What if the Chiefs' RB Larry Johnson Was Out for the Entire 2006 Season
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by User 66.173.74.10
This a hypothetical news article about Larry Johnson being injured for the entire 2006 season
KANSAS CITY, Missouri - Chiefs fans took the news badly when they found out that Larry Johnson was likely out for the season with a broken ankle.
"I feel sick to my stomach," said fan Don Igwey. "I'm speechless."
X-ray results announced by team doctors Thursday revealed a fracture that is likely to take 10-12 weeks to heal. The star back was injured during a scrimmage Wednesday afternoon.
Team officials were expected to place Johnson on the IR list by the end of the week, effectively ending his 2006 season before it even begins. Johnson seemed to take the news better than some of his fans.
"It's just one of those things," Johnson told reporters Thursday. "All I can do is work hard at rehab and get ready for next year. Our team will be fine."
Fans interviewed outside of the Chiefs practice facility were a little more pessimistic about the team's chances.
"We're done without him. At least we'll get a good draft pick next year," one fan was quoted as saying. Ian Keading of Overland Park perhaps summed it up best. "Without LJ, there is no season."
Fan reactions were not limited to Kansas City. Johnson was widely expected to be the number one draft pick for fantasy football participants this year. The Kansas City Tribune has been overwhelmed with emails attempting to verify the bad news.
Tribune reporter Gil Libble was surprised by the outcry expressed by fantasy team owners. "They can't seem to accept the bad news about Larry Johnson. We have been asked to verify the story 3 or 4 times by the same fantasy football team owners."
Chiefs head coach Herm Edwards is expected to rely heavily on Johnson's back up Dee Brown in his absence. Edwards said Thursday, "Dee is going to have to step up big time, just like LJ did last year."
Date
Thu 08/31/06, 8:43 am EST
