Lions’ running back, Johnson, eager for increased role in 2017
KAMLOOPS — Jeremiah Johnson understood and accepted the plan. That doesn’t mean he liked it.
The B.C. Lions running back split time with Anthony Allen last season as the club aimed to keep both players as fresh and healthy as possible at a position that is among the most violent on the football field.
Johnson would play a few games, watch the next couple weeks while Allen got his chance, and then return to the huddle.
“It gets you off your groove,” Johnson said of the stop/start nature of the rotation. “You just abide by what’s going on.”
But when the Lions reconvened at training camp, Johnson was the undisputed feature back after signing a two-year contract extension, while Allen had moved on.
Johnson, who turned 30 in February, made it clear to B.C. head coach and general manager Wally Buono during discussions for his new deal that suiting up the entire season was crucial.
“That’s what it’s all about for me,” said Johnson. “I told Wally when we were up in here negotiating, ‘I want to play the whole 18 (games).’”
Johnson ended up rushing for 809 yards and seven touchdowns on 138 carries in 11 games for the Lions last season.
Prior to coming north of the border, Johnson bounced around NFL before settling in with the Denver Broncos for three seasons on the active and practice rosters. He was a star at the University of Oregon from 2005 to 2008.