Chris Johnson did his best to avoid showing how personal Sunday's game is for him.
The Jets running back clearly does not want to feed into the story line of facing the Titans, the team that dumped him in April after six seasons. But Johnson could not hide it totally. After deflecting a few questions about his personal feelings, Johnson spoke the truth.
"Of course, I want to go in there and tear it up and show them what they missed out on and make them regret that," Johnson said. "I'm not going into the game and try to make it me versus them."
This game is a huge story in Tennessee because of Johnson's return.
Johnson rushed for 7,965 yards there, the third highest total in Titans/Oilers history behind Eddie George and Earl Campbell. A three-time Pro Bowler, he rushed for at least 1,000 yards in every season there and went for 2,006 yards in 2009.
The Titans cut him in April rather than pay him the $8 million he was due to make this season. The Jets signed him to a two-year, $8 million deal shortly after that. In June, Johnson called the Titans "nasty" for waiting so late into the offseason to release him.
On Wednesday, he did not want to revisit the team releasing him.
"Of course, it bothered me," he said. "That's something I really haven't been focused on."
Titans coach Ken Whisenhunt just took over in Tennessee this year and never coached Johnson.
"Well, I think every club goes through decisions like that during the course of the offseason," Whisenhunt said in a conference call Wednesday. "There were a lot of factors that were involved with that. I certainly don't want to go through each one of those. I know how much he was liked here, how much he was respected, but it is certainly not uncommon in the NFL now that players end up changing teams. I don't know Chris personally, but everything that I have heard about him has been positive and I know that the Titans are grateful for his contributions to this club."
Chris Johnson has rushed for 558 yards this season.Photo: UPI
Johnson's season with the Jets has not gone as he had hoped. His streak of 1,000-yard seasons will end this year. He has just 125 carries for 558 yards and one rushing touchdown. Johnson, who also has a receiving touchdown, has been splitting carries with Chris Ivory all year. After averaging 290 carries a season in Tennessee, Johnson will be lucky if he breaks 150 carries this season.
"It's a tough situation, but there's really nothing I can do about it now but just try to take advantage of the opportunities I do get," Johnson said.
Two weeks ago, Johnson had his first 100-yard rushing game of the season when the Jets went run-heavy against the Dolphins. As tough as his personal situation has been, Johnson has also had to endure being on a 2-11 team going nowhere at 29 years old with an uncertain future.
"I would have never imagined that," Johnson said of the team's poor record. "Just knowing the type of team we have here. We're 2-11 or whatever and we're way better than that. We're not showing it. I feel like we play hard and we put drives together, but the ball is just not falling our way."
Johnson said he would like to stay with the Jets next season. The team must make a decision on whether to pick up his option in February.
Jets coach Rex Ryan, who likely will be gone by then, said he appreciates how Johnson has played this year.
"We have certainly gotten everything out of him from a preparation standpoint and all of that," Ryan said. "He has been outstanding for us. He is not carrying it 300 times this year, but I think his body is good.
I think he is feeling good right now. As we talk about, we have two starting running backs, it just happens that they are splitting carries. I like having Chris Johnson on this football team."
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