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Is David Johnson the real deal for the Arizona Cardinals?

By Johnathan Henson

Nov 22, 2015; Glendale, AZ, USA; Cincinnati Bengals tight end Tyler Kroft (81) and Cincinnati Bengals running back Rex Burkhead (33) attempt to tackle Arizona Cardinals running back David Johnson (31) during a kickoff return during the first half at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 22, 2015; Glendale, AZ, USA; Cincinnati Bengals tight end Tyler Kroft (81) and Cincinnati Bengals running back Rex Burkhead (33) attempt to tackle Arizona Cardinals running back David Johnson (31) during a kickoff return during the first half at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports /
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Is David Johnson the real deal for the Arizona Cardinals?

I’m not one to proclaim a savior in the desert too quickly, especially when I’ve been wrong more times then not. Remember Matt Leinart? Yeah, I will be the first to admit that I got giddy when we selected him, and I thought he was the second coming of worst case scenario Joe Namath. Boy was I wrong.

How about Beanie Wells? Oh, just in case you’re wondering about Wells, I didn’t like this selection. I wanted home-state draftee Eben Britton from the University of Arizona. In any case, I would be wrong then, and the Cardinals were wrong about Beanie too. The lesson is that the Cardinals need to watch out declaring admiration for someone, no matter how talented the player might be.

Remember, coaches and players started getting on the Beanie Wells train once he rushed for more then a 1000 yards in 2011.

In this case, David Johnson did something very rare. Yes, he broke a Cardinals rookie record with 13 combined touchdowns. I’m talking more about resiliency, as David Johnson was able to be the only success in the Cardinals destruction in Carolina. He rushed for 60 yards and a touchdown.

Headline clippings aren’t a recipe for success. During the Amazon series “All-Or-Nothing”, Tyrann Mathieu said “He kind of reminds me of Marshall Faulk”, which is a hearty proclamation, but seems very reasonable. Then offensive assistant Tom Moore (long-time coordinator) gave an insight, saying he could be just as great as Pittsburgh loyalty, Franco Harris.

To me, the David Johnson style of play kind of reminds me of Marion Motley, former Hall of Famer from the Cleveland Browns. Motley was a fullback, not the position that David Johnson plays, but his combination of size (6-1, 238 pounds) is closer to David Johnson (6-1, 224 pounds).

Motley not only is a throwback, I think Motley is the definition of the lunch-pale type of player, as he was a tremendous catcher in the backfield, short distance runner, and a blocker you depend on to be the quarterbacks hip pocket. David Johnson still needs to get the basics of blocking against bigger defensive lineman, but the comparison seems very logical to me.

The Cardinals won’t know if they have something special until the players sophomore season. Could David Johnson become the first player to rush for a 1000 yards since Beanie Wells? Could David Johnson be the Cardinals best running back since Terry Metcalf? This writer thinks he can be something special. How about you?

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