An NFL running back recalls how witnessing Chris Johnson’s historic 2,000-yard season transformed him from an undrafted practice squad player into a dominant All-Pro force.
Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson has been in the news lately.
Back in June, he went on "Good Morning America" and shared that he was diagnosed with ALS last year. The disease has progressed to the point where he can no longer communicate on his own.
The NFL community has rallied around Johnson after the heartbreaking announcement. There was an outpouring of support for Johnson on social media shortly after.
The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge has returned in the wake of Johnson's news. Most recently, NFL Players Cam Jordan, Maxx Crosby and Von Miller participated in it to support Johnson.
NFL players like Arian Foster have started sharing stories about Johnson. Foster shared how Johnson impacted him during his rookie season.
Foster played running back in the NFL for the Houston Texans (2009-2015) and Miami Dolphins (2016). Tennessee Volunteers fans know Foster well, as he played in Knoxville from 2005-08.
He was a four-time Pro Bowler and a First-Team All-Pro in 2010.
Even though Foster and Johnson were division rivals, it didn't stop the Texans RB from being inspired. The Titans and Texans have been connected ever since Houston was awarded another NFL team.
Before moving to Nashville, the Titans were the Houston Oilers from 1960-1996. The NFL added the Texans to the league in 2002, and the two have been bitter rivals ever since.
On a recent episode of "Macrodosing w/ PFT and Arian Foster," he explained how Johnson inspired his breakout NFL career.
Foster was an undrafted free agent in 2009 and signed with the Texans. He was released by the team in September of his rookie year and joined the practice squad.
By that time, Johnson was in his second year in the NFL, and that season he joined the 2,000-yard club. Foster and the Texans faced the Titans on Monday Night Football, the first game he was called up to the active roster, and seeing Johnson perform inspired him to be better.
"I was on a podcast with him like two, three years and I had told him that he inspired the **** out of me because 2009 was my first year in the league and we played the Titans on Monday Night Football," Foster said. "That was my first game that I actually got brought up to the active roster. So, my very first game I'm watching, you know, that year he's the best. That's when he got 2,000 yards. So, as a practice squad, just watching who's nice, just surveying the league, it was so inspiring watching him do what he did."
It's safe to say that watching Johnson worked.
Foster had a breakout season in 2010, going for 1,616 rushing yards, 604 receiving yards, and 18 total touchdowns. He made his first Pro Bowl, was a First-Team All-Pro, and finished third in AP Offensive Player of the Year voting.
Foster went on to have three more 1,000-yard seasons with the Texans. He left the franchise in 2015 and spent one year with the Dolphins before retiring from football.
It's great to see how Johnson has impacted players across the NFL, including someone who played for a division rival like the Texans.
You never truly know how many lives you can touch.
