Roary
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- Mar 18, 2019
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Lions running back Kerryon Johnson is getting what he wanted for Christmas: The chance to finish the football season on the field.
Johnson was activated from injured reserve on Saturday, putting him back on the Lions’ 53-man roster for the final two weeks of 2019.
“As stupid as some people may see it, I like to play, man,” Johnson said earlier this month. “I did all this work in the offseason, did all this work in the summer, and I didn’t do it to play five games. Obviously, my goal every year is to play a full season. Two seasons down, I’m 0 for 2. But getting to [eight games], whatever it might be, is better than where I’m at now.”
Johnson started the first six games of 2019 before suffering a knee injury. He has gained 308 yards rushing, with an average of 3.3 yards per carry.
Last year as a rookie, Johnson appeared in 10 games, gaining 641 yards on 118 carries, with a much higher per-carry average of 5.4 yards.
Some would say that Johnson would have been wise to not play again this season, given the chances of spending his offseason rehabbing an injury and/or recovering from surgery. But some football players just want to play football regardless of late-year business considerations, and Johnson’s commitment is the kind of attitude adjustment that will serve the Lions well as they try to turn around six decades of mediocrity — and nearly three decades without a postseason win.
Also helping turn things around would be a couple of victories when the games are otherwise meaningless, tanking benefits notwithstanding.