Chris Johnson is getting his flowers. Adam Schefter broke the news that the Titans will induct the former running back into their Ring of Honor on September 13, when Tennessee opens its season at home against the Jets.
For anyone who watched football in 2009, this one's overdue. Johnson, a first-round pick in 2008, put together one of the most electric seasons any running back has ever had, rushing for 2,006 yards to become just the 6th player in NFL history to crack the 2,000-yard mark. He added 503 receiving yards that year, giving him 2,509 total yards from scrimmage, an NFL record at the time and good enough to win him Offensive Player of the Year. Over his 6 seasons in Tennessee he made 3 Pro Bowls and turned "CJ2K" into a household nickname.
But the timing of this honor isn't just about celebrating old highlights. Johnson revealed last month that he's been diagnosed with ALS, and the Titans moving to enshrine him now, at halftime of their season opener no less, reads as a franchise making sure one of its all-time greats gets to hear the ovation while he's still here to hear it.
It's a gut punch and a celebration wrapped into one. Ring of Honor ceremonies are usually straightforward victory laps, but this one carries weight the second-and-14-yard-touchdown-runs never did. Titans fans packing Nissan Stadium for Week 1 against the Jets are going to get a season kickoff and a reminder of exactly how good this guy was, all in the same halftime break.
Expect the tributes to keep rolling in between now and September 13. Johnson's 2009 season is still one of the gold standards for what a running back can do in a single year, and having the football world rally around him now, while he's still able to take it in, is the kind of moment that transcends the standings.