Is this the reason why Rudi wasn't used as much?

[indybengalsfan72]

http://www.bengals.com/news/news.asp?story_id=5085

Rudi, Rudi ready for '[06, '06

By GEOFF HOBSON

February 15, 2006

6:30 p.m.

One of the more high-profile knees in Bengaldom is coming along just fine, thank you.

Running back Rudi Johnson’s rehab from recent arthroscopic surgery isn’t going to be as time consuming as Carson Palmer’s and he thinks he can be back in time for the May camps. But don’t look for the Bengals to push it. After all, he played all but one game in his record 2005 season with what he called “a banged-up wheel,” in what has to be one of the “True Grit,” chapters in club history.

Peter Schaffer, Johnson’s agent, confirmed Wednesday that his client underwent “a 3,500-mile,” checkup that amounted to a housecleaning. After the season, head coach Marvin Lewis said Johnson and cornerback Deltha O’Neal would have minor (knee) cleanups following the Pro Bowl.

O’Neal played in last Sunday’s game for the AFC but Johnson, a first alternate, didn’t get the call so he had the procedure done last week. He was also waiting for renowned surgeon James Andrews to recover from a heart attack so he could do the scope in Birmingham, Ala.

“He’s from Auburn and I’m from Auburn, so I was waiting for my man,” Johnson said. “I’m really looking forward to this season. Playing the whole season with a banged-up wheel is no fun at all. I know I’ll be stronger, faster, quicker.”

Johnson isn’t the only Bengal who played hurt during the year. Besides Johnson and O’Neal, Lewis also said after the season that center Rich Braham (elbows), tight end Tony Stewart (ankle), fullback Nick Luchey (knee) and tackle Pete Lougheed (shoulder), needed offseason cleanups.

But Johnson is the only one that carried the ball 337 times.

He thinks he tore cartilage at some point in the second game of the season, a 37-8 victory over the Vikings in which he carried 22 times for 90 yards. He didn’t feel soreness until the next day and didn’t get it checked until after his 25-carry effort the next week in Chicago netted 84 yards during a 24-7 win. After getting the word, he went 19 times for 88 yards in the Oct. 2 win over Houston the day after his 26th birthday.

He didn’t hit 20 carries again until Oct. 30 against Green Bay.

“I think early on they weren’t trying to use me as much to see how it would go, but that wasn’t for very many games. I don’t think it mattered much,” Johnson said. “When I’m out there playing, I’m playing.”

Indeed, in November and December he carried at least 24 times in four games that included a season-high 30 in the Dec. 11 win over the Browns that clinched the division.

“I didn’t want to miss any time. We were winning early in the year, something we had never done since I’d been here, and I wanted to be there for the team,” Johnson said. “If I had done (the surgery) during the season, I probably would have rushed it and maybe come back too soon.”

What followed was a huge suck-it-up season. Johnson quietly killed the pain by breaking his own Bengals’ record with 1,458 yards and a dozen touchdowns. His signature moment came Dec. 4 at Heinz Field when he lowered his shoulder to bull past Pro Bowl safety Troy Polamalu at the end of a 14-yard score that gave the Bengals the winning points in the win over the Steelers.

And, any of the runs could have ended his season.

“We took it game by game. We didn’t know how far I could go,” Johnson said. “I’d meet with (trainer) Paul Sparing after every game and we plan out what we would do that week. They did a good nursing it along, and I did a lot of work at home, too.”

Part of the plan was giving him every Wednesday off and taking it easy on Thursday and Friday, and not telling anybody.

“We didn’t want them to know I was playing on one leg,” he said.

In the end, Johnson didn’t take the money and run with the $10 million he got in ’05 as part of his new $24 million deal. Clearly the knee hurt. And it took a toll.

“I couldn’t do anything 100 percent,” Johnson said. “I wasn’t able to break out of as many tackles, I could definitely see that.”

Johnson wonders what the numbers might have been after falling just 42 yards shy of becoming the Bengals’ first 1,500-yard rusher.

“Who knows? But I feel good all ready,” Johnson said. “I can’t wait. It’s going to be a great feeling to go out there and be able to do everything.”

[HairOnFire]

Part of the plan was giving him every Wednesday off and taking it easy on Thursday and Friday, and not telling anybody.

“We didn’t want them to know I was playing on one leg,” he said.

Whahhdafugg? If I had known it was supposed to be a secret I wouldn't have written...several times...during the season...about the knee injury, his not practicing on Wednesday, or the plans to clean out the knee when the season was done. And if they wanted to keep it a secret it might have been a good idea for them to keep the story out of the newspapers because that's where I read about it. In the freaking newspaper.

[Stripes]

I don't think Rudi lost carries because of his knee, but because of Chris Perry. Whether or not that was for the better is an entirely different debate.

[turningpoint]

well rudi did seem to not break to many tackles this year, that i grew accustomed to in the past years.

[Kazkal]

not used as much....he had more yards then last season

ok after reading article sure that played small part but still don't think he would had shaun numbers

[membengal]

To sum up, Rudi just quietly gutted out another historic running season in Bengals history on one leg.

Give him some health, and 1600-1800 yards is a possibility.