TEMPE, Ariz. — Here’s something for defenses and fantasy football owners to chew on: David Johnson thinks he can be better in 2018 than he was for the Arizona Cardinals in 2016.
Let that sink in.
Two years ago, Johnson became a first-team All-Pro and a Pro Bowler after rushing for 1,239 yards and finishing with 879 receiving yards, all while scoring 20 touchdowns. Now, coming off a fractured left wrist that kept him out of 15 games in 2017, he thinks he can top that this season.
And while he said he’s physically in better shape and ready to go “full speed” in the Cardinals’ offseason program, Johnson’s improvements were made in the mental side of the game.
“With me being hurt last year, I feel like I got smarter in watching,” Johnson said. “Unfortunately, with Carson [Palmer] being hurt I was able to talk to him on the sideline, and he was able to tell me some of the stuff that quarterbacks look at, and he was able to talk to me and teach me some of the stuff to where I can use it in my offense.”
From Palmer, who missed nine games last season with a broken arm, Johnson learned about defensive techniques, specifically involving other NFC teams.
Palmer taught Johnson how to pick up on tendencies from teams in the NFC West — whom the Cardinals face twice every season — ranging from how often those teams blitz to what kinds of blitzes to how they’re trying to disguise them. Palmer also helped Johnson figure out which defender would be matched up on him specifically.
In recalling his conversations with Palmer, Johnson mentioned exploring how the Seattle Seahawks, in particular, disguise their defenses.
“I feel like I’ve learned a lot,” the 26-year-old said. “You think that you know football, but until I sat down and I talked to Carson and he was picking my brain and I was picking his brain — I think that’s where I learned a lot of football.”
Johnson didn’t learn only from Palmer last season, he learned from other running backs around the league.
During any given season, Johnson said he typically watches just Cardinals games, but with his newfound free time in 2017, he started watching other teams and specifically young running backs, including New Orleans’ Alvin Kamara.
Johnson said he watched Pittsburgh’s Le’Veon Bell and talked often to his good friend, Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley.
“I always love to try to bounce stuff off them,” Johnson said. “It’s pretty cool to watch other running backs and try to pick up some stuff that they do really well.”
Johnson, who established himself as an offensive force in 2016 as both a running back and receiver to earn an All-Pro nod at the flex position, expects to continue being used as a receiver under new offensive coordinator Mike McCoy.
While Johnson was encouraged to hear McCoy say he’ll mold the offense around the players, he was equally encouraged by new head coach Steve Wilks’ comments during his introductory news conference about his desire to run the ball and wear down defenses.
“I was very excited to hear that,” Johnson said.
If McCoy plans on using Johnson like the previous regime did, Johnson will be ready.
He’s in some of the best shape of his life, he said, a product of time off rehabbing. Last season, while his injured wrist healed, Johnson ran, a lot. Now that he can lift again, that has been downgraded just a bit as he spends more time in the weight room.
But it’s enough to make him think he’s about to return with a breakthrough 2018. That should scare defenses and make fantasy owners quite happy.
Source : ESPN
