Chris Johnson says he wants Jets to run ball more
New York Jets running back Chris Johnson wants the team to run the ball more, Johnson told the New York Post.
Johnson said he wants more carries for both himself and fellow back Chris Ivory, partially to help take pressure off quarterback Geno Smith, who's thrown four interceptions and been sacked six times this season.
Johnson is averaging 11.6 carries per game this season, while Ivory is averaging 11.
• FARRAR: What's behind Green Bay's offensive struggles?
“Chris Ivory and I really haven’t had the opportunity to run the ball a lot,’’ Johnson said Thursday. “We’ve done pretty well with the opportunities that have been given to us.’’
“Nobody really envisioned going into a game getting 10-12 carries,” he said. “That’s not the game plan; the game plan is for us to run the ball.”
Johnson wants the team to run the ball 35-40 times per game. New York has rushed 97 times this season, an average of 32.3 per game. That's up from last season, when the team averaged 30.8 carries per game.
So far this season, Johnson has run for 124 yards on 3.5 yards per carry, and Ivory has run for 190 yards on 5.8 yards per carry. Jets coach Rex Ryan said this week he might give Ivory more playing time.
- Ben Estes
