When Chris Johnson learned the Cardinals were placing him on short-term injured reserve Dec. 1 – keeping him out until the Super Bowl if the team makes it -- he responded the same way any player would.
“Of course I tried to talk them out of it,” the veteran running back said with a smile.
The NFL’s fourth-leading rusher at the time, Johnson suffered a cracked tibia against the 49ers on Nov. 29. The original diagnosis was less severe but a second look caught the fracture, putting a damper on his renaissance season.
The prospect of returning is at least a dangling carrot, and Johnson was full of optimism on Tuesday in his first interview since the announcement.