Skip to main content

Step Up Your Game: Chris Johnson

The first in a series of blogs highlighting key players that need to step up their game in 2010, starting with training camp.

The Island and Swiss Cheese

With Nnamdi Asomugha locking down one side of the field, there is tremendous pressure placed upon the cornerback on the opposite side.

Chris Johnson has been tasked with holding down that side for the last season and a half. Once DeAngelo Hall was discarded half-way into the 2008 season, Johnson stepped in and played well enough to be the undisputed starter in 2009.

In 2009, Johnson was thrown at 100 times. Only nine players were thrown at more. Johnson was the most thrown at cornerback when weighted based on the percentage of snaps he was on the field.

The Raiders spent two draft picks on the position and tendered Stanford Routt at the highest level as a clear indication that the team wasn't happy with the group of cornerbacks.

While Chris Johnson may still be the odds on favorite to win the job again in 2010, his job is hardly secure. Thus far, Johnson has survived by making big plays. If that ability to make plays were to evaporate, Johnson would be a poor cover cornerback and would merit replacing in short order.

Johnson allowed 64 percent of the passes thrown at him to be completed. The average is about 61 percent.

It wouldn't be hard to conclude that Johnson takes risks. The question is if the risks are worth the reward.

Why him?

There are plenty of options to choose from when asking the question: What players need to step up their game in 2010?

Out of those that come to mind, there is a more specific group of players that have the potential to impact the team in a greater way.

Johnson fits into this category nicely. If he can become more effective against the pass without losing his ability to make plays, opponents would be forced to look to Asomugha's side more often or run the ball.

If Johnson is not able to replicate his success making plays or his coverage skills do not improve, Johnson might have to be replaced altogether.

There aren't many candidates to compete for Johnson's starting spot. Walter McFadden will need much more seasoning and Jeremy Ware has even further to go. Stanford Routt is certainly another 'Step Up Your Game' candidate with some ability.

If MIchael Huff is serious about playing cornerback and the Raiders decide to move ahead with it, there could be potential for a true competition.Time will tell if Michael Huff is able to make that transition or if the Raiders squelch the idea.

Without Hufff in the fold, there is little doubt Johnson will start opposite Asomugha in the season opener against the Titans.The question will be if he was able to step up his game in training camp without true competition?

The Raiders season hinges on improvement in many areas, but few positions are more important to team success than the cornerback position. It is a passing league and Johnson and Asomugha will be tasked with shutting down the passer.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Oakland Raiders Swing for the Fences in 2016 NFL Draft

[embed align="center"]http://gty.im/153039819[/embed] These aren't your daddy's Oakland Raiders or even your younger self's Raiders. If anything, these are your newborn's Raiders or your puppy's Raiders. These are the Raiders we've never seen before. Indicative of the freshness of the franchise was their 2016 NFL Draft. No longer slave to a high draft pick and desperate needs, the theme of the draft for the Raiders was upside. It's as if general manager Reggie McKenzie got so used to hitting his draft picks out of the park that he started swinging for the fences. We'll have to wait a couple of years before we know if he struck out or if he'll continue his Ruthian ways. First, McKenzie boldly went with a safety at No. 14 overall. Kyle Joseph is coming off a torn ACL and fills a major need, but safety isn't a premium position. Only a handful of safeties have been drafted in the first 14 picks in the last 15 years and include names like Ea

2012 NFL Strength of Schedule

  Disclaimer Some strength of schedule models calculate strength of schedule based on the opponents the team has faced to date.  My model calculates strength of schedule based on all the opponents on a team's schedule.  The reason for this is because it reduces weekly fluctuations. For example, when a team plays their Week 17 game, in the traditional model their strength of schedule would change by 31 games...their Week 17 opponent's 16 games plus the additional game played by each of their prior 15 opponents.  In my model, when a team plays their Week 17 game their strength of schedule will only change by 15 games...one additional game for each of the opponents on their schedule.

The Raiders aren't who we thought they were....they're better

The Oakland Raiders are tired of being the team that will be good in a year or two. The team expects to win now and it is winning now. We thought the Raiders needed more talent. We thought that being in the playoff hunt was a year away for this team, but we were wrong. This isn't the team we thought they were, they're better. On Sunday, they moved to 3-3 on Sunday with a 37-29 win over the San Diego Chargers that wasn't close until the final minute. It was also the Raiders second road win of the season. The last time the Raiders had two road wins by their sixth game was 2011. Before that, a five-year streak from 1998-2002. The Raiders went 8-8 in 1998, 1999 and 2011 and narrowly missed the playoffs each year.  They made the playoffs in 2000, 2001 and 2002. They didn't have a losing record in any of those seasons because teams that can win on the road are usually pretty good. As the season matures, there is more and more evidence that some of the "best-case scenario