RB since Barry Sanders has done Kerryon Johnson has been on fire as a rookie and is easily one of the most exciting players to come to Detroit in what seems like ages. As electric as he has been http://www.lionsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-glover-quin-jersey , we haven’t really put into context just how amazing the start to his Detroit Lions career is. To rectify that, I took a look at every running back that has played for the Lions in the years following Barry Sanders’ retirement. If you were excited before, it’s time to tighten that belt to keep your pants firmly on, and if you weren’t excited for Kerryon Johnson before then I am so sorry that you decided to be a fan of a team other than the Lions and are only here to troll Lions fans in the comments.Lions media often talks about any running back that shows signs of promise as “the best RB since Barry...” As tired as that explanation has gotten over the past two decades, what do you do when the “best RB since Barry” stuff has legs to it? The first, and least meaningful, statistic of note is that Kerryon Johnson is the youngest RB to take meaningful snaps for the Lions since Barry Sanders was drafted in 1989, having only recently turned 21. His youth is promising for the longevity of his career more than it is immediate returns, so for that we’re going to look at efficiency and volume.Efficiency is where it gets fun. Kerryon Johnson has ran for 5.0 or more YPC in four straight games. That’s a pretty crazy stat showcasing just how efficient he has been running the football, but it got me thinking. Who else has done that since Barry Sanders. The answer? Nobody. No Lions running back has done that since Barry Sanders last did so in 1997. That’s bonkers all by itself Marvin Jones Jr Jersey , but do you want to know what else is amazing? That was a career-high for Sanders. He never ran for more than 5.0 YPC in five straight games. If Johnson is able to do so in the Lions next game, he will have accomplished something that Barry Sanders never did. In his first five games, Johnson has posted the most rushing yardage of any rookie RB for the Lions since Barry with 286. Sanders, of course, posted 354 as a rookie in 1989. Barry was playing in a different era, and wasn’t sharing a backfield, and—oh yeah—he was Barry Sanders.But Johnson isn’t just outgaining rookies, he also has the fifth-most rushing yards of any Lions RB in their first five games since Barry Sanders. Ahead of him was Reggie Bush with 376, Barry, James Stewart with 350 and... no Authentic Graham Glasgow Jersey , that can’t be right... Mikel Leshoure with 305. Huh. A couple more stats from Kerryon via the Lions:Jumping back to his efficiency, Johnson is one of only 10 Lions running backs, including Barry Sanders, who have run for 5.0 or more yards per carry in at least four games a season since 1998. The most over that span is, of course, Barry Sanders with nine, but second most was Shawn Bryson with only six. It’s at this point that I remind you that Kerryon Johnson has 11 more games to play this season. If he rushes for 5.0 YPC two more times this season, he will be tied for second most of any running back in the past two decades. It’s also at this point that I mention that he has rushed for 5.38 YPC or more four times in a row, I lowered it to 5.0 YPC for this study to make it more rounded. If we use that (admittedly arbitrary) number, Johnson has hit that mark more than any player since Barry Sanders except Shawn Bryson. However Youth Sam Martin Jersey , Bryson rushed for just 181 yards in the six games he rushed for over 5.38 YPC in 2004. As much as we complain about Kerryon Johnson not getting enough carries, he is hitting some pretty unprecedented numbers as a rookie. The level of efficiency with which he’s running is something (as I’ve been showing) we haven’t really seen in a player wearing a Lions uniform. It’s new, and it’s awesome. This is the type of stuff I’m going to be tracking all year, because: numbers. So don’t worry about it and just sit back and enjoy a running back who can actually run for positive yards on a consistent basis!2018 NFL roster cuts: Detroit Lions cut OL Beau Nunn, DL Toby Johnson The Detroit Lions don’t need to cut their roster down to 53 until Saturday at 4 p.m. ET, but it appears general manager Bob Quinn is getting a head start.On Wednesday morning, the Lions announced two cuts from their roster: offensive lineman Beau Nunn and defensive lineman Toby Johnson. Nunn has already been on and off the roster twice now. Initially added as an undrafted free agent, Nunn was cut before training camp. But a couple weeks into camp, Nunn got a second shot with the team, joining the ranks after Cornelius Washington and two others were cut. With only a week to impress http://www.lionsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-darius-slay-jersey , Nunn didn’t have much of a shot at the final 53.Johnson has been sidelined for the past few weeks with an undisclosed injury, so it’s no surprise that the Lions waived-injured him. If he clears waivers, there’s a good chance the Lions will place him on injured reserve, reclaiming his rights, but ending his 2018 season. With these two moves—combined with yesterday’s surprise cut of Robert Ayers—the Lions are already down to 87 players on the roster. 34 more cuts to go.
