Mark Craig has covered football and the NFL from Canton, Ohio, to Minneapolis since 1991. Follow his daily updates on the Vikings' NFC North opponents, as well as his candid, unvarnished and, yes, sometimes sarcastic thoughts on the Purple and NFL news throughout the day.
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Chiefs had no choice but to dump Johnson
The Chiefs' decision to release grumpy running back Larry Johnson today isn't a shock. Johnson finally went too far, leaving Kansas City no choice but to dump him and pay off the final $2.275 million that they owe him.
Johnson was scheduled to return today from his second suspension in a year. The final straw was Johnson's decision to post on his Twitter account an all-out attack on rookie coach Todd Haley. It included a gay slur that Johnson repeated while shooing reporters the next day.
It wasn't the gay slur that got Larry booted. I'm guessing that if Larry had used it in 2005 or 2006 -- when he was rushing for more than 1,700 yards in each season -- the Chiefs would have looked the other way. But Johnson's decision to verbally attack Haley at this point in Johnson's declining career made ditching Larry a no-brainer.
Johnson turns 30 on Nov. 19. He's averaging 2.7 yards per carry with no TDs this season.
Yeah, he was a No. 1 draft pick in 2003. Yeah, he was 75 yards from breaking Priest Holmes' career franchise rushing record.
But right now, he's a bitter, broken down running back on a 1-7 team. The fans in Kansas City don't want him breaking Holmes' record, and the Chiefs don't need a 30-year-old running back as part of their rebuilding project.
So, see ya, Larry.
It will be interesting to see if anyone wants to take on Johnson's attitude at this point in his career. If indeed he has anything left physically, he would succeed only in a place where the coach is above reproach. Like a Bill Belichick in New England. Belichick doesn't turn down talent, no matter how it becomes available.
Meanwhile, Johnson is left to rethink his attitude for the time being.
"A part of him is excited and a part of him is very regretful," said Johnson's agent, Peter Schaffer. "There's a lot of feelings going on right now. It's analogous to breaking up with a girlfriend. Maybe you saw it coming, but it still hurts when it happens."
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| Date/Opponent | Time | W | L | Score |
| Sep 13 - at Cleveland | 12:00 PM | 1 | 0 | 34-20 |
| Sep 20 - at Detroit | 12:00 PM | 2 | 0 | 27-13 |
| Sep 27 - vs. San Francisco | 12:00 PM | 3 | 0 | 27-24 |
| Oct 5 - vs. Green Bay | 7:30 PM | 4 | 0 | 30-23 |
| Oct 11 - at St. Louis | 12:00 PM | 5 | 0 | 38-10 |
| Oct 18 - vs. Baltimore | 12:00 PM | 6 | 0 | 33-31 |
| Oct 25 - at Pittsburgh | 12:00 PM | 6 | 1 | 17-27 |
| Nov 1 - at Green Bay | 3:15 PM | 7 | 1 | 38-26 |
| Open | ||||
| Nov 15 - vs. Detroit | 12:00 PM | 8 | 1 | 27-10 |
| Nov 22 - vs. Seattle | 12:00 PM | 9 | 1 | 35-9 |
| Nov 29 - vs. Chicago | 3:15 PM | 10 | 1 | 36-10 |
| Dec 6 - at Arizona | 7:20 PM | 10 | 2 | 17-30 |
| Dec 13 - vs. Cincinnati | 12:00 PM | 11 | 2 | 30-10 |
| Dec 20 - at Carolina | 7:20 PM | 11 | 3 | 7-26 |
| Dec 28 - at Chicago | 7:30 PM | 11 | 4 | 30-36 |
| Jan 3 - vs. NY Giants | 12:00 PM | 12 | 4 | 44-7 |
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