion the far slot receiver to Chancellor's side to form "trips"---and then you run Chris Johnson away from the trips to the weak side. One good seal or kick-out block on the DE and one good block on the perimeter and Johnson is off to the races. (Note: see the play at 2:00 of the video below---weak side draw to Johnson out of the shotgun spread)
Imagine too the kind of 2-minute offense the Cardinals would have with this kind of speed and athleticism. Might as well call it the "Mel Gray Roy Green" hurry-up! Or---better yet---maybe we take a page out of the Acme Dynamite Company and call these Cardinals the "Red Road Runners!"
With the furious sleight of hands and feet that the Cardinals' speed quintet has the potential to generate---Cardinals' fans could be in store for some rare kind of football magic.
Ah---the magic of adding Johnson.
"Beep-beep!"
At first glance, one would think that if Johnson is splitting the carries with Andre Ellington, then there is no way that he is going to rush for 1,300 yards. Thus, it would seem the incentives in Johnson's contract are moot and more saccharine than real sugar.
But---what if this contracts suggest that Bruce Arians is more than willing to make Chris Johnson the alpha RB---what would this mean for the Cardinals' offense?
In the most simplest terms---it means that the Cardinals, who three years ago were one of the slowest offenses in the NFL---would now most likely be the swiftest offense on the planet.
Think of this quintet in a spread offense:
RB Chris Johnson
WR John Brown
WR J.J. Nelson/Michael Floyd
Slot WR Andre Ellington
Slot WR Larry Fitzgerald
Imagine what this lineup would be like for opposing defensive coordinators---
This is a lineup that would threaten the mighty Seahawks.
When you look back at how the Patriots spread the Seahawks' defense out in the Super Bowl last February and how difficult it was for the Seahawks to defend the Patriots' quickness in the slot and out of the backfield---it looks like the Cardinals have taken special heed.
Fitzgerald in this formation can be the Cardinals' version of Rob Gronkowski. Andre Ellington---Julian Edelman. John Brown---Danny Amendola. J.J. Nelson/Michael Floyd---Branden LaFell. Chris Johnson---Shane Vereen.
One could argue that the Cardinals have speedier options at all five spots. If they are anywhere near the kind of playmakers the Patriots' quintet is---watch out Seahawks and the rest of the NFL.
The spread offense takes SS Cam Chancellor out of the box---so one thing you do is---you motion the far slot receiver to Chancellor's side to form "trips"---and then you run Chris Johnson away from the trips to the weak side. One good seal or kick-out block on the DE and one good block on the perimeter and Johnson is off to the races. (Note: see the play at 2:00 of the video below---weak side draw to Johnson out of the shotgun spread)
Imagine too the kind of 2-minute offense the Cardinals would have with this kind of speed and athleticism. Might as well call it the "Mel Gray Roy Green" hurry-up! Or---better yet---maybe we take a page out of the Acme Dynamite Company and call these Cardinals the "Red Road Runners!"
With the furious sleight of hands and feet that the Cardinals' speed quintet has the potential to generate---Cardinals' fans could be in store for some rare kind of football magic.
Ah---the magic of adding Johnson.
"Beep-beep!"
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