Since when — in this 24/7 news-cycle age of Twitter, an unlimited blogosphere and more sports talk radio and TV shows than there are channels on the dials — does a potentially significant NFL transaction go as under the radar as the Jets’ acquisition of running back Chris Johnson?
Sure, Johnson is five years removed from his greatest NFL season — 2,006 rushing yards, 14 rushing touchdowns and 2,509 total yards from scrimmage in 2009.
Sure, he turns 29 in September and has 1,742 carries on his treads.
And sure, he is coming off January arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee.
But anyone who believes Johnson’s skills have fallen to further depths than Jets fans’ confidence in Mark Sanchez before he fled for Philadelphia should ask Johnson’s new teammates what they think he’s got left.
“Oh yeah, he still has it,’’ linebacker David Harris said. “We noticed it the first day when we were in Cortland. He’s still the fastest guy on the field. He’s still got a lot of juice in those legs.’’
Harris said he has not forgotten the 94-yard touchdown run Johnson had against the Jets in December 2012.
“It killed us,’’ he recalled.
Defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson was not yet a Jet in 2012, so he didn’t get the chance to see that run up close, but he knows what he’s seen out of Johnson this summer.
“Oh, he’s got his burst,’’ Richardson said. “If he gets behind the defense he’s not getting caught from behind by anybody in the league. He’s 28. It’s not like the man’s 38 and still playing running back. I have yet to see the miles on him.’’
This is what has caused bemusement for Johnson since signing a two-year, $8 million deal with the Jets in April: There is a perception that he is done, that the Titans released him in the offseason because they believed his best years were behind him. Johnson, after all, has just eight 40-yard runs since leading the NFL with seven in 2009 (last season he had none).
It may well be true that Johnson is on the decline, but even in his current state he might be the best all-round running back the Jets have had since Curtis Martin wore the No. 28 Johnson donned in Tennessee (Johnson is wearing No. 21 as a Jet).
Much like Martin, Johnson’s hallmark has been his consistency. He is one of just six running backs to gain at least 1,000 yards in each of his first six seasons.
Entering Friday night’s annual Jets-Giants preseason game at MetLife Stadium, Johnson is coming off an impressive 10-carry, 63-yard rushing performance against the Bengals last week.
“It’s crazy, because people act like I’m a 10-, 12-, 13-year vet,’’ Johnson said this week. “I’ve only played six years and I’ve done so much in this league a lot of people think I’m older than what I am.’’
In his six seasons, Johnson has rushed for 7,965 yards, a 4.6-yard average and 50 TDs, and caught 272 passes for 2,003 yards and another eight TDs. So Johnson knows where the end zone is — a place the Jets did not visit nearly enough last year.
One of the fascinating subplots to this Jets season is how the coaches handle the running-back rotation and whether they stay married to the platoon system with Johnson, Chris Ivory and Bilal Powell or go with the hot hand, which mostly likely would be Johnson.
“I want to be the guy,’’ Johnson said. “I’ve always been the guy. I want to be in the game. I know they didn’t bring me over here to sit on the bench. I still look at myself as an every-down back. I can do it all.’’
Based on what Johnson has done in his career, until we see otherwise, he deserves the benefit of the doubt on that self-assessment.
“With Chris and his explosiveness, a little crease can mean a touchdown instead of an 8-yard gain,’’ said linebacker Calvin Pace, who has done his share of futilely chasing Johnson as an opponent.
“When that boy gets on the outside of the defense, it can be a lot of trouble for a lot of people,’’ Harris said. “We’ve been lacking an explosive home-run hitter here. Now we have a real complete backfield with him, Ivory and Bilal.’’
Richardson — tongue in cheek — noted one downside to Johnson’s explosiveness.
“Hopefully,’’ Richardson said, “we’re not coming off a mean, 15-play drive on defense and he does it [runs for a long TD] on the first play and we’re right back out there on defense.’’
The Jets, too often offensively challenged the last few years, should wish to have such problems.