Arizona Cardinals running back David Johnson has his eyes set on winning a title this year.
The MVP contender seems to know his team’s championship window is closing as stars such as quarterback Carson Palmer and wideout Larry Fitzgerald get older. His respect and admiration for the two men has him gunning for the ultimate prize.
Here’s the notable part of the interview he gave on SiriusXM NFL Radio (h/t Pro Football Talk’s Josh Alper):
“Because Carson, especially Carson and Larry, those two guys have taught me so much in these last two years that helped me so much with the playbook,” Johnson said. “Learning how to run a route effectively, it’s not all about speed, it’s also about technique and stuff. So I really want to do it for those guys. Especially since they’re such — not just great athletes, but great people off the field. So I feel like there’s a little pressure on me to do as much as I can to get that ring for those two.”
While a great thought, there’s only so much Johnson can do on his own. The man ran for 1,239 yards and 16 touchdowns a year ago on a 4.2 per-carry average while adding another 879 yards and four touchdowns as a receiver.
For his efforts, the Cardinals mustered a 7-8-1 mark. Palmer threw for 26 touchdowns against 14 interceptions while only completing 61 percent of his passes and Fitzgerald hardly cracked the 1,000-yard mark.
Injuries soak up part of the blame and the Cardinals have worked hard to improve in the offseason. If Johnson can keep improving while forcing his way into the MVP conversation, his team contending for a title isn’t so crazy.
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