Larry Johnson to the Texans: A Possibility

7 year veteran running back Larry Johnson has been released by the Kansas City Chiefs and is now on waivers. It just so happens that the Houston Texans are in need of a solid, smash mouth goal-line back like Johnson. Having talent like that as an option for the backfield would be a definite plus for the Texans on-the-field.

The only problem is that Johnson's off-the-field problems may not out weigh what he can do for you on-the-field. His troubles are definitely extensive ranging from separate assault charges for spitting on, pouring a drink on and pushing women to his more recent use of Twitter to spit out his "opinions" through offensive slurs and the bashing of the talents of his Head Coach.

Texans Owner Bob McNair has a history of avoiding players with troubled pasts, so why would this situation be any different?

For starters, this may be the first time one of these troubled players fit a needed position where they could easily come in and make an impact. His addition WOULD help the team make a push for the play-offs. No more Moats, Slaton or Brown goal-line stuffs or fumbles. Larry Johnson will pound his way to pay dirt as he has proven many times in the past; all the while holding on to the football.

Worst case scenario is that the Texans bring him in and release Brown. If he messes up off the field or doesn't help much on the field, it's very easy to cut our losses with a guy like this at the end of the season. No long contract or anything - send the guy packing.

Best case scenerio is that he comes in and scores 6-8 touchdowns for the Texans over the next 7 games and then 2 in the play offs. It really may be the push these guys need. Indirectly bringing a strong ball handler like Johnson in may help Steve Slaton overcome his fumble issues as well.

My thought is that picking up Johnson would be a good thing.

Having him on a team with higher moral standards like the Texans might be a good thing for all parties involved. If he needs a little maturing, coming to this team may do it for him. It seems to be working for Jacoby Jones. You could place Johnson at a locker near Demeco Ryans and Dunta Robinson to help him quickly become party of the team as those leaders would most likely take him under their wing and keep him in-line.

And I have a feeling that Kubiak and the Houston fans would have zero-tolerence for him acting like a jack-ass, so we wouldn't have to worry much.

All name-calling aside let's face it, there is always a possibility that some athletes get falsely accused and sometimes falsely convicted of crimes for someone elses gain. A lot of these guys have a track record for a reason (Pac-Man Jones for example), but at times these high-profile athletes can become targets (Duke Lacrosse team).

That being said, Larry Johnson's ridiculousness on Twitter is nothing but his own stupidity. However there is always the possibility that the assault charges could be moments where he was targeted for extortion by the crazy women that he chose to surround himself with. Some of the women that athletes choose to spend time with are ones who many times have questionable intentions. What's to say Johnson wasn't an easy target that surround himself with money-hungry tramps who have nothing better to do than make up stories that slander him for their gain? This idea may not be practical or even accurate, but it's still a possibility. Hey, it happened to Shawn Merriman.

I say give the man a chance. For the Texans benefit it certainly wouldn't hurt to have the ability to give a guy the ball on goal-line situations and feel the reassurance of someone being able to pound the ball in instead of putting it on the turf...regardless of who he may or may not be assualting off the field.