Excited Jets RB Johnson has ‘chip on my shoulder’

Chris Johnson has a chip on his shoulder heading into 2014. (USATSI)

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Less than one day after Chris Johnson said that he was taking things "one day at a time" he signed with the Jets on a two-year deal worth $8 million. The Jets hope that looks like a steal and they hope that's in part because Johnson's motivated after being released by the Titans.

For his part, he certainly claims he is, telling Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean he has "a chip on my shoulder."

"Sometimes people have to move on. I was upset about it at first, how things played out, but now I have a fresh start, and I am excited," Johnson said. "I know a lot of people are doubting me. I'm going to go out there with a chip on my shoulder and prove everybody wrong who has doubts in me.

"I still have it."

Asked about his release, which dragged on for a while before Tennessee actually ended up pushing him onto the free-agent market, Johnson said it bothered him some but that he never tried to "get out of Tennessee."

"It was a crazy situation, really," he said. "I feel like everyone knew how it was going to play out, so I feel like [the Titans] could have made a move quicker than they did. They should have released me earlier rather than wait around. I know a lot of my fans felt like I was trying to get out of Tennessee, but that was never the case."

There's no way Johnson wanted to leave Tennessee. He was making substantially more money with the Titans than he will with the Jets. He was "the guy" in Tennessee at running back. Now he's sharing carries with Chris Ivory.

Although ultimately it may end up being a better situation. Especially if Johnson's motivated.

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It sounds like Redskins QB Robert Griffin III is back to his explosive, rookie-year form



Robert Griffin III may have been "All In for Week 1" last year, but it's clear that he wasn't his usual self. His still-healing knee and the bulky brace he wore around it held him back as he saw most of his stats take a significant drop from 2012. The biggest difference might have come with his rushing yards, which decreased from 826 in 2012 to 489 last year.But according to Redskins wide receiver Santana Moss and former Redskins tight end Chris Cooley, the old RG3 is back."He looks more comfortable, because he don't have to worry about that brace," Moss said about Griffin during an ESPN podcast earlier this week. "I think the brace was the big discomfort last year. You know, he's a young guy with those fiery legs that want to do so much, and that brace probably gave him a little pinch in the behind, because he couldn't do the things that he was normally accustomed to doing. You can already see, when we're out there in conditioning and stuff, he's running around, looking like the old Robert Griffin."That follows what Cooley recently said about Griffin: "It's unbelievable. He's another person right now. I was like, 'You're running unbelievably well.' It was silly to watch. ... When you watch him run, you're like, 'You're a freak. You're seriously a freak.'"



Completely recovered from his 2013 knee surgery? Check.Surrounded by a bevy of quality receivers? Check.Something to prove after last season's step back? Check.I'm all in for Robert Griffin III in 2014.