Sports44 FRIDAY, APRIL 18, 2014 New York Jets sign former Titans RB Chris Johnson NEW YORK: Always fast on the field, Chris Johnson found a new job pretty quickly, too. The New York Jets signed the former Titans running back Wednesday, a little over a week after he was officially released by Tennessee on April 7. Johnson met with the Jets all day Tuesday - the first team he visited - and stayed in town to watch the Knicks- Nets game in Brooklyn before signing Wednesday. The Jets announced the move, but didn’t release terms. In a text message to The Associated Press, Johnson confirmed it was a two-year deal. Johnson was told by the Titans of their decision April 4, ending a six-year stint in Tennessee during which he became one of the NFL’s most exciting and tantalizingly fast running backs. The former 2,000-yard rusher will team with Chris Ivory and Bilal Powell to give coach Rex Ryan and offensive coordi- nator Marty Mornhinweg a deep and dangerous back- field. The Jets also have Mike Goodson, who is dealing with legal issues and recovering from torn knee ligaments, and Alex Green. While his days as a workhorse running back - he carried the ball over 300 times in each of the 2009 and 2010 seasons - might be over, Johnson could be the perfect complement to the bruising Ivory and ver- satile Powell. In Mornhinweg’s first season as offensive coordinator, the Jets finished sixth in the league in rush- ing last year with Ivory and Powell sharing the load. Despite the solid production, New York still entered the offseason aiming to improve the position with a big- play runner. That’s exactly what they’re getting in the speedy and durable Johnson, who turns 29 in September ANAHEIM: (L-R) Goaltender Kari Lehtonen No 32 of the Dallas Stars defends his net, as Tyler Seguin No 91 of and is only the sixth player to rush for 1,000 yards in each of his first six seasons. But there have been questions the Stars and Matt Beleskey No 39 of the Anaheim Ducks pursue the play in the second period of Game One about whether he’ll ever be the same player who rushed of the First Round of the 2014 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Honda Center on Wednesday. —AFP for 2,006 yards in 2009, when he earned his “CJ2K” nick- name. Anaheim Ducks hold off Second-lowest total Johnson finished with 1,077 yards - the second-lowest total of his career - and a career-worst 3.9-yard average Stars 4-3 in series opener last season. He also rushed for 100 or more yards just twice, including the regular-season finale in which he had 127 yards to go over the 1,000-yard mark. ANAHEIM: The Anaheim Ducks roared the puck away too many times tonight, ed for 14 shots. The Jets held Johnson to just 21 yards on 15 carries in to a big early lead before blowing three- but we’ll go back to the drawing board.” “The way we finished was how we their 38-13 loss last season at Tennessee, but Johnson quarters of it. They skated circles around want to play the full game,” said Seguin, gouged them for 122 yards on 21 carries, including a the Dallas Stars early, only to hold on by Setting new marks who infamously scored just one goal in career-best 94-yard touchdown run, in 2012. their fingernails late. Anaheim is the Western Conference’s 22 playoff games for Boston last season. The splashy move is reminiscent of the one the Jets The Ducks know a Stanley Cup run No. 1 seed for the first time after the best “I definitely liked our no-quit attitude out made in 2010, when they signed an aging but still pro- can’t possibly be easy, and they’re not regular season in franchise history, set- there and performance.” ductive LaDainian Tomlinson. afraid of a little hard work along the way. ting new marks for victories (54), points Kari Lehtonen stopped 31 shots for New York showed early interest in free agency in Ryan Getzlaf had a goal and an assist, (116) and goals (263) while winning its the wild-card Stars, who ended their five- Frederik Andersen made 32 saves to win second straight Pacific Division title. year playoff drought thanks to new Maurice Jones-Drew and Donald Brown, but they signed his NHL playoff debut, and the Ducks per- The Ducks won their opener for the coach Lindy Ruff and seven Stanley Cup elsewhere. The Titans cut ties with Johnson, making him severed for a 4-3 victory over the Stars on second straight year, but they lost in sev- winners on their roster. a free agent, to avoid paying the $8 million he was due Wednesday night. en games to seventh-seeded Detroit last “I thought at times we had them on for this season, along with the final three seasons left on Getzlaf, Kyle Palmieri and Mathieu spring. They didn’t even get 60 minutes their heels, and we gave them a good the $53.5 million contract he signed in September 2011. Perreault scored in a dominant first peri- into their postseason return without dra- push,” Ruff said. Johnson, who set several franchise and NFL records dur- od for the top-seeded Ducks, who began ma, nearly blowing a four-goal lead while Andersen, who went 20-5 in his first ing his time in Tennessee, repeatedly said he wouldn’t their playoff run on a dead sprint. losing two of their top-line forwards to NHL season, got the start over veteran take a pay cut this offseason. Anaheim led 4-0 midway through the injury. Jonas Hiller, who has fallen out of favor That prompted the Titans to unsuccessfully explore second period before the Stars nearly got Matt Beleskey had a goal and an assist with Boudreau after a handful of poor trade options this offseason before releasing him. all the way back into it, but the Ducks before incurring a lower-body injury in starts. After a raucous pregame reception Johnson’s exit appeared inevitable when Tennessee emerged grateful for the test. the third period. Getzlaf then got hit in from their orange towel-waving fans, the signed Dexter McCluster to a three-year deal and re- “A little adversity isn’t going to hurt the face with the puck with 16 seconds Ducks wasted no time. Nick Bonino lifted signed Leon Washington to join Shonn Greene in the us,” Corey Perry said. “We’ve got to learn left, sending him to the dressing room an exceptional pass over diving defense- backfield. how to play with the lead, especially early. man Aaron Rome to Palmieri for a back- In a statement after being told of Tennessee’s inten- down to the wire. All those things are Beleskey has struggled with a similar hand goal just 1:53 in. tions to cut ties with him, Johnson thanked the Titans going to help us.” Game 2 is today. injury in recent weeks, and Boudreau Getzlaf converted a rebound of organization and its fans. “I have grown so much as an Captain Jamie Benn and Colton wasn’t sure of its new severity. Boudreau Beleskey’s shot off Lehtonen’s mask, and individual and as teammate over the past few years, and I Sceviour had power-play goals in Dallas’ doesn’t think Getzlaf has a broken bone Perreault put Anaheim up 3-0 with a am excited about the opportunity to bring my experi- first playoff game since 2008, and Tyler in his face, but will know more Thursday power-play goal on exceptional passes ence and talents to a new organization,” he said. “I’m Seguin scored with 6:07 left to trim the when the Ducks reconvene to figure out from Patrick Maroon and Getzlaf. looking forward to the next chapter and can’t wait to Ducks’ lead to one. Anaheim hung on what to fix from Game 1. Beleskey got credit for the Ducks’ sec- contribute to my new team.” with a handful of big saves from Benn and Sceviour scored in their ond power-play goal when Francois Johnson was the 24th overall pick in the 2008 draft Andersen, a 24-year-old Danish rookie. postseason NHL debuts, but the Stars Beauchemin’s long shot deflected off his out of East Carolina, and had never missed a game “I’m sure we didn’t put the fear of God in couldn’t escape their early hole leg. because of injury - despite having surgery after the sea- them tonight, and they probably gained despite an impressive game from their But Dallas got a 5-on-3 advantage for son to repair a torn meniscus that he played with most of some confidence,” coach Bruce Boudreau high-scoring top line of Benn, Seguin 56 seconds late in the period, and both the year. —AP said. “We didn’t play that good. We gave and Valeri Nichushkin, which account- Benn and Sceviour capitalized. —AP.