Brandon Marshall calls his failed lateral ‘worst play in NFL history’ but his desperate attempt stemmed from trying to make something happen for a short-handed offense.

Brandon Marshall’s dumbest decision of his 10-year career was rooted in a strange sort of common sense. Deep down, he knew. His coaches knew. Every paying customer plastered in white knew.

A WTF gasp rippled through MetLife Stadium Sunday when Marshall’s lateral attempt for Jeff Cumberland late in the first half bounced off an Eagles defender’s facemask before it was scooped up by the enemy, but the method behind the Jets wide receiver’s madness wasn’t as stupid as you think.

Chan Gailey’s offense was beyond brutal for the first six drives of a forgettable 24-17 loss that snapped the Jets back to reality after a feel-good start to the season.

Nothing worked without Eric Decker and Chris Ivory, two of Todd Bowles’ top three offensive difference makers. The Jets had a grand total of one first down with five three-and-outs for the first 25 minutes of a game that they trailed by three scores.

They had been buried under a Philly avalanche. Something needed to change, so Marshall went for it.

MYERS: JETS STILL HAVE HUGE HOLE AT QUARTERBACK

It backfired. The Eagles recovered and capitalized on the turnover by scoring a touchdown to put the Jets in an insurmountable 24-0 hole. Marshall wanted to breathe life into an offense that everyone in the building knew was about to flatline. He failed.

CHRISTOPHER SZAGOLA/CSM /LANDOV

Chris Ivory (l.) is dressed but on the sidelines with Geno Smith (r.) – and that is very bad news for the Jets.

“Wrong time to gamble,” Marshall said. “That was probably the worst play in NFL history.”

Jim Marshall (no relation) probably disagrees.

Although Brandon Marshall’s choice will forever land him on a Jets blooper reel, it’s understandable given the current state of the offense. The Jets had no teeth without Ivory, who didn’t play due to a nagging quad injury even though he was active.

For all the bells and whistles in Gailey’s scheme that include spreading the formation, Ivory is the engine that makes all of it possible. He brings a nastiness that Bilal Powell and Zac Stacy, who combined for 34 yards on 12 carries, simply don’t provide. Ivory is the S.O.B. that instills an attitude and identity for a bunch that wants to play smash-mouth football to beat you into submission.

“He makes things go,” Marshall said.

Decker’s absence (knee sprain) further complicated matters for an offense that needs every game-changing piece it can get to operate at peak efficiency. Decker’s rapport with Ryan Fitzpatrick can’t be overstated. The Marshall-Decker tandem had played off the run game perfectly in the first two games.

Bowles, Marshall and others insisted that the Jets have enough depth to overcome the losses of Decker and Ivory, but that’s simply not true.

“Decker brings something to the table that not a lot of other guys can,” wide receiver Jeremy Kerley said. “We know what Ivory can do. … It would have helped us if we had them.”

The offensive blueprint hadn’t been complicated through two games. Fitzpatrick targeted Marshall and Decker on half of his drop-backs and turned to Ivory to help open up the passing game.

Sunday’s Understudy Plan was a failure.

Receivers Quincy Enunwa, Devin Smith and Kerley were targeted on 30 of Fitzpatrick’s 58 pass attempts. They only combined for 14 catches for 122 yards.

Even though Marshall finished with 10 receptions for 109 yards and a touchdown, he was double- and triple-teamed at times.

“I played like crap today to be honest,” said Marshall, who saw a pass sail through his hands on Fitzpatrick’s third interception in the fourth quarter.

Fitzpatrick wasn’t nearly as efficient without two of his most pivotal pieces. After throwing two interceptions in both Jets wins, the veteran committed three of the Jets’ four turnovers, including a backbreaker midway through the fourth quarter.

The Jets trailed 24-14 when David Harris forced Ryan Mathews to cough it up with 7:30 to go at the Eagles’ 41-yard line. Three plays later, Fitzpatrick’s pass was deflected by defensive lineman Brandon Bair and picked off by Walter Thurmond.

“It was kind of a momentum changer,” Bowles said. “I thought we had a shot, but then we turned it right back over. It dashed our hopes a little bit.”

Although the Jets insisted that they didn’t panic down 24-7 at halftime, the frustration in the wake of the loss was palpable. Bowles’ defense pitched a second-half shutout, but three turnovers after intermission sealed its fate.

“They didn’t score another point,” outside linebacker Calvin Pace said. “We just couldn’t score.”

This offense simply can’t function at a high level if Decker and Ivory aren’t a part of it. Ten of the team’s 15 drives resulted in a three-and-out or turnover. It doesn’t work.

Marshall knew it, so he took a risk that he felt he needed to make. The Jets better hope that he won’t have to try something like that again.  

Football Rss Article only

The post Mehta: Jets 'O' can't go without Chris Ivory, Eric Decker appeared first on Sports News One.

Chris Bosh talks about the near-death experience that also cut short last season with the Heat.

MIAMI (AP) — Heat forward Chris Bosh says he no longer needs to take blood-thinning medication as part of his treatment regimen for a blood clot, meaning he will be able to fully participate when training camp opens next week.

Bosh missed the final 30 games of last season after a clot was discovered on his left lung. He says he has been cleared and released for contact again.

Athletes in contact sports typically cannot take blood thinners because of the higher risk of bleeding, the most common side effect of such drugs.

Bosh spoke Thursday at an event to announce his partnership with Janssen Pharmaceuticals, the makers of the blood-thinning drug Xarelto — which he was taking. The Heat also have partnered with the company.

Basketball Rss Article only

The post Chris Bosh off meds, back with Heat after blood clot scare appeared first on Sports News One.

With few offseason acquisitions to speak of, the Rangers need big things from Chris Kreider.

Chris Kreider “never missed a workout” this summer. Think about that.

A full summer was available to a 24-year-old NHL player coming off 99 grueling games. The Rangers forward probably lounged at the beach for a month and then gradually eased back into his offseason workouts, right?

Wrong, according to Kreider’s strength and conditioning coach, Ben Prentiss of Prentiss Hockey Performance in Darien, Conn.

“Chris didn’t miss a workout,” Prentiss, 43, said on the phone Monday evening, before Kreider took the Garden ice in the Rangers’ preseason opener against the New Jersey Devils. “He did, I think, 56 workouts. He never missed a workout: five or six days a week, holidays, July 4, whatever. It didn’t matter.”

No one expects professional athletes to sit on their butts. Their bodies are their trade, after all. Kreider’s attention to detail and his work ethic, however, are not only notably unique but also impressive, considering the weighty expectations on his shoulders this particular season.

Compared to division rivals such as the Washington Capitals and Columbus Blue Jackets, who made significant additions to already imposing rosters, the cap-strapped Rangers are counting on young talent, led by Kreider, to improve and carry the team further.

Or, as the physically imposing Kreider confidently put it on Sunday: “A lot of teams got better by addition. We like the group we have. And we’re counting on getting better.”

So Kreider stayed with friends in Connecticut to train this summer – his fourth with Prentiss. He traveled to Florida with Prentiss to work with a skating coach while he continued his workouts. They not only tracked his weightlifting but focused it movements and power he requires on ice. They set goals for this season.

“He truly wants to be great,” said Prentiss, who also trained Rangers center Derick Brassard “all summer” and worked some with defenseman Marc Staal. “There isn’t one thing (Kreider) hasn’t done that’s been asked of him, between the nutritionist, stretching, acupuncture, everything.”

Prentiss’ client base is riddled with big names, such as Brad Richards and Martin St. Louis, having worked with professional and Olympic hockey players the past 17 years.

He even put Yankees slugger Mark Teixeira through 50-plus workouts last winter, in fact, which no doubt accounted for the previously injury-prone Teixeira being healthy as ever and playing like a team MVP until he fouled a ball of his right shin on Aug. 17. And Teixeira is scheduled to visit Prentiss on Tuesday, actually, to have their pre-offseason meeting to discuss a routine.

Kreider is protective of his workouts, but he described his focus in one word: “Details.” He and Prentiss reviewed “stuff I may be overlooking on a day-to-day basis” and sought “improvement” across the board.

For example, with the Rangers’ typical game day, half-ice breakout drill that they do usually “just to get loose, snap the puck around,” Kreider and Prentiss zeroed in on sharpening his concentration in several areas – whether it be his “timing,” how he plants his feet, which foot he strides with first, how he shifts his weight, or how he protects and manages the puck.

The object of concentrating on such minute details in a drill is, in Kreider’s words: “Do it every drill, so then you get there and you do it in the game.”

To the outsider, this might sound like overthinking, or as Alain Vigneault said on Monday, “some players when given too much information, too much knowledge, it cramps the brain. They can’t function.”

Kreider, however, craves it.

“Everybody’s different,” Vingeault said. “Everybody reacts to situations that they see on the ice differently. Everybody reacts to information differently. You have to get to know your players. In Kreids’ case, today, the video session before practice was at 10 o’clock and he was there at quarter-to going through some other stuff with (video coach) Jerry (Dineen). Some guys want more, and he’s one of those guys that does.”

Kreider may realize his potential fully and become the superstar the Rangers are hoping for. He may fall slightly sort or somewhere else on the gamut of what he hopes to accomplish.

But you have to give this to the young from man from Massachusetts: He’s trying.

Hockey Rss Article only

The post No vaction for Rangers' Chris Kreider appeared first on Sports News One.

Coach Alain Vigneault called it “an important day” to obtain “scientific proof” of his players’ offseason work habits. He recalled Rick Nash blowing away the staff last year with his numbers. Then, the coach was asked if anyone had impressed him similarly this week.

“I can’t say,” Vigneault said with a smirk. “(I couldn’t tell) last year looking at Rick while he was doing the testing. I need to see the results. I’m not that savvy.”

The eye test on Friday wasn’t completely useless, though. This image might be difficult to shake, in a good way: Left wing Chris Kreider stood at center ice at the end of his session’s grueling skate, looking like he was ready for another half-hour of grinding, while several teammates were either down on one knee, or both knees, sucking wind.

“I look at Chris Kreider and I believe that he can be an elite player in this league,” Vigneault said the second of three sessions on his team’s first on-ice work of training camp. “He’s got everything to become a dominant power forward in this league. He’s got almost two full years under his belt except for a couple of games my first year. He’s been improving. He’s been taking strides. It’s his time to shine. It’s time to become one of the go-to guys on our team.”

FOLLOW THE DAILY NEWS SPORTS ON FACEBOOK. “LIKE” US HERE

Associate head coach Scott Arniel approached Kreider, right wing Jesper Fast and right wing Tanner Glass in the locker room afterwards to complement their performance. Offseason veteran acquisition Jarret Stoll wasn’t even breathing heavily when he came off the ice.

There were other names to watch for different reasons.

Forward Viktor Stalberg, an excellent skater who won a Stanley Cup in Chicago and works out in the offseason with Henrik Lundqvist, nevertheless seemed more gassed than most in the second session.

It’s only one day, but these were some first impressions from camp, which Vigneault takes very seriously and which continues with practices on Saturday and Sunday.

“This is an important day for us,” the coach said. “I know some teams in the NHL don’t test their players, but I think this is an important step. All the guys are gonna tell you they trained over the summer, they trained hard, but this give you the scientific proof that they have worked out, how well they worked out, and who’s improved since last year.

McILRATH TRIES TO MAKE IT

Defenseman Dylan McIlrath, 23, the Rangers’ 2010 first-round pick at 10th overall, re-signed on a one-year, $ 600,000 deal this offseason and now faces a critical camp to try and make his mark. Vigneault explained what he knows McIlrath and what the young man must do to turn coaches’ heads:

“My feedback that I received from the Hartford coaching staff was that at the end of the year, Dylan was matched up against all the top lines of the opposition, and he was the top penalty killer,” Vigneault said. “We all know the toughness part. We need to see if he can play at this level. Can he play against the third and fourth lines of other teams and be a dependable, physical, safe defenseman? That’s what we’re looking to find out.”

By “safe,” Vigneault said he meant both in McIlrath’s defensive positioning and puck management.

“You have to be able to have a tight gap and make the right reads defensively, but when you go back for a puck, you’ve got to be able to make that first initial pass, not always off the glass, so we can have a transition game and go on the attack and use our speed,” the coach said. “Everything that (AHL Hartford Wolf Pack assistant coach) Jeff Beukeboom and (Wolf Pack head coach) Ken (Gernander) have told me, they’re adamant that from last year, from Christmas ’til after, he made the biggest strides he’s made since he’s been in the American league. And sometimes a defenseman takes a little bit longer. The fact that he had that serious (knee) injury that took almost a full half-year out of his progression. But so far what I’ve seen so far at camp and in the gym and practices with teammates, he’s doing very well.”

DEFENSE TO OFFENSE

Vigneault reiterated that he prefers to keep 13 forwards and eight defensemen if possible, but acknowledged that the salary cap may prevent him from doing so at the end of this falls’ camp. Nevertheless, he had an interesting answer when asked whether or not a young defenseman – such as the righthanded McIlrath – could displace one of the defensemen in his returning top six.

“If someone younger comes in and with his play forces our hand, then we’ll make that decision if that happens,” he said. “Is that a possibility? Those are the surprises that sometimes you look to get to improve your team. Anytime somebody comes in and plays better than somebody else, you’ve got to find a way to give him more ice time.”

The Rangers’ returning top six includes Ryan McDonagh, Dan Girardi, Marc Staal, Kevin Klein, Keith Yandle and Dan Boyle. Veterans Raphael Diaz and Chris Summers, McIlrath, and 2012 first-round pick Brady Skjei, 21, are others to watch.

TIME TO EAT

Right wing Emerson Etem, 23, was Anaheim’s 29th overall pick in that same 2010 draft, but the Ducks dealt him in exchange for Carl Hagelin this offseason. So the Blueshirts are hoping that the change of scenery can help Etem realize his potential, but they’re waiting to see what Etem has to show them in camp. He’ll be an interesting player to watch this preseason.

“Etem, if you look at him, he’s a young player, tons of upside,” Vigneault said. “Can the coaches and (he) work together to get that upside out? That’s what we’re gonna find out moving forward.”

ONE SWEDE OUT, ANOTHER SWEDE IN

Carl Hagelin’s trade to Anaheim left a huge hole in the Rangers’ penalty kill, but Vigneault pinpointed the young Swede Fast’s shorthanded work last season as one reason to be encouraged that the unit has players who have gained experience but also have room to improve.

“(Fast) is definitely a guy we’re looking for as far as penalty killing,” Vigneault said. “We thought he was one of our better penalty killers last year. There’s another young player in our minds just on the upswing, (including) him, Hayes, J.T. We’ve got a lot of guys in that age frame where they are in the upswing and should be able to contribute more.”

Hockey Rss Article only

The post Rangers coach says it is Chris Kreider’s ‘time to shine' appeared first on Sports News One.

Chris Ivory sets the tone for the Jets offense on Sunday.

The consequences of sidestepping Chris Ivory are predictable: An earful from ticked-off coaches.

The short-term benefits are too: No broken bones and a clear head.

It’s an easy choice if you value your health.

The punishing Jets running back inflicts the kind of pain that’ll make you think twice the next time he rumbles in your direction.

Ryan Fitzpatrick’s brain, Brandon Marshall’s wingspan and Eric Decker’s instincts are pivotal, but Ivory’s reckless abandon might be the most valuable intangible for a Jets offense riding high after a season-opening win.

Ivory brings a nastiness that leaves little doubt that he’s not afraid to sacrifice his 6-0, 222-pound body to accomplish the prime directive.

“Guys come in and they really don’t want to tackle him,” running backs coach Marcel Shipp said. “That plays right into his hands.”

He instills fear in grown men without saying a word. He runs angry. He runs with a purpose. He runs through other humans.

“That’s the type of back that we want,” offensive lineman Breno Giacomini said.

Ivory ran for 64 of his 91 yards against the Browns on Sunday after first contact, according to analytics site ProFootballFocus.com. Pittsburgh’s DeAngelo Williams and San Francisco’s Carlos Hyde were the only two running backs with at least 20 carries who had a higher yards-per-carry average after contact than Ivory’s 3.2.

Ivory was the tone setter in the opener for offensive coordinator Chan Gailey, who used the run to set up difference-making plays through the air. It was an old-school philosophy at its finest.

Ivory, whose tantalizing talent prompted then-general manager John Idzik to make the smartest move of his otherwise forgettable tenure, a draft-day trade with the Saints two years ago, finally is the undisputed lead man in the Jets backfield. He was part of two backfields-by-committee before Gailey took over.

Bilal Powell played nearly half of the snaps against the Browns in a complementary role (with about a third coming after the Jets had built a three-touchdown lead), but Ivory is expected to be the engine for the ground game.

“The only thing that surprised me about Ivory was how quick his feet were,” coach Todd Bowles said. “He’s got excellent feet. … You don’t have to be a blazer as a runner, but if you got good feet and good vision, then you can be a good back.”

Ivory’s bruising style paid dividends on Sunday. After gaining 32 yards on eight carries in the first half, he averaged nearly a full yard more after intermission (12 carries, 59 yards). His effect on Cleveland defenders was evident in the film room the day after the game.

“You got to give him the ball,” Shipp said. “He has to get the ball. He’s a workhorse. He runs hard. He breaks defenses down. Come fourth quarter — as it showed (Sunday) — those guys were starting to break down. The physical part of his game that he brings every Sunday is just going to wear guys down.”

In a world of machismo, Ivory makes plenty of defenders scared, even if they’ll never admit it. His goal of a first 1,000-yard season might be too conservative given the increased opportunities that he’ll get with Gailey calling plays.

“It could be higher, but right now I’m just trying to get more than what I had before,” Ivory told the Daily News. “What matters most is just winning and being able to contribute.”

Ivory’s patience has helped him keep his sanity. He was used sparingly in three seasons with the Saints before the trade sent him to a place that he figured he’d be featured. The health issues that trailed him from New Orleans never materialized with the Jets — he missed one game in his first two seasons — but he was never a workhorse in Marty Mornhinweg’s offense.

He also didn’t have a fair chance to prove that he’s not a one dimensional player. Believe it or not, Ivory can actually catch a football, too. He had only 23 career receptions in his first five seasons and became marginalized in the passing game last year after a drop or two.

H e should be used in varied ways under Gailey. Ivory had one reception in the opener, but had a touchdown catch wiped away due to a penalty. (He scored the first of his two touchdowns on the ground on the next play.)

The offensive blueprint begins with Ivory, but don’t expect him to do backflips.

“There’s nothing to really enjoy,” Ivory said. “I just go in and take care of my business when I’m supposed to.”

He plays with a mean streak that makes for a predictable outcome after four quarters. Win or lose, somebody else is going to be in pain.

Football Rss Article only

The post Mehta: Jets' Chris Ivory boasts body of work appeared first on Sports News One.

Former Rangers captain Chris Drury is returning to the franchise in player development role.

NEW YORK (AP) — Former New York Rangers captain Chris Drury is the team’s new director of player development.

General manager Jeff Gorton said Friday that Drury will work with the hockey operations department and the club’s American Hockey League affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack. He also will help oversee and evaluate college players.

FOLLOW THE DAILY NEWS SPORTS ON FACEBOOK. “LIKE” US HERE.

The 39-year-old Drury spent 12 years in the NHL. He played four seasons with the Rangers, the last in 2011. He was their captain for three seasons.

He also played for Colorado, Calgary and Buffalo. He finished with 255 goals and 360 assists and won a Stanley Cup with the Avalanche in 2001.

Tags:

chris drury

Hockey Rss Article only

The post Rangers name Chris Drury director of player development appeared first on Sports News One.

On Wednesday night, Chris Davis woke one drowsy fan up with a mammoth walk-off home run in the 11th inning against the Rays.

Davis’ slam landed several rows up the left-center field bleachers at Camden Yards, where cameras caught one fan casually napping toward the top of the section.

The roar from the crowd appeared to wake the guy as he turned around to see what the commotion was about before the ball landed nearby.

Patrick Semansky/AP

Chris Davis’ 11th inning walk-off home run wakes up the crowd and a sleeping fan.

Perhaps if the man was awake he’d be walking out of Camden Yards with a souvenir.

At least he can say he stayed for the whole game.

ON MOBILE? WATCH VIDEO HERE

The Score

The post Chris Davis walk-off home run wakes sleeping fan appeared first on Sports News One.

Chris Ivory will be the focal point of Jets offense and the veteran back hopes to get over 200 carries and eclipse the 1,000-yard mark for the first time.

Regardless of whether Ryan Fitzpatrick or Geno Smith starts most of the Jets’ games this year, either one will need a big assist from the running game. And the leader of the Jets ground attack, Chris Ivory, wants to take his game to another level this year.

“I’m trying to get over 1,000,” Ivory said.

One thousand yards isn’t what it used to be, but Ivory has never gotten there. He’s played five years in the league, starting as an undrafted free agent with the Saints. He’s spent the last two seasons with the Jets after John Idzik traded for him in 2013. He’s had success — he’s a good, physical runner — but has never gotten a massive workload.

“I definitely think I can do that,” Ivory said of his 1,000-yard goal. “I believe in myself. I know I can do it. If you look back at some of these other guys’ carries — they’re getting 200-plus carries before they hit 1,000. I have yet to exceed 200 carries. If I’m able to get to that amount, or to that number, maybe I can surpass 1,000.”

To be fair, he did come mighty close to 200 carries last season, getting 198 rushing attempts en route to 821 yards. His career high is 833.

FOLLOW THE DAILY NEWS SPORTS ON FACEBOOK. “LIKE” US HERE

“I definitely think he’s a 1,000-yard back,” running backs coach Marcel Shipp said. “Definitely.”

Ivory’s calling card is his ability to barrel through defenders, though Todd Bowles noted he recently was surprised by his running back’s quickness. Bowles said he complimented Ivory on his speed following the back’s 33-yard touchdown run in Week 2 of the preseason against Atlanta.

“When you see the big man gets rolling, he’s rolling,” Shipp added. “He has a violent way to play the game, which I love. I love it.”

In 2013 Ivory was tied for third among all running backs in yards after contact per attempt, according to ProFootballFocus.com, though he fell off last season and ended up tied for 16th. His yards per carry were also lower last season, at 4.1 down from 4.6 in 2013.

Both Shipp and tackle Breno Giacomini said they believe that an added benefit from the physicality of Ivory’s runs is that it tires opposing defenses.

“He definitely wears a defense down,” Shipp said. “Every play, he’s 100% every play. That takes a toll on the defense. By the fourth quarter, those guys they’re feeling him.”

Giacomini added: “I want him on my team, you know? It’s definitely an advantage to the Jets. Our opponent watches film. You better wrap this guy up or he’s not going to go down.”

Ivory looked good on Saturday in the Jets’ 28-18 preseason win over the Giants when he rumbled for 38 yards on just six carries.

“Those guys took the bull by the horns and they led us out there and they made some good plays,” Bowles said Monday of the running backs’ play against the Giants. “They made a bunch of good blocks and they played as a team. That’s what you want to see.”

Football Rss Article only

The post Chris Ivory eyes 1000-yard season with Jets appeared first on Sports News One.

49ers LB Chris Borland walked away from the NFL after just one season over health concerns.

Players like Adrian Peterson and Ray Rice have stained the NFL’s image in the past year, but the biggest threat to football could be Chris Borland.

After a brilliant rookie season with the 49ers, Borland, only 24, retired from the league in March in a pre-emptive move to save himself from brain damage. After walking away from a large sum of money and a promising career, the former linebacker has opened himself up for concussion research and poses a potentially large headache for the NFL.

According to ESPN, the league contacted Borland in April asking him for a random drug test, one month after he retired. Though Borland was taken aback by the request, he decided to go through with it.

“I figured if I said no, people would think I was on drugs,” Borland said in an ESPN The Magazine interview titled ‘Why former 49er Chris Borland is the most dangerous man in Football.’

Walking away from the test, he said, “would ruin my life.”

The league reserves the right to drug test retired players to ensure they don’t elude a test and then return to the field. According to the report, however, Borland had a feeling he was being set up.

“I don’t want to be a conspiracy theorist,” Borland said. “I just wanted to be sure.”

Borland went through with the urine sample in front of an NFL representative, but then hired a private firm for $ 150 to test independently. According to Borland, both tests came back negative.

Said Borland: “I don’t really trust the NFL.”

Football Rss Article only

The post Chris Borland: NFL asked for urine sample after I retired appeared first on Sports News One.

Chris Johnson plays for Gang Green for just one season.

Chris Johnson has finally found a new landing spot. After a long and tumultuous offseason for the once-great running back, Johnson signed a one-year deal with the Cardinals on Monday.

Following a disappointing campaign with the Jets, Johnson was a free agent after Gang Green declined to pick up its option on the running back in February — but that was far from the worst part of his offseason.

FOLLOW THE DAILY NEWS SPORTS ON FACEBOOK. “LIKE” US HERE.

In March, while still technically a member of the Jets, the running back was shot and wounded in a drive-by shooting in Orlando that killed the driver of the car Johnson was in and wounded another passenger. He was photographed days later with his arm in a sling.

Two months prior, Johnson was arrested for openly carrying firearms for having two guns in his car in Florida.

The running back had to recover from the injury during the offseason in addition to looking for a new team. The latter part proved to be difficult for Johnson — whose production has dwindled since being an elite back just a few years ago.

Johnson, who had been signed by then-Jets GM John Idzik, rushed for 663 yards with one touchdown on 155 attempts last season, while splitting time with Chris Ivory. He also added 151 yards and a touchdown in the receiving game.

That’s a far cry from the numbers he put up with the Titans — he ran for over 1,000 yards in all six seasons he played for Tennessee.

The one-year contract with the Cardinals is for $ 870,000 with no signing bonus, according to ESPN.com.

Tags:

chris johnson

Football Rss Article only

The post Ex-Jet Chris Johnson shares gun shot wound pic, joins Cards appeared first on Sports News One.