You knew the question was coming. Off of last nights huge win over the Broncos, the questions at Mike Tomlin’s presser poured in about the game, then there it was – do you have interest in former Chiefs RB Larry Johnson.
“I don’t discuss free agents,” Tomlin said Tuesday. “That opens Pandora’s box. I tend to focus on the guys that are in our locker room.”
There isn’t much room for Johnson on this team, more so after Rashard Mendenhall looked like a men among boys in going for 155 yards on 22 carries. Willie Parker didn’t even run the ball. Bottom line, there’s no room for Johnson right now.
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DrGeorge
November 11, 2009 at 2:19 pm
Unlike Mendenhall, Larry Johnson is a powerful back,capable of running over linebackers in short yard situations. Johnson is not the second coming of Bettis, but there is a need on the team for a power back like him.
However, Johnson comes with a reputation of being a disruptive, selfish player (partly due to his frustration with the dismal talent around him at KC), and he would come with a high price tag. The Steelers might be willing to negotiate a half-season deal as an insurance policy for Mendenhall, if the price were right. My guess is that Johnson would take a lesser salary, if offered, if only for a shot at earning a Super Bowl ring and playing for the best organization in the NFL, a team he has always admired. Ty Law’s presence in Denver on Monday night suggests that the notion of Johnson playing out the season with the Steelers isn’t that far fetched, even as a mid-season addition, if the financial terms could be worked out.
Johnson would be a better fit for the Steelers than M. Vick ever was, and the organization and team leaders are strong enough to get Johnson’s head straight. No doubt, his contract would contain numerous “bad conduct” clauses to cut the financial loss if Johnson misbehaved. But to get odds on any of this happening you’d have to go to Las Vegas — it is a very unlikely scenario.